Relaxing back at his home in the Dominican Republic following his controversial draw with Hamzah Sheeraz, WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames took time out to reflect on his journey.

Adames, 30, appeared hard-done-by to be awarded just a draw against Sheeraz, but nonetheless retained his title and is now 24-1-1 (18 KOs). He also is finally starting to get credit he believes he was due a long time ago.

While he is riding high now, things have not always been like that for Adames. In November 2019, he suffered his first and only defeat – at junior middleweight – to Patrick Teixeira in Las Vegas, climbing off the floor to lose a decision.

“There’s an old saying that says it’s not how the warrior falls, it’s how he gets up,” Adames told BoxingScene, through a translator. “And, to be real with you, at that moment, when I lost, I thought maybe my career could be over but I have learned through the years that – through my camp and my team – each camp has to be perfect and you have to work hard in each camp. That’s how I got here. That’s my development and I can confidently say I’m the best 160 right now. There’s nobody in the division that can beat me right now.”

But after three fights in three years, and believing he is in his prime, he wants to fight with more regularity so he can gather the other belts in the division.

It is a bout with IBF and WBO champion Janibek Alimkhanuly that he most covets. Cuban veteran Erislandy Lara holds the WBA title.

Alimkhanuly, 16-0 (11 KOs), takes on Anauel Ngamissengue on April 5.

“I would like more activity, I would like to fight more often. I only had one fight in 2023 and one fight in 2024 because I’m the best fighter and the most-feared in the division so it was hard to get match-ups,” said Adames. “But we’re working on fighting more often.”

His fight with Teixeira followed a decision win over Patrick Day. Day and Adames went in different directions, and although they both lost their next fights, the much-loved Day lost his life four months later following a fight with Charles Conwell. 

“I’m very aware of the dangers of the sport,” Adames admitted. “That’s why I always try to be fair and just. I’m always responsible and I always try to make the fights fair for both sides. I don’t like any of that steroid use because any of us could get sent to a wheelchair, or get in a really bad state in a coma or anything. I know it’s a really dangerous sport.” 

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.