By James Slater: World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight king Vitali Klitschko put on a rather ruthless display last night in Poland, as he pounded an incredibly brave Tomasz Adamek to a sickening 10th-round TKO defeat. Watching the fight, I had the impression “Dr. Iron Fist” could have stepped up the pace any time he wanted to and taken the much smaller man out.
For whatever reason, however, the immaculately-conditioned 40-year-old prolonged the beating, before the ref finally jumped in to save the out-sized, out-classed and over-powered Polish treasure. As soon as the two men met in ring centre it looked like two fighters from different weight classes were fighting, so much bigger (almost ludicrously so) was Vitali. Adamek, possessing truly awe-inspiring guts and courage, gave it a shot, having a brief spell of success in the 4th-round, but his bravery was not enough.
The question now is what next for both men?
Vitali, in being interviewed post-fight by SKY Sports, spoke again of his desire to put on David Haye the kind of savage beating he had just dished out against the tough Pole.
“David Haye is world famous not for [his] boxing skills, but for his long tongue,” Vitali said. “With his trash-talking he touched me and my brother personally. I want to knock him out. I am serious.”
A charming man when he is not punishing rival fighters, Vitali smiled during his interview with SKY. His smile disappeared when he spoke about Haye, however. Make no mistake, Vitali IS serious when he says he wants to KO Haye. Haye, who recently broke the silence his loss to Wladimir was followed by, announced how he is willing to fight Vitali, if the WBC champ “dare” give him a chance. Judging by Vitali’s comments last night, there is a great chance this will be the next defence for the mighty Ukrainian.
Can Haye possibly do any better than Adamek? Or will “The Hayemaker” use the largely negative tactics he used against Wladimir in order to last the full 12-rounds? Either way in my opinion, Haye faces a second Klitschko loss. The only question is whether or not the Londoner can avoid the fate so many others have met – that of a brutal, possible career ending defeat.
But what next for Adamek? The former 175 and 200-pound king suffered just his second pro loss last night, and two defeats do not normally suggest a fighter is on the way out. However, the man known as “Goral” took such a fierce, damaging hiding last night, that the long-term affects may prove to be quite serious. Will Adamek ever be the same fighter again after what he went through last night? At the very least I feel the 216-pounder should drop back down to cruiserweight.
Sure, Adamek could possibly beat the likes of Alexander Povetkin and maybe even Haye (after he has recovered from the neurological and physical damage he was subjected to last night, that is), but this proud man wants to be the absolute number-one in his chosen weight class. As long as the Klitschkos are around, Adamek will never achieve this as a heavyweight.
Adamek could almost certainly make 200-pounds without too much of a struggle, and there would be some big and intriguing fights for him there (think Adamek Vs. Tarver, Huck, the winner of Lebedev-Toney). I think dropping back down would be a smart move for the 34-year-old, but after the sheer bravery he displayed last night, Adamek has more than earned the right to do what he wants to do.