Though Gerome Warburton is not fighting for a world title this weekend when he takes on Carlos Adames, the fact he’s fighting a world champion is still enough to put him the record books.

Adames, the WBC middleweight titlist, will be the first reigning world champion to face a fighter from north Wales and Warburton, in turn, becomes the first fighter from north Wales to do battle with a reigning king.

"I feel as though I don't get the recognition for doing that," Warburton, 18-2-2 (2 KOs) told the BBC.

"I'm holding the flag for north Wales. If I could get my hands on a world title, or box for one, it would be a dream come true, and I'd be writing history."

Even in victory, which would represent a sizeable upset, Warburton would not achieve his dream. Saturday’s bout, up at super middleweight, is a non-title 10-rounder after the WBC, which does not rank Warburton in its top 15 at 160lbs, allowed Adames to take a warm-up bout before resuming his title defenses.

Regardless, the fight and the occasion – a Zuffa bill in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – represent an opportunity not lost on the 32-year-old Warburton, who comes into this on the back of two wins over British crowd favorite Nathan Heaney.

"You're in there to do a job. Yes, he's a world champion, but this is my time to show the world that I belong at this level," Warburton said.

"All of my hard work has got me here. This is a big hurdle to get over, but I've been jumping over hurdles my whole career.

"This is another occasion to prove wrong those people who think I can't achieve something. I don't feel any pressure - the pressure is all on him.

"He's the WBC champion. He's the one who has set out to put on a show-stopping performance as world champ. I'm going there to upset the apple cart."

Beating Adames remains a mountainous task

As impressive as the wins over Heaney were for a fighter who was stopped by Kieron Conway last year, the jump to Adames, 32, is huge. The Las Vegas-based pressure fighter from the Dominican Republic is unbeaten since 2019. Along the way, Adames, 25-1-1 (18 KOs), has beaten Sergey Derevyanchenko, Julian Williams and Austin Williams, and was unlucky to emerge with only a draw against Hamzah Sheeraz.

Warburton, who revealed he did not allow his family to travel with him so he could fully focus on the job at hand, is nevertheless daring to dream of causing a shock.

"Win this and everything changes for my family, and I would probably become the mandatory challenger [for the WBC title]," he said.

"I've got someone in front of me who is at the highest level. To even be in the ring with him means I've completed boxing in a way, regardless of what happens.

"I'm a lad from north Wales who only had an ambition of winning a Welsh title. To step in with a world champion is what dreams are made of."