06.02.07 – By Geoffrey Ciani: WBC light heavyweight champion Tomasz Adamek took a huge risk when he agreed to defend against undefeated challenger, Chad Dawson. After all, this was a voluntary defense, and voluntary defenses usually allow champions to handpick opponents to showcase their talents. Dawson was originally slated to face Adrian Diaconu in an eliminator to become Adamek’s mandatory. When that fell through, Adamek decided to go ahead and defend against Dawson, anyway. This proved to be a disastrous business move on Adamek’s part..
Saturday night, Adamek was thoroughly out-boxed by his quicker, younger opponent. Consequently, his reign as WBC light heavyweight champion came to an abrupt end. Adamek didn’t seem to have any answers for the right-handed southpaw who confused and bamboozled Adamek with his blazing speed throughout the contest. Time and time again, Dawson’s straight left found the mark with accurate precision as if Adamek never saw the punches coming. Even worse, it looked like Adamek had no idea how to contend with a skilled southpaw, but in fairness, that probably had something to do with Dawson’s impeccable skills.
Despite his losing effort and the poor business decision in taking a voluntary defense against such a tough opponent, Adamek should be commended for his championship spirit. Like a throwback to the old days, he did not want any easy voluntary defenses. Having just turned 30, he clearly felt his prime is now, and he wanted to prove his championship worth by fighting the best available contenders. Unfortunately, in doing so, he lost his championship belt.
Adamek did show some promise later in the fight when he dropped Dawson with a powerful right, but it was too little too late. Dawson appeared hurt, but his outstanding recuperative abilities enabled him to survive the remainder of the contest. Did Adamek figure something out towards the end or was Dawson simply becoming tired, affording Adamek the opportunity to catch him? Tough to say.
Now the question becomes, what’s next for Adamek? Frankly, Dawson’s victory was decisive enough that I’m not sure a rematch is warranted. Then again, he did give Dawson an opportunity, and Dawson seemed appreciative of that, so maybe he will reciprocate the gesture? Adamek, after all, did floor Dawson, which made for an exciting final three rounds. But even if Adamek was offered a rematch against Dawson, should he take it? I’m not so sure he should.
In my mind, Adamek has two paths he can follow. One path is to seek an immediate rematch and try to reverse the outcome of their first encounter. This was a path twice sought by “Sugar” Shane Mosley following losses to Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright. Mosley displayed championship heart in each instance; his desire of wanting to avenge his losses illustrates this perfectly. Unfortunately for Mosley, he lost his rematches with both Forrest and Wright (although, it’s worth noting that he did perform better the second time around in each).
The other path he can follow is an entirely different path altogether. That means, forget about Chad Dawson, get on with your career, and seek out different challenges in the 175 pound division. This was the path Oscar De La Hoya has chosen following all four of his professional losses. After a loss, De La Hoya was never too keen on seeking an immediate rematch, but this appeared to be very smart business decisions because it prevented him from ever losing back-to-back contests. When it comes to making smart business decisions pertaining to one’s career, De La Hoya wrote The Golden Book.
So which path will Adamek choose? Will he choose the “Sugar” Shane path, and exercise an immediate rematch with Dawson given the opportunity? Or will he choose the De La Hoya path, and forget about Dawson for the time being while he moves on with his career?
Knowing Adamek, given the opportunity, I suspect that he would want an immediate rematch. I think this would be a mistake, even though I think he could do better in a rematch, and possibly even reverse the outcome. Having championship heart and desire is one thing, but in the current boxing scene, smart business decisions trump old school desires for greatness. Mosley should have been commended for seeking immediate rematches with his conquerors; instead, his value largely plummeted. The same thing just happened with Adamek when he decided to make a voluntary defense against Dawson in the first place.
I think Adamek should follow the Golden Path—that taken by De La Hoya following his losses. Adamek still has a promising future, and I’m not sure having another clash with Dawson is in his best interest at this time. There are other paths he can pursue to regain championship status. Should his path cross again with Dawson in the future, he might be better prepared than if he jumps right into it.
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