Robert Brizel Editorial: The Battle Scars and Polish Wars of Tomasz Adamek

Editorial By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

*Photo Credit: Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media

 While well promoted, cruiserweight and heavyweight Tomasz Adamek won many bouts, and surprised many boxing observers on occasion. Now 45 years old, Adamek, 53-6 with 31 knockouts, Jersey City, New Jersey, by way of Zywiec, Poland, is probably beyond reach of a comeback at this point, even if he had the desire. Adamek’s final bout, a second-round knockout to undefeated Jarrell “Big Baby’ Miller in Chicago, Illinois in October 2018, was a bout for the money for the faded and forgotten Adamek, and nothing more, not serious. The 25-0-1 Miller did not fight against for 44 months before winning twice, not very active.

 As a rising light heavyweight in Poland, Adamek won Polish, WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight titles regional titles en route to the World Boxing Council World Light Heavyweight title, which Adamek won from Paul Briggs in May 2005 by decision before losing it to Chad Dawson by decision in February 2007. That title would later go to Jean Pascal, back to Dawson, to Adonis Stevenson, to Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and then to current world light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.

 The battle scarred rough tough Adamek then moved to cruiserweight, defeating O’Neill Bell in an eliminator and then defeating Steve Cunningham for the IBF World Cruiserweight title. Adamek would the IBO cruiserweight title to his ledger. After defending his cruiserweight title again Johnathon Banks and Bobby Gunn, Adamek then stopped fellow Pole Andrew Golota in five rounds in Lodz, Poland in October 2009 to win the vacant IBF International Heavyweight title. Adamek defended the IBF regional belt five times, adding the vacant WBO NABO title when he won a majority decision over Chris Arreola in Ontario, Canada in April 2010. Arreola broke a hand during the bout, and lost a majority decision to a two handed light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion.

 Adamek went into a world title bout against Vitali Klitschko in Wroclaw, Poland in September 2011, getting stopped in the tenth round. At 6’1″ and 216 pounds, the smaller Adamek was towered over by the 6’7″ 243 pounds Dr. Vitali Klitschko, a mismatch, but then again, heavyweight is where the money is. This reporter was ringside with Tomasz for his bouts with Michael Grant in August 2010 in Newark, and Nagy Aguilera in Brooklyn in March 2010, and as such knows Adamek well.

 Adamek came back again in the heavyweight division, winning five bouts in a row, including winning a 10-round rematch against Steve Cunningham for the number two IBF ratings heavyweight position. Adamek then lost a 10-round decision for the IBF North American title to Ukrainian Vyacheslav Glazkov in March 2014. Glazkov’s career subsequently ended when he twisted his right knee in a vacant IBF World Heavyweight title bout against Charles Martin in January 2016.

 In November 2014, in Krakow, Poland, Adamek’s next comeback attempt fell short, losing a 10-round decision to fellow Pole Artur Szpilka for the vacant Polish International and IBF International heavyweight titles. Szpilka fought Deontay Wilder subsequently for the WBC World Heavyweight title, saw his career end after losses to fellow Pole Adam Kownacki by fourth-round stoppage in July 2017, and a first-round stoppage to Lukasz Rozanski in May 2021.

 Adamek then won a comeback bout in Poland, with a fifth-round stoppage win in September 2015 over Przemyslaw Saleta in Lodz. In April 2016 in Krakow, Adamek was knocked out by Eric Molina in ten tenth round of a bout he was winning on the cards. Adamek then won three comeback bouts in 2017 and 2018 in Poland, ten-round decision wins over Solomon Haumono over Fred Kassi, and a seventh-round stoppage win over Joey Abell, before the second-round knockout loss to Jarrell Miller at Wintrust Arena in Chicago ended Adamek’s career for good in October 2018.

 Adamek began his professional career in Manchester, United Kingdom, in March 1999 with a first-round stoppage of Israel Khumalo. 21 of Adamek’s wins which followed were wins over insignificant opponents in Poland. Adamek also fought in Finland, Germany, Spain and Russia.

 Adamek’s important bouts against Polish compatriots Golota, Szpilka and Saleta were defining in that he was only able to win two of three of them. It is unlikely Adamek would have defeated Oleksandr Usyk, Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Alexander Povetkin, Dillian Whyte. Bouts by Adamek versus Dereck Chisora, Bermane Stiverne or Adam Kownacki favor Adamek. A bout between Adamek and Kubrat Pulev, Andy Ruiz or Mike Hunter appear drawish. While Adamek was too small, like Povetkin, as a motivated fighter well promoted, Adamek could still win many bouts. A great light heavyweight and cruiserweight, Adamek moved up to pursue the riches of heavyweight gold. Like his nemesis, rival Steve Cunningham, even with the best of promoters, winning the world heavyweight title proved elusive and one notch of physique and talent above the best Adamek could achieve in the higher weight class. Eventually, when a boxing career drags too long, motivation and discipline fall, and Adamek’s career ended before the Pandemic.






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