Standing Ovation for Andrzej Gołota at the Częstochowa Gala

With this appearance, Andrzej Gołota (41-9-1, 33 KOs) said goodbye to boxing and his fans. His bout with Dannell Nicholson (42-5, 32 KOs) at the professional boxing gala in Częstochowa was an exhibition, but nevertheless generated considerable excitement and attracted a capacity crowd. The Pole applied pressure from the opening bell. Nicholson tried to keep him at bay with his jab and looked for a left hook under Gołota’s right elbow. He accelerated several times, but Gołota’s guard remained tight. Later, it seemed that neither man wanted to hurt the other. The punches landed on gloves, shoulders or the body rather than the head. Things became a little more interesting only toward the end of the third round. The final three minutes, however, belonged to the fans. They gave a standing ovation to the man who had provided us with great excitement for two decades. Despite the ups and downs, it was a thoroughly deserved moment.

The “welterweight” Dawid Kwiatkowski (8-2-1, 3 KOs) and “middleweight” Łukasz Wawrzyczek (20-3-2, 3 KOs) gave completely different performances in Częstochowa that day. Kwiatkowski boxed well below expectations. He went through a crisis in the fourth round and, after six rounds, could only draw with Andrei Staliarchuk (11-23-3, 2 KOs). It must be added that he did not deserve more than a draw.

Wawrzyczek not only won in impressive fashion, but did so inside the distance. That had been his biggest problem for a long time. In the second round, he rocked Andrei Dolzhozhyen (7-9-1, 5 KOs) with a left hook. He held a clear advantage after four rounds, but stepped up the pace even further in the next two. He put his punches together in combinations. It paid off. Eighty seconds before the final bell, he trapped his opponent on the ropes, unleashed a barrage of punches and forced referee Robert Gortat to stop the bout.

Earlier, two unbeaten Poles had entered the ring – light heavyweight Robert Parzęczewski (6-0, 3 KOs) and Marcin Siwy (10-0, 4 KOs). Parzęczewski had no problems defeating Ruslan Rodovich (13-12, 13 KOs), stopping him in the third round. As a result, he claimed the vacant WBF International title. Siwy fared worse. As recently as late June, he had struggled against the awkward journeyman Artsiom Charniakievich (1-7, 1 KO). The Belarusian once again covered up tightly and clinched frequently. As a result, Marcin also produced a lackluster performance. Only in the second round did he land a powerful right uppercut that visibly shook his opponent. However, he lacked the proverbial finishing touch.

Source: bokser.org