The WBC has called on middleweight titleholder Carlos Adames to defend his belt against the next contender in line.

“Carlos Adames must fight Meirim Nursultanov,” the WBC said in a division-by-division update about all of its titleholders.

Adames was initially the WBC’s interim titleholder, picking up that belt in October 2022 with a third-round TKO of Juan Macias Montiel. He then scored a ninth-round stoppage of Julian Williams in June 2023. 

When the WBC finally stripped inactive Jermall Charlo last year, Adames was elevated to the full titleholder. He made his first defense in June 2024 with a wide decision over Terrell Gausha, and his second defense on February 22 with a controversial draw against Hamzah Sheeraz. Many observers believe Adames did more than enough to win. 

After the fight, Sheeraz said he wants a rematch with Adames. Sheeraz’s team has not yet indicated whether they will lobby the WBC to order an immediate sequel.

Sheeraz was the WBC’s No. 1 contender at 160lbs. Chris Eubank Jnr is ranked No. 2 and is scheduled to face Conor Benn on April 26. Nursultanov is ranked No. 3.

Nursultanov, 20-0 (11 KOs), is a 31-year-old originally from Kazakhstan and now training out of Oxnard, California. He hasn’t fought since November 2023, when he outpointed the 16-1 Julio Alamos.

The WBC also did not indicate when Adames-Nursultanov would be ordered or when it would be due. If the sanctioning body recognizes Adames-Sheeraz as a mandatory defense, then Adames could be free to pursue other options.

“All WBC champions shall make at least one mandatory defense per year, unless an exception is granted by the WBC in its sole discretion,” says the organization’s rules and regulations. “A champion may be required to make more than one mandatory defense per year, if the WBC has designated more than one mandatory challenger for any reason.”

Other potential opponents for Adames include his fellow titleholders, Janibek Alimkhanuly (IBF and WBO) and Adames’ stablemate with Premier Boxing Champions, WBA titleholder Erislandy Lara.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.