Masternak Returned to His Knockout Ways, Wawrzyk Showed His Power

Two well-known Polish boxers who had previously experienced problems against Russian opponents returned to the ring on Saturday, February 1, 2014. Andrzej Wawrzyk fought in Opole for the first time since his defeat by Alexander Povetkin, facing D. Danny Williams. Meanwhile, Mateusz Masternak took on Sandro Siproshvili in Frederikshavn, Denmark. For him, it was a tune-up bout after his loss to Grigory Drozd. Both Poles scored impressive victories over low-class opponents. This time, however, their style and form mattered more than the results themselves.

Before the fight, Masternak promised offensive boxing and said he would engage more often at close range. That had not been his strength until now. He kept his word, and progress was visible, although he still has plenty of work ahead of him. His performance also had its shortcomings. The start was sluggish, his movement was unimpressive, and gaps appeared in his guard. All of that was forgotten after the brutal and spectacular knockout he delivered in the fourth round to the Georgian, who had fought bravely up to that point. We had not seen such dynamism from Masternak for a long time. In Frederikshavn, the old, good Mateusz appeared once again—a knockout king and a terror in the ring.

I had written off Andrzej Wawrzyk as a promising heavyweight long before his defeat by Povetkin. True, he had good physical attributes, decent speed, and respectable technique. So what, if he lacked punching power and his fragile psyche ruled him out among serious heavyweights? I noticed a change while listening to the interview he gave before the fight with Williams. He no longer spoke like the frightened, insecure boy we had become used to. This was a determined man, convincing in his claims that he had made significant progress in developing his physical strength.

I did not believe those assurances, but in Opole I saw a different Wawrzyk. Not an anaemic weakling, but an athletic and combative boxer with dynamite in his fists. The Pole swept his opponent out of the ring within two minutes. A victory over a fading Williams cannot be a reliable measure of his level. Nevertheless, I dare say that in Opole we witnessed a new, significantly improved version of Andrzej Wawrzyk. He is worth watching.

After the beatings Szpilka and Majewski suffered in the United States a week earlier, February 1, 2014 brought a small breath of optimism. It is worth reviving the slogan, “There’s no man who can handle Masternak.” Perhaps we should even create a new one: “There’s no bull who can handle Wawrzyk.”

Dariusz Chmielarski, bokserzy.cba