Adames vs Williams Predictions: ‘Ammo’ reloads against relentless foe

WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames puts his title on the line against Austin Williams this Saturday, March 21. The 160lb title decider tops the bill at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida;  frequent fight haunt in recent times. You can watch the action live on DAZN.

Read on for my Adames vs Williams preview complete with predictions and full card listings.

Adames vs Williams Odds

The champion is 4/11 to score the win while a Williams victory is on the market at 13/5. If you fancy the draw, your price is 12/1.

Adames vs Williams Fight Preview

WBC champion Adames has been out of the ring since what should have been a star-making evening in February 2025. The Vegas-based Dominican appeared to be too much for touted Brit Hamzah Sheeraz in a hotly-contested Riyadh battle. The judges saw something I and many others did not, awarding Sheeraz a share of the spoils in a contentious split draw.

But Adames’ performance still generated massive buzz. Big fights never came and the champion was then waylaid by illness and an almighty struggle to make 160lbs that put paid to the original scheduling for this fight with Williams. The pair were due to square off in January before Adames withdrew. 

Sheeraz has since moved up to super middleweight. His destruction of Edgar Berlanga last May has cleared a path to a world title shot. The bloom is back on the rose. And what Adames did last February, that relentless pressure that befuddled the British fighter, has been sadly forgotten.

Adames looks to belatedly serve a reminder of who he is against ‘Ammo’. Like Sheeraz, the American is someone who knows what it’s like to hit a brick wall as a touted prospect. Like the recuperative Hamza, Williams is looking to prove those lofty early reports of his genius were not unfounded. Ironically, that brick wall was Sheeraz himself.

Before Turki Alalshikh pivoted to helping Dana White make his own toy belts and pissing everyone off, he used to put on big, exciting boxing matches. The battle of unbeaten middleweight contenders Sheeraz and Williams back in 2024 was one such battle. There was only room for one fighter in the stratosphere after. Sheeraz brutally disarmed ‘Ammo’ with an 11th-round TKO.

The form guide is imprecise in boxing. You cannot reason that Adames beats Williams the American lost to the same man the champion drew against. That isn’t how this sport works. But Adames does look well-equipped technically for this contest. 

The Dominican is a purveyor of intelligent pressure. Feints, a fine jab and jerky, hard-to-read movement gets him inside. Hearty wallops to head and body keeps him there. The 31-year-old isn’t reinventing the wheel, but he spins it quite nicely. 

‘Ammo’ is not the heavy-artillery power-puncher his militaristic name conjures. His 13 knockouts from 20 wins have usually come where they were expected. Williams knocked out British domestic fixture River-Wilson Bent in eight rounds, but needed the distance to outpoint fringe contenders Steve Rolls and Patrice Volny. That’s about par, I would say.

This is a decent scrap atop a division in flux. Recent unified Janibek Alimkhanuly has just had his IBF title stripped for a doping violation though, inexplicably, the WBO are yet to follow suit. The WBA belt belongs to Erislandy Lara, a storied veteran so tenured that his first title eliminator saw him outpoint a velociraptor. 

The middleweight division has been de-gentrified, with heavyweight, super bantamweight and light heavyweight eclipsing the grand old category. The winner of this can stake a real claim for primacy in this once-glamourous ghetto. 

Adames vs Williams Full Card

Carlos Adames vs Austin Williams

Jaycob Gomez vs Corey Marksman

Omari Jones vs Christian Gomez

Teremoana Teremoana vs Curtis Harper

Roberto Raul Rivera Gomez vs Belmar Preciado

Antraveous Ingram vs Christopher Thompson

Carlos Jamil De Leon Castro vs Damian Alcala

Jordan Orozco Hernandez vs Daniel Olea

Junior Alcantara vs Israel Camacho

Adames vs Williams Prediction

When I previewed their January meeting, I liked Adames to win on points. But his struggles to make the 160lb limit and his long lay-off have me fearing for his prospects. Adames is the better boxer but is he primed for this battle?

‘Ammo’ was fortunate enough to secure a late replacement for their nixed January date. A unanimous points nod over fringe name Wendy Toussaint in January came with a knockdown and the requisite fire in Williams’ performance. It was a solid display.

Williams is younger, fitter and has more momentum. The 29-year-old has racked up four wins since Adames last boxed. Coupled with the weight-making struggles and the bad omen they often invoke, I’m leaning towards ‘Ammo’ in a close one. Williams to win is priced at 13/5.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.