12.06.07 – By Geoffrey Ciani: When news broke that Tomasz Adamek was moving up to the cruiserweight boxing division, it didn’t matter whether you were a fan, a critic, or a neutral observer—most questioned the wisdom of this decision. After all, it wasn’t too long ago when Adamek was being dubbed “the next best thing” in the light heavyweight division..
Unfortunately, Adamek suffered an untimely set-back at the hands of “Bad” Chad Dawson (who incidentally, looked spectacular in his first title boxing defense Saturday night against Jesus Ruiz). Following the loss, Adamek made the announcement that he’d move up in weight, claiming it was too difficult for him to make the 175 pound limit.
This type of thing happens all the time. In fact, oftentimes, when an upper echelon fighter loses a big fight, he’ll move up in weight class immediately afterwards. Usually, the most common reason cited is an inability to make weight, but sometimes it appears that a fighter is actually fleeing a division for all the wrong reasons. Was Adamek abandoning the light heavyweight division for all the wrong reasons? When he first announced his decision, it appeared he may have. After witnessing his debut match at cruiserweight, however, perhaps this move up was wiser than many anticipated.
There were many question marks surrounding Adamek’s cruiserweight debut. Chief amongst them, how would he carry the extra 25 pounds? Would it affect his stamina? Would it affect his punch output and his ability to throw effective combinations? Would his power hold up? Would the extra weight make him slower?
When Adamek entered the ring to face IBO boxing champion, Luis Andres Pineda, it wasn’t long before we had answers.
Adamek looked sensational. In fact, it didn’t appear as if the added weight had any ill-affects on him. Everything that’s defined Adamek’s career was on display: effective aggression, nice combinations, a solid jab, and a healthy punch output. It didn’t appear that the added weight had a significant impact on his speed, stamina, or overall athleticism. It was business as usual for Adamek.
Adamek pitched a shutout over the first six rounds, and was clearly in control of the bout. Pineda had no answers to the relentless pressure being applied by Adamek, nor was he able to stop the constant influx of combinations that repeatedly tagged his head and body. Adamek looked relaxed throughout and appeared to be very comfortable at his new weight class. In fact, he looked so comfortable that I was left having no choice but to believe the validity of his initial claim—he was no longer able to make the 175 pound limit.
After methodically breaking Pineda down throughout the fight, it was finally stopped by the referee in the seventh stanza when Adamek mercilessly pummeled Pineda against the ropes. It was a good win for Adamek which may help set the stage for a title shot sometime in the not-so-distant future. The ultimate prize for Adamek would be landing a title shot against reigning WBC/WBA boxing champion, Jean Marc Mormek.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to see who Adamek faces next. Ideally, he needs to face another natural cruiserweight and preferably someone with some pop in his punches. If Adamek can beat a young, hungry puncher it will be easier to assess where he stands amongst the best the boxing division has to offer. Perhaps a fight against Enzo Maccarinelli-Wayne Braithwaite winner would be a good measuring stick.
The cruiserweight division has suddenly become interesting.
To contact Ciani:
geoff@eatthemushroom.com
To read more by Ciani, please visit The Mushroom Mag:
http://www.eatthemushroom.com/mag