Nicholas Walters seemingly retired after a 2016 loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko before returning to the ring in February of last year
In a matchup as bizarre as it is interesting, struggling lightweight contender Joseph Adorno will face former featherweight champion Nicholas Walters atop a March 27th ProBox TV show in Plant City, Florida.
“Blessed Hands” Adorno (18-3-2, 15 KO) is and always has been a phenomenally gifted fighter, but poor discipline, a reluctance to let his hands go, and constant weight issues have left him 4-3-2 in the last four years. Though he scored his biggest win in February 2023 by edging out Hugo Alberto Roldan, he fell short in back-to-back bouts with Elvis Rodriguez and Edwin De Los Santos.
He subsequently scored a get-well finish of 41-38 Jonathan Perez last November and now meets another fighter on the comeback trail in Walters (28-1-1, 22 KO).
“The Axe Man” had a brief reign as the scariest featherweight on the planet thanks to back-to-back beatdowns of Vic Darchinyan and Nonito Donaire, only to lose the belt on the scales against Miguel Marriaga. A move to 130 saw him fight Jason Sosa to a draw before infamously kicking off the “No Mas-chenko” streak by quitting after seven.
That 2016 bout appeared to mark the end of his career, but he returned to action in 2023 with a pair of wins over Colombian cannon fodder. He’s 38 and weighed in at a hefty 148 last time out, so odds are he doesn’t have much left in the tank, but Adorno is a truly transcendent underachiever.
Honestly, I think there’s a nonzero chance they both miss weight.
“I’ve made some massive changes in my personal life that reflect in my boxing career,” Adorno said. “Everything is positive and has direction.”
“I’ve matured not just as a fighter, but as a person,” Adorno said. “And I think that I can fulfil my potential on ProBox TV and work towards becoming world champion.”
“I have respect for him of course,” Adorno said of Walters. “He’s a former world champion. But I’m going to show I’m on a completely different level than what people expect.
“This fight is about me showing I’m back and getting better. Walters is just in my way of getting to a world title, so I will take him out on March 27 live on ProBox TV.”
The evening’s other noteworthy matchup pits 22-year-old super lightweight Jesus Saracho (13-1-1, 11 KO) against ShoBox veteran Starling Castillo (18-1-1, 13 KO), while featherweight prospect and former Olympic alternate David Navarro (6-1, 3 KO) meets Justin Goodson (8-0, 8 KO)
