GRADES: CARLOS ADAMES, JULIAN WILLIAMS, KAZUTO IOKA, EDGAR BERLANGA & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

So, much like most of 2023, we had a bit of a mix bag during the last week of action.

First, we have an...interesting series of events surrounding Kazuto Ioka's title-winning performance over the now retired Joshua Franco. Then, Stateside, we saw Edgar Berlanga struggle and triumph (at different times) against Jason Quigley.

Of course, we also saw Carlos Adames "stop" Julian Williams in Middleweight action. Again, interesting is an understatement for that one.

As a side note, I want to be completely transparent and say I had a rather harsh write-up prepared for Joshua Franco's performance against the aforementioned Ioka. However, in light of his admission of mental health issues and sudden retirement, I have opted to omit that writing in this piece.

In any event, without much more rambling, let's hand out these Grades:

CARLOS ADAMES: B+

RESULT: DEF. JULIAN WILLIAMS, 9TKO (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

Well, in some respects, the grade here for Carlos Adames is a bit unfair. While he was well in control of his contest with Julian Williams before it was prematurely stopped in the ninth frame, it's hard to give a great assessment of a cut-off-too-soon performance.

From early on, Adames looked on his way to a stoppage, nearly getting Williams out of there in the second and fourth rounds, respectively. While Williams fought back bravely, it seemed only a matter of time.

The problem, in terms of time, is that Adames needed a bit more time in the ninth to get rid of Williams completely and the referee seemed to put a stop to that happening. Aside from sort of ruining the ending to an otherwise fun fight, it doesn't leave fans of Adames with the satisfaction they might have craved.

Again, you'd rather have it be a bit too early a stoppage than a bit too late. But this seemed more than just a bit too early. Still, solid performance from Adames overall, and his Grade reflects as much.

JULIAN WILLIAMS: C-

RESULT: LOSS TO CARLOS ADAMES, 9TKO (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

Considering the premature stoppage, you're tempted (perhaps) to go easier on Julian Williams. However, let's presume they don't stop the fight in the ninth. The Williams performance against Carlos Adames still wasn't his best. 

Williams just didn't seem able to take the clean shots Adames landed, and while he fought courageously, it wasn't always effective over the course of the contest.

Yes, the stoppage was likely early by most people's estimations, but the winner wasn't likely to change. Not based on what we had seen up to that point, anyway.
Williams wasn't completely shot to bits, he just looked like a fighter that will mostly come up short when in against the top 5 guys in the division.

While Williams and his team hinted at stepping away from the sport due to its corruption, they might need to consider that action for...other reasons at this point.

 
EDGAR BERLANGA: B+

RESULT: DEF. JASON QUIGLEY, 12UD (SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT)

Up until about the 10th round of his Super Middleweight encounter with Jason Quigley, the grade I had for Edgar Berlanga might have been a bit more harsh. However, I had to reanalyze for a couple of reasons.

For starters, Berlanga has been inactive and looking to improve with a new team in his corner. He wasn't the finished article before the long layoff, so expecting him to be such now seems a bit silly, to be honest.

What's more, he showed a glimpse of what he might be able to get done against future opponents in the beginning and end of the aforementioned Quigley showdown. The middle frames was where he correctly gets criticized.

At times, he looked out of ideas, unable to adjust and generally frustrated with a limited fighter in front of him showing nothing more than basic defensive skills.
If Berlanga is to ever make the next step successfully, he will need to build his performance so that he's getting consistently stronger as the fight progresses, and stays more poised and steady along the way.

Cutting off the ring correctly wouldn't hurt, either.

KAZUTO IOKA: A

RESULT: DEF. JOSHUA FRANCO, 12UD (FLYWEIGHT)

Kazuto Ioka could have been the story of a hometown fighter that got an close call to go his way against the traveling Joshua Franco back in late 2022 when the pair faced off in Japan, only to come back and look even worse in the return.

That happens all the time, a fighter ages overnight, but takes a fight or two to fully show it. And in these lower weight classes, fighters don't need any encouragement getting old.

Ioka, however, had other plans.

Yes, Franco helped that along by coming in overweight and underprepared. However, Ioka did his job. He made adjustments, showed more variety than in their first encounter, and placed his shots incredibly well. Ultimately, Ioka landed the cleaner, more effective shots that allowed him to right those previous wrongs.

Despite his opponent's intent to not take their encounter seriously enough, Ioka was razor sharp on the night, adding another layer to his already-impressive career.

LINKS:

- SCHEDULE & ODDS

- RESULTS

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