Brandon Adams has a knack for narrowing down a tournament field

Tournaments have been a successful formula for Brandon Adams. The 35-year-old junior middleweight from Lynnwood, California, nearly ran the table at the Boxcino tournament in 2015, where he wasn’t stopped until the finals. He later won the reboot of “The Contender” TV show, and now he finds himself in the semifinals of OTX Boxing’s 154-pound tournament.

Adams (24-3, 16 KOs) will face Argentina’s 25-year-old Francisco Veron (14-0-1, 10 KOs) on Friday at OTE Arena in Atlanta. The winner will advance to the finals to face either Andreas Katzourakis or Robert Terry, who square off on the same night on the same card.

Adams attributes his success in bracket-style boxing events to the consistent activity the format offers – something he has struggled to maintain in recent years. Before joining the OTX Boxing tournament, Adams had been inactive for more than three years, following a knockout win over the previously undefeated Serhii Bohachuk.

“It’s an opportunity for me to be able to continuously fight,” Adams said. “That’s why I love tournaments. If you win, you fight again.”

Despite his accomplishments, Adams feels he has been seen as a high-risk, low-reward opponent – especially after his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Jermall Charlo for the WBC middleweight title in 2019, fighting Charlo in his hometown of Houston.

“Especially with my performance, I was hoping to get more shots, more opportunities,” Adams said. “It didn’t happen that way. People were like, ‘You’re kind of dangerous and [you’re] not backed with money.’ So that’s not the fight a lot of people would want to take.”

Vernon, who is known for his punching power, has a style reminiscent of Bohachuk’s – or at least that’s what Adams thinks. In the first round of the tournament, Adams knocked out Ismael Villarreal in three rounds, while Vernon earned a 10-round unanimous decision over Angel Ruiz. Vernon is perhaps best known for his draw against Jahi Tucker, but, notably, he is also 10 years younger than Adams. 

“In a sense, he kind of reminds me of Bohachuk – but with that distinct Argentine style,” Adams said. “I think Francisco can beat anybody if they’re not on their game.”

With time running out in his career, Adams sees tournaments as a way to make the most of his remaining years in the sport.

“I will win this fight because I’m the most experienced fighter in this tournament,” Adams said. “After three years out, I came back sharper than ever. Everyone saw how strategic and cerebral I was. I’m only getting better.”

As for Adams’ age, he simply says: “That’s not up to me to say. That is for you guys, the fans and people who are looking. Because, for me, I feel good. But every fighter tells you they feel good. It’s up to me to show you how good I feel by performance.”