Junior middleweight contenders Carlos Adames and Patrick Teixeira will meet in a world title elimination fight on Nov. 30, Top Rank announced Wednesday.
The fight, a deal between Adames promoter Top Rank and Teixeira promoter Golden Boy, has been penciled in for some time, but Adames, who has been training for the bout, did not sign until this week.
They will meet at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on a card on which the main fights involve a pair of former featherweight titleholders in previously announced 10-round bouts: Oscar Valdez moving up to junior lightweight to face Andres Gutierrez, and Carl Frampton taking on Tyler McCreary (ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET with preliminary bouts on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m.).
The Adames-Teixeira winner will become the mandatory challenger for the 154-pound belt held by Jaime Munguia, although the belt could soon become vacant, as Munguia likely will move up to middleweight in early 2020.
Adames (18-0, 14 KOs), 25, of the Dominican Republic, is 5-0 with three knockouts since debuting for Top Rank in May 2018. All along, the company believed he would eventually be in position to get a shot at a world title.
"A victory on Nov. 30 will mean one of the last steps en route to fulfilling my dream of becoming world champion," Adames said. "Without a doubt, this fight is the most important of my career. There is no room for mistakes. A victory guarantees me the opportunity to challenge for the world title. That's why I worked hard and conscientiously with my trainer, Robert Garcia. I assure you that the Dominican Republic will have a world champion very soon."
Teixeira (30-1, 22 KOs), 28, a southpaw from Brazil, has won four fights in a row since his only defeat, a second-round knockout to former world title challenger Curtis Stevens in May 2016. Now he is stepping up again against a formidable opponent.
"I'm very excited to fight Carlos Adames in Las Vegas in this elimination fight for the world title," Teixeira said. "I'm very happy for this opportunity. It's an important fight for me because I will be able to pursue my dream of becoming a world champion."
Top Rank also announced the rest of the undercard bouts, which will all be part of the ESPN+ stream:
In an all-Southern California match, Glendale featherweight Adam Lopez (13-1, 6 KOs), 23, will face Moreno Valley's Luis Coria (12-2, 7 KOs), 21, in a 10-rounder.
Junior welterweight Arnold Barboza Jr. (22-0, 9 KOs), 27, of South El Monte, California, will face William Silva (27-2, 15 KOs), 32, of Brazil, whose only losses came to top prospects Teofimo Lopez Jr. and Felix Verdejo.
Japanese junior welterweight contender Andy Hiraoka (14-0, 9 KOs), 23, of Japan, who is a stablemate of unified bantamweight world titleholder and recent Top Rank signee Naoya Inoue, will make his U.S. debut in an eight-round bout against Rogelio Casarez (13-8, 5 KOs), 29, of Batesville, Arkansas.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, native Brian Mendoza (18-0, 13 KOs), 25, will fight Larry Gomez (9-1, 8 KOs), 26, of West Jordan, Utah, in an eight-round welterweight bout.
Heavyweight Guido "The Gladiator" Vianello (5-0, 5 KOs), 25, a 2016 Italian Olympian, will square off with Colby Madison (8-1-2, 5 KOs), 36, of Owings Mills, Maryland, in a six-round bout.
Heavyweight Jared Anderson (1-0, 1 KO), 20, of Toledo, Ohio, the No. 1 amateur heavyweight in the U.S. before signing with Top Rank in September and turning pro with a first-round knockout win on Oct. 26, will face Stephen Kirnon (2-2-1, 1 KO), 30, of New York, in a four-rounder.
Welterweight Xander Zayas (1-0, 1 KO), 17, a Puerto Rican from Plantation, Florida, will face Virgel Windfield (2-2-1, 2 KOs), 22, of Concord, North Carolina, in a four-rounder. Zayas, who was an 11-time national amateur champion, was 16 when he became the youngest fighter to ever sign with Top Rank in its 53-year history. He was 17 when he made his professional debut on Oct. 26 and won by first-round knockout.