by James Slater – Last night, in being interviewed after his impressive 8th round stoppage win over the previously unbeaten and highly touted Jonathon Banks, IBF cruiserweight king Tomasz Adamek said how he would one day like to move up yet again in weight and go for a fight against heavyweight champion(s) Klitschko. As crazy as this planned move may seem to be upon initially hearing it, could the Polish tough guy maybe have a chance against the giants of his sport?
It was only just over two years ago that the 32-year-old with the granite chin and the 37-1(25) pro record was battling it out against the world’s best light-heavyweights. Only the gifted Chad Dawson was able to beat him – on points over 12 rounds, taking his WBC 175-pound crown – and since then Adamek has beaten everyone he has met at 200-pounds. Now he says he wants to go up yet again and challenge Klitschko! (Tomasz did not make it clear which Klitschko, but he’d be better off aiming for Wladimir in my opinion).
It’s hard not to both like and be mightily impressed by the Pole’s self belief and ambition – it’s also hard to totally write off his chances of achieving his lofty goal. When you’re as genuinely tough as Adamek is – you’d be hard pressed to find a top tier fighter with a firmer set of whiskers than the IBF champ – and when there are a number of other smallish guys jockeying for a shot at the two brothers from Ukraine, it’s easy to see why Adamek wants to do what he has talked about. Not only are two other former cruiserweight champions in David Haye and Juan Carlos Gomez doing the exact same thing and looking for/getting a huge fight with one of the Klitschko’s, but other less than gigantic fighters have already been in with the two siblings.
Okay, Hasim Rahman, approx 6’2,” was KO’d easily by Wladimir, and Sam Peter, approx 6’1, was made to quit against Vitali – but neither of these two guys have Adamek’s desire, chin or sheer pride. And at 6’1″ Tomasz would be no midget of a heavyweight. The aforementioned “Hayemaker” stands at just under 6’3″ and his reach at 78″ is only marginally longer than Adamek’s. Some fans, mostly British, seem to feel Haye can be the next big star at heavyweight, so why shouldn’t Adamek, with his far superior chin, go for it in boxing’s heaviest weight class himself? It would not be unrealistic to imagine Adamek could put on another twenty or twenty-five pounds in weight, which would make him a decent sized big guy.
Maybe, just maybe, it will be the warrior from Poland who makes it as only the second man in boxing history to follow Evander Holyfield as a former cruiserweight who was able to conquer at heavyweight – and not David Haye or Juan Carlos Gomez (who, of course, goes in with “Dr, Iron Fist” on March 21st) Not only that, but if Adamek were able to capture a title in his third weight division he will have made his own history by becoming the first ever Light-heavy, cruiser and heavyweight ruler!
It is a lofty goal indeed, but Wladimir Klitschko doesn’t have that great a chin, nor does he have a particularly impressive track record when it comes to looking good in dog fights – which is just what the fearless Pole would give him were he given the opportunity.
It’s tough to root against fighters like Adamek, and boxing could use more like him. As he said whilst being interviewed post-fight last night, anything is possible in America. Good on him for trying to do all he can in his chosen field.
The line of fighters eager to face the two dominant brothers just got even longer.