The Polish Fight of the Century

IBF cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek could face off against fellow Pole Andrew Golota in what would be a domestic superfight.

The original “Fight of the Century” between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali was 38 years ago this week, but the Polish Fight of the Century could take place later this year if one of the world’s richest men has his way.

The fight that many Polish boxing fans are thirsting for is a heavyweight showdown between IBF cruiserweight champ Tomasz Adamek and the country’s heavyweight bad boy - Andrew Golota. After his rousing win two weeks ago over Johnathon Banks, Adamek hinted that all things are possible and that an eventual rise to heavyweight for him was not out of the question.

Now, one of the richest men in the world, Poland’s Zygmunt Solorz, who owns (among other things) the Polish television network Polstat, is willing to step up to the plate in order to make an Adamek-Golota fight a reality.

On Tuesday, at a press conference in Warsaw, Adamek’s co-promoter indicated that a match between the two Poles is one that Solorz wants to bring to fruition. The business magnate obviously possesses the monetary resources to put the fight together and he is of the opinion that it’s a fight that all of Poland could be proud of.

Adamek’s trainer, Andrzej Gmitruk, called the potential match-up “The Polish Fight of the Century” but he also indicated that there would be no doubt that should the fight take place that Adamek would prove victorious over the 41 year-old Golota who has definitely seen better days.

Hot off a December win over Steve Cunningham to win the IBF cruiserweight title and then the electrifying knockout win against Banks in his first title defense, Adamek is suddenly a red hot commodity. Now a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey, Adamek has become a fan favorite while winning successive and very entertaining fights against Cunningham and Banks at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.


Golota is a mercurial, mountain of a man and he would have a significant size advantage over Adamek.

Solorz is pitching the match for September in Warsaw. He is of the opinion the fight would easily beat the record television audience that tuned in to see Golota take on former heavyweight champ Tim Witherspoon in 1998.

However, Adamek’s representatives said the leading candidate for his next fight is an interesting defense against former middleweight champion and one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world - Bernard Hopkins. It’s a fight that the 44 year-old Hopkins is actively campaigning for and there don’t seem to be any promotional or political barriers to making the fight happen.

Adamek’s people mentioned there are a host of possibilities for him if the Hopkins fight doesn’t happen. They said they had actually received a proposal on Tuesday from German promoter Wilfrid Sauerland for bouts against Yugoslavian-born boxers Marco Huck 24-1 (19) KO, currently ranked #4 by the IBF and Enad Licina, 16-1 (10)KO who occupies the #11 slot.

Then of course there is the tantalizing rematch with the man that Adamek took the cruiserweight title from, Philadelphia’s Steve Cunningham.

Whatever the case, Adamek is a proven ticket seller and he is extremely popular with Polish fight fans. His next move is eagerly anticipated and he could fight in Poland, New York, New Jersey or Chicago and be guaranteed to draw large and enthusiastic crowds.


March 2009