Brandon Adams has one eye on his next opponent and the other on the sport's supposed boogeyman, Bakhram Murtazaliev.

Before that matchup can materialize, Adams will return on April 18 against Caoimhin Agyarko at a venue to be announced. The bout will serve as an IBF junior middleweight eliminator, with the winner set to face the winner of this weekend’s title fight between IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly. Murtazaliev defends his belt Saturday at Newcastle Arena in Newcastle, England.

Adams, 26-4 (16 KOs), believes Murtazaliev has gained an intimidating aura following his knockout of Tim Tszyu. Adams, however, is no stranger to facing fighters with fearsome reputations. He is coming off an August unanimous decision victory over Serhii Bohachuk—his second win over Bohachuk, the first coming when Bohachuk was still undefeated back in 2021.

“Bakhram has become the new boogeyman, and it all came from fighting Tim Tszyu,” Adams told BoxingScene. “I just fought Bohachuk, and nobody really wants to fight Bohachuk either. That style—volume punchers—guys don’t want any part of it.”

When asked if he personally believes Murtazaliev, 23-0 (17 KOs) deserves the boogeyman label, Adams offered a measured response.

“Yes and no,” Adams said. “A lot of times fans buy into the look test. He’s undefeated, he’s Russian, and you hear nobody wants to fight him. But when you put a fighter like that in front of someone skilled, you start to see things differently. It’s like Scooby-Doo—you pull the mask off and it’s not what you thought. That’s what I plan to do if I get Murtazaliev.”

Murtazaliev, a 33-year-old from Grozny, Russia, did not fight in 2025 and now returns against 2016 Olympian Josh Kelly, 19-1-1 (9 KOs). Adams believes conditioning could be a decisive factor in that matchup. Kelly’s movement-heavy style could pose problems early, but fatigue may open the door for Murtazaliev as the fight progresses.

“Yes, I think Murtazaliev is going to win,” Adams said. “But Kelly is something different than what he’s seen before. The boxing, the slipping, the movement—that could definitely cause problems.”

Adams has dubbed this stage of his career “the punishment era,” and a win over Agyarko would put him on the doorstep of an IBF title shot. When imagining a future clash with Murtazaliev, Adams drew inspiration from boxing cinema.

“It would be Adonis Creed versus Ivan Drago’s son,” Adams said. “And notice I said Adonis—not Apollo—because Apollo didn’t win.”