Brandon Adams

Quickly gaining a reputation after winning several backyard brawls, Brandon’s neighbor "Big Al" took notice and brought him into the professional and legalized world of boxing. Introducing him into the ‘last old school boxing gym” in South Central Los Angeles, Big Al became Brandon’s mentor and first trainer. “My neighbor Big Al saw my enthusiasm to box and make it out of the backyard, so he began taking me to the gym,” Adams explained of his mentor. “Al introduced me to everyone in the gym, he had me do strength and conditioning in the same sessions as my training. He was a male figure that stepped in to try to mentor and help me, and I’m forever grateful.”

Relegating to full recovery mode over the next few years, in 2018 Brandon was invited to join Season 5 of the EPIX network television show The Contender. The show revived his career, leading to his victory over Shane Mosley Jr. for the show finale and championship. Unfortunately, Big Al passed away from a heart attack during this time. Although severely affected by Big Al's death, Adams fought on 29 June 2019 against Jermall Charlo in Houston, Texas. Airing on Showtime with big box office appeal, the fight marked Brandon's national debut with over one million expected viewers. Charlo won the fight in the twelfth round, retaining the WBC Middleweight title.

Adams currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife and two children. They are expecting their third child in summer 2019. His younger brother, Terrell Adams, is an amateur boxer.

After years of victories, Adams earned his nickname “The Cannon,” dominating several local showcases and accumulating an undefeated record in fights across the United States and in Mexico. Gaining the attention of the boxing community, Adams was requested for training camps by boxing contenders Shawn “Showtime” Porter, Gennady Golovkin (“GGG”) and Antonio Margarito (“The Tijuana Tornado”). In 2013, he signed with Banner Promotions and in 2015, he participated in ESPN’s nationally televised annual Boxcino Tournament.

Brandon Quincy Adams (born July 31, 1989) is an American professional boxer and winner of The Contender (season 5), taking the title against Shane Mosley Jr. He is currently ranked #6 by the World Boxing Organization in the Middleweight Division. Adams is trained by Dub Huntley and Freddie Roach, the trainer for Manny Pacquiao.

Adams was born on July 31, 1989 between Compton and Watts in Los Angeles, California.  He fought against involvement with gangs and drugs early on in life, surviving through what he calls “faith and a courageous sense of humor.” Eager to participate in sports as a youth, but shunned for his family’s troubled reputation in the streets of Compton and Watts, Adams found a way around the hardships of the neighborhood by using the discipline of boxing as a way to better his opportunities in life and to defend himself. “I saw my older brothers get shot, lost best friends within 100 feet from where I lie my head,” Adams explained. “I had to defend myself from being bullied because fighting was a reality of the streets. Being very small for my age, certainly the smallest of all my friends, I naturally had more to prove.”