Unfortunately for Williams, the champion never stepped on the scale.

Carlos Adames abruptly withdrew from their 12-round fight for his WBC 160-pound championship. Adames’ handlers informed Matchroom Boxing, the official promoter of “The Ring 6” card Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, that Adames was ill and couldn’t move forward with their bout.

The Dominican Republic’s Adames (24-1-1, 18 KOs) and Williams (19-1, 13 KOs), of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, were scheduled to open the four-fight pay-per-view portion of the show at 8 p.m. ET. There are now five fights on the card.

Adames, 31, hasn’t fought since his controversial split draw with England’s Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Adames’ withdrawal was a devastating blow to Williams, who took this title fight rather than waiting for a shot at the IBF 160-pound championship owned by Janibek Alimkhanuly. Williams hoped a victory over Adames would rejuvenate his career after an 11th-round, technical-knockout loss to Sheeraz in June 2024.

Williams, who has won three straight fights since Sheeraz beat him, officially weighed 159.6 pounds Friday morning.

Williams, 29, is no longer ranked in the top 15 by the IBF because he accepted a shot at the WBC belt. The Milwaukee native was ranked third by the IBF and likely would’ve been ordered to face second-ranked Italian contender Etinosa Oliha (22-0, 10 KOs) if Alimkhanuly is stripped of his title.

Kazakhstan’s Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs) tested positive for Meldonium, a banned substance, in November. Alimkhanuly naturally claimed he didn’t knowingly use Meldonium, but his title unification fight against WBA champ Erislandy Lara was nonetheless canceled four days before they were scheduled to meet December 6 in San Antonio.

Alimkhanuly requested an examination of his “B” sample. His IBF and WBO belts would likely be taken from him if his “B” sample comes back positive.