Tomasz Adamek Wants Wladimir Klitschko in 2012
by Scott Christ on Sep 12, 2011 3:17 PM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Tomasz Adamek isn't looking for a soft touch when he returns to the ring next year, and despite a one-sided loss at the hands of Vitali Klitschko on Saturday, he says he wants a shot at Wladimir Klitschko next. From Luke Furman:
"If I fight again, it's only at the highest level. I do not plan to fight the so-called [journeymen] because it makes no sense. If I had to return to the ring, I want to fight for the championship of the world. There is still Vitali's brother, and this fight can happen next year."
This is why people like Adamek so much. He has fought journeymen at heavyweight, but he's done so to work his way up to the level he was at against Vitali on Saturday. Now, he's saying he wants to stay at that level instead of taking easier fights. He can make good money in Poland and in New Jersey. He doesn't have to target Wladimir. But that's what he's saying he'll do.
Given that Adamek gave a respectable effort and showed he can bring in money, I would guess it will be considered. The brothers are low on potential opponents, and while there are a couple of younger guys coming up, Robert Helenius (for instance) is probably a couple fights away from taking the shot, and I think we'd all much rather see a warrior like Adamek or Chris Arreola take another shot than some total non-contender.
Does Wladimir vs Adamek interest you? Do you think Adamek could fare any better with the chinnier brother than he did the iron-jawed Vitali?
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He has several interesting matchups possible against guys I would not call journeymen- Haye, Chambers, Povetkin, even Helenius- and this one, the over/under on which is only “Will this end Adamek’s career?” Pass.
to nitpick
Haye only wants Vitali (or Wladimir). Arreola wants Wladimir. Teddy Atlas wants Povetkin to hide and fight Holyfield or something. Adamek vs Helenius is high-risk, medium-reward for both sides.
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by Scott Christ on Sep 12, 2011 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I think he’s saying he doesn’t want a pointless trinket. He wants to fight the best guy. Also I don’t see any guarantee that Povetkin would fight Adamek. It goes two ways and Atlas has done his best to hide Povetkin from moving upward.
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by Scott Christ on Sep 12, 2011 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
What is Teddy’s deal anyway? Why protect Povetkin like this anymore? He’s obviously a finished product. Does Teddy really make that much money training him? Does he think Povetkin will get embarrassed and it will reflect poorly on himself?
It’s especially irritating because he’s always criticizing the Klitschkos for not having heart and weird stuff like that. Put up or shut up.
He would be, but God knows what Atlas thinks. He pulled him back so far. Povetkin’s conditioning is lousy, too. I’d pick Povetkin to beat Adamek, but Adamek winning wouldn’t surprise me, really.
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by Scott Christ on Sep 12, 2011 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
To be honest
I thought he wouldnt get by Chagaev. I thought his power would overwhelm him eventually, but he passed his first big test. Now he needs to fight real contenders.
I’ve never considered myself as a legend – just a simple man with heart.
Chagaev has been mediocre at best for years, so I wasn’t worried about that one. He barely got by Travis Walker before he fought Povetkin and looked lousy last year against Meehan.
What I think could really get Povetkin is someone who can push a consistently good pace, because of his stamina issues.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Sep 12, 2011 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Well said.
Preferably a Haye match. But thats a lot of risk for both of them.
I’ve never considered myself as a legend – just a simple man with heart.
Do you think Adamek could fare any better with the chinnier brother than he did the iron-jawed Vitali?
I don’t think Adamek packs enough of a wallop to even have a puncher’s chance against Wlad. I think he’d catch a equal or greater beating to the one he received against Vitali. Wlad is more mobile and could render Adamek unconscious with one punch. If Wlad doesn’t dick around with him for 10+ rounds he could knock him out pretty quickly. I admire Adamek’s courage, but no it’s a lost cause for him.
Did Adamek even hit Vitali with a single head shot of any significance?
It will be worse against Wlad.
Adamek has to be realistic.
Did Adamek even hit Vitali with a single head shot of any significance?
A few.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Sep 12, 2011 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Huh
I sure didn’t see any. I mean, maybe that is Vitali’s chin, or maybe it’s because Adamek doesn’t really have heavyweight power. In any event, he won’t even get remotely close enough to Wlad to hit him anyway.
I mean there were just a few, I wasn’t really disagreeing with you. He got that I can recall one nice left hook in, one or two solid rights. But yes, he didn’t even dent Vitali. I think I noticed Vitali “feeling” all of one of those shots. He just wasn’t big enough.
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by Scott Christ on Sep 12, 2011 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know if that’s a statement I like so much. Two days after that beating I’d rather call that hubris. Like anyone else should, Adamek should earn his next shot. He wasn’t competitive against Vitali, why should he have a chance against Wladimir? He’s not a power-puncher, he doesn’t even have the lucky punch chance.
"Sure, there have been injuries and deaths in boxing – but none of them serious." Alan Minter
As much as I like Adamek, which is very much (not that there’s anything wrong with that), I think that an enormous amount of the mystique surrounding Saturday’s fight centered around what a good, dedicated, in-shape and very tough opponent could do against a Klitschko. Not surprisingly to any os us, I guess, it was not much, although he tried.
So, with all the glitter now washed away, a Wladimir fight would be much less interesting. Arreola has had a shot, but his angle is this alleged reinvention of himself, and I’m dumb enough to get suckered into the possibilities. Helenius, from what I’ve seen, is full of holes but has fairly sustained moments of really impressive ability, and he sure hasn’t faced anything like a K brother; so, that would be exciting to the dedicated few who watch this sort of thing regularly.
I guess I’d watch Adamek again, not because I think he’s got anything like a chance of winning that isn’t indistinguishable from zero, but because he’s good, will try hard, it’s a different Klitschko, and who knows, maybe the horse will learn to sing?
Well said.
Adamek lacks power though.
I’ve never considered myself as a legend – just a simple man with heart.
Thank you.
I like to believe that power can be compensated for with speed and skill, along with desire, and Adamek has all three. I think Haye, for instance, has speed and skill, but is afraid to lose.
Adamek won’t fare as well against Wladimir as he did against Vitali, but I think he’ll still give everything he’s got, and that makes it a good fight, and can only increase Adamek’s standing.
I'd really like to see him face Povetkin
That one I feel could be not only a competitive fight, but the rare great heavyweight fight.
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by Brickhaus on Sep 12, 2011 7:13 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I guess I’m in a minority, but I think that a Povetkin fight would be stupifyingly dull and one-sided.
Povetkin combines the size disadvantage of almost everyone else with the slowness and immobility of whoever is left after that first part of the equation (speed) is removed.
He just looks to me like he’s way too slow and ponderous.
As a big Adamek fan,
I pass. As others above have suggested, there are a number of more intriguing possibilities for fans. I would add Chambers’ name to this list, another guy I like and one I think would make for a pretty even fight with Highlander. While I admire his chutzpah, the fight just doesn’t interest me much. Again, too small.
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Adamek vs. Wlad? You have got to be kidding. Did you see the way Adamek reacted to Vitali’s punches? The ropes held him up several times. He looked like he’d never felt anything like that before. I can only imagine what Wlad’s missiles would do to him. Wlad annihilates fighters who can’t slip his missiles, and Adamek falls into that category.
If anything, Saturday's fight demonstrated the absurdity of the current HW division
Adamek, in terms of size alone, just doesn’t belong in the ring with either Klitschko brother. Given Wladimir’s penchant for dishing out limited, but steady and heavy punishment, I would have serious worries about putting him in the ring with Wladimir.
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