Adamek vs. Włodarczyk – Time for a Major Polish Fight?
Tomasz Adamek’s (49-3, 29 KOs) defeat to Vyacheslav Glazkov (17-0-1, 11 KOs) probably marks the definitive end of the Góral’s hopes of fighting for a heavyweight title for the second time. It is also the failure of a particular concept for managing the career of this talented boxer. Instead of leading him to the greatest honors, it has taken him down a dead end. The question is: what comes next for Tomasz Adamek?
In an interview given after the bout with Glazkov, the boxer himself did not rule out ending his career. Perhaps, however, it was disappointment and bitterness speaking. Adamek failed to achieve the sporting goal he had set himself. He probably also failed to achieve the level of financial success he had hoped for. He earned impressive sums for his fights with Witalij Kliczko and Chris Arreola, but the costs must also be remembered. In the United States, where he has lived with his family for several years, life is considerably more expensive than in Poland. A trainer, sparring partners, training facilities, rehabilitation and many other expenses—as promoters presumably cover them on an ongoing basis—sooner or later weigh on the boxer in the final accounting. It has long been known that the only thing you get for free is the cheese in a mousetrap. Tomasz Adamek’s wealth is his private business, but since he is a public figure, I will allow myself to express the belief that he has not yet reached a level allowing him to live carefree, without worrying about the future. Especially in the United States, where he probably wants to settle permanently. I believe he will need money, and that it will be easier for him to earn it in Poland than anywhere else.
Krzysztof Włodarczyk (49-2-1, 35 KOs) has been the WBC world champion at cruiserweight for nearly four years. He cannot, however, be considered a fulfilled athlete. As champion, he has fought relatively few bouts, and only two of them—against Danny Green and Rakhim Chakhkiev—can be regarded as genuinely lucrative. In practice, he too does not receive his entire purses for his fights, because he has to settle accounts with his promoters. At present, it is not known when or against whom he will make his next title defense. Everything suggests that he is waiting for an attractive offer.
The idea of an Adamek-Włodarczyk fight seems obvious and natural. Fans have long wanted to see the two best Polish professional boxers of recent years in the ring. All the more so because they are similar in terms of physical dimensions. There would be no need, then, to manufacture an artificial clash between a featherweight and a junior middleweight, as so often happens in boxing rings around the world today. The “Diablo” camp had already explored the possibility of such a fight, but met with a refusal from the other side. The tone of that response was rather dismissive. It recalled a conversation between a wealthy uncle from America and a poor relative in Poland. I commented at the time that “the goat will come to the cart yet,” and I stand by that opinion to this day.
Representatives of Knockout Promotions have also made some unfortunate statements in the past. Among other things, they claimed that Poland was too small and too poor a country for it to be profitable to stage a high-level professional boxing event there. The facts contradict this. One need only recall the success of the Klitschko-Adamek fight in Wrocław, as well as the enormous interest in the Adamek-Golota and Golota-Saleta bouts. Even completely devoid-of-sporting-value events featuring Marcin Najman attracted large audiences.
A Góral versus Diablo fight, ideally for the WBC cruiserweight title, would be an undertaking virtually guaranteed to succeed. This event should interest everyone: the boxers, promoters, television networks and millions of Polish boxing fans. That includes those who only turn to the sport occasionally. All it takes is for the right people to sit down for talks, Pole to Pole, and try to reach an agreement. It will not be easy, given our national weakness—spiteful envy for no reason. Even so, it is worth trying. In fact, it must be tried, because this would be a historic event for Polish boxing.
Dariusz Chmielarski, bokserzy.cba
