Adamek wants to test his abilities one more time
- Do you still want to fight?
Tomasz Adamek: I’m healthy, so why shouldn’t I fight? If something starts bothering me, I’ll quit. For now, I’m thinking about appearing in Poland on April 2. If I feel good and show good boxing in the ring, I won’t retire.
- You’re not getting any younger. You’ve also made plenty of money and own several houses. Why keep going?
TA: To be honest, I still feel unsatisfied after the fight with Witalij Kliczko. Things didn’t go the way I wanted in the heavyweight division. I lost because of my own stupidity. I was angry because I made mistakes. But such things happen to everyone. Just look at Władymir Kliczko’s last fight. He lost to a much weaker Tyson Fury, but he wasn’t himself from the very beginning. Upsets happen.
- Are you still thinking about fighting for a title? Let’s be honest.
TA: If I beat one of the truly good boxers, it will mean that I deserve such an opportunity. Let’s wait until April and see what happens.
- Do you really still think about becoming heavyweight world champion?
TA: I fought for the title and didn’t win it. Why shouldn’t I want to try again? It’s hard to call the fight with Witalij a close one. I simply gave that fight away. I can’t turn back time, but I’m not giving up.
- When I publish an interview in which you say that you want to fight for a world title, the fans will have a field day at your expense.
TA: Can’t I have dreams? I’ll be going to Poland soon and preparing for a serious fight. We’ll see what I can show. If I win convincingly, it will be a sign that I’m still capable of a lot. And the criticism? I read the comments, and I don’t hide the fact that I laugh at them. It was there, it is there and it will always be there. If I let it bother me, I wouldn’t have been a boxer for a long time. I send my warm regards to everyone who attacks me on the internet. It doesn’t impress me. I’m resistant to stress.
- “Adamek is only interested in money”—you’ve probably read that many times.
TA: Boxing is my job. I like fighting, I love winning and winning titles. However, I don’t hide the fact that I also fight for money. I have a family, people to live and earn money for. My wife and daughters don’t want me to keep stepping into the ring, but I want to try one more time.
- Your last fight, against Przemysław Saleta, wasn’t a genuine test of your form.
TA: It wasn’t, but I saw how I move. My opponent will be different this time. April 2 will show where I stand.
- You were a world champion in two weight classes and fought for a title in a third, yet you come across as someone who feels unfulfilled.
TA: I gave that fight away.
- Put plainly: Kliczko gave you a beating.
TA: I wasn’t the real Adamek then. Everyone saw that. Later, I met the late Emanuel Steward in New York, the outstanding trainer of Władymir Kliczko. He told me that he knew what was happening after the first round and that the fight was already decided. He only asked: “Was it the acclimatization?” I replied that those were exactly the words. I was angry with myself and with the whole situation. Besides, look at all four defeats in my career. I’ve never lost after a war. I simply wasn’t at my best on those days. Now I want to find out what I’m still capable of.
- Who would you like to test yourself against today?
TA: I remember the fight with Witalij. I lost to him, so I’d most like to face Władymir now.
- He doesn’t hold any title.
TA: He’ll have one soon. He made mistakes in his fight with Fury. The Briton says the rematch will be easier for him, but in my opinion the fans are in for a one-sided fight. The Ukrainian will win it.
- You fought Witalij for the WBC title. Today, the champion of that federation is Deontay Wilder, who defeated Artur Szpilka in his last fight.
TA: Wilder did what he had to do. Artur danced around the ring, but it’s hard to say it was a war. Later, Szpilka weakened, the American started landing punches, and eventually he threw a clean shot. That was the end of it.
Interviewed by: Kamil Wolnicki/Przegląd Sportowy
