If Juan Macias Montiel conquers Carlos Adames on Saturday night, he’ll win the WBC’s vacant interim middleweight title.

He also would move into a position where it’d be difficult for Jermall Charlo to avoid eventually fighting him again unless the WBC middleweight champion were to move up to the super middleweight division. Mexico’s Montiel still doesn’t think Charlo will grant him a rematch if he defeats Adames in a co-feature Showtime will air from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

“To be honest with you, no,” Montiel told krikya360.com through a translator. “But, you know, what happened after the fight, he was like, ‘Yeah, I would give him the rematch. It was a close fight.’ And then he backpedaled afterwards. So, in a way, I understand. Look, I would do the exact same thing that he’s doing now if I was in his position. So, I don’t begrudge him for it because he has a lot more to lose than he has to gain if he were to face me again.”

Montiel (23-5-2, 23 KOs) surprisingly pushed the heavily favored Charlo in what was considered a grueling fight for Charlo’s WBC 160-pound crown 15 months ago at Toyota Center in Houston. Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) won their 12-round bout by wide distances on all three scorecards (120-108, 119-109, 118-109), yet Montiel feels he didn’t get the appropriate credit for the competitive nature of a main event Showtime televised.

“Of course I felt like I won a couple more rounds than the scores showed,” Montiel said. “But at the same time, look, I feel like that just says that instead of them saying I looked better, that just says he looked worse. So, in a way, that backfired for him. In the end, I do feel like I won a couple more rounds, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I just have to turn the page.”

Montiel’s commendable performance against Charlo at least helped him move back into a spot for a shot at the WBC’s secondary middleweight title. The 28-year-old contender is ranked sixth by the WBC, five spots beneath the number one-ranked Adames (21-1, 16 KOs).

“I showed everybody that I’m right up there with anybody that might come my way,” Montiel said, “that I can go after any high-caliber fighter that’s put in front of me and that I belong in the majors of boxing.”

The Los Mochis native acknowledged that Adames is a strong fighter whom he respects, though Montiel hopes he is wrong about Charlo’s willingness to grant him a rematch. Houston’s Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought since he overcame Montiel, in part because his June 18 title defense against Poland’s Maceij Sulecki (30-2, 11 KOs) was postponed due to a back injury Charlo reportedly suffered during training camp.

“I absolutely would love for a chance to have a rematch,” Montiel said, “because I know that if I’m given that chance the result is going to be totally different. People would see that I’m more ready than ever.”

Showtime will broadcast the Adames-Montiel match immediately before its main event – a 12-round bout between WBC interim super welterweight champ Sebastian Fundora (19-1, 13 KOs), of Coachella, California, and Mexican contender Carlos Ocampo (34-1, 22 KOs). The telecast, scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. PT, will open with a 12-round rematch between IBF junior bantamweight champion Fernando Martinez (14-0, 8 KOs), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Filipino southpaw Jerwin Ancajas (33-2-2, 22 KOs), whom Martinez upset by unanimous decision in their 12-round fight February 26 at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.