WBC orders Fulton vs Vargas and Adames vs Nursultanov

Stephen Fulton and Carlos Adames have their marching orders for their next defenses

The WBC provided an update on its suite of champions today, including orders for a pair of noteworthy title bouts.

For one, newly crowned featherweight champion Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KO) must take on Rey Vargas (36-1-1, 22 KO), the former titlist whom the WBC demoted to “champion in recess” last year. They should have just stripped him, frankly; Vargas edged out Mark Magsayo for the belt in 2022 and has managed all of one title defense, a draw with Nick Ball in March 2023.

This development is made more annoying by the presence of top contender Bruce Carrington, who’d make for an excellent scrap with Fulton. Hopefully the WBC will come to its senses, but I’m not holding my breath.

Up at middleweight, Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KO) will follow February’s draw with Hamzah Sheeraz with a mandatory defense against Meiirim Nursultanov (20-0, 11 KO). The Kazakh contender has been out of action since November 2023.