Successful return for “The Highlander” and a knockout by “Główka”. Masternak won a ring war
Fast-moving Tomasz Adamek (51-5, 30 KO) defeated Solomon Haumono (24-4-2, 21 KO) in the main event of Polsat Boxing Night VII in Gdańsk. “The Highlander” imposed his terms from the opening bell. He was clearly superior to the Australian in speed, although his opponent appeared physically stronger. Adamek slipped some of the big punches, answered with his jab and frequently attacked the body.
In the second round, the Pole landed a beautiful right cross. However, late in the round, when he became overconfident, he was caught by a wide right hand. Fortunately, his exceptionally durable chin came to his aid once again. In the third round, Adamek increasingly willingly engaged in exchanges. He was almost always a fraction of a second faster. Haumono, however, absorbed the successive punches without showing any visible reaction.
In the sixth round, Adamek produced an eye-catching combination. He first landed two hooks to the body, then fired a right and a left hook upstairs. In the eighth round, he toyed with the increasingly slower Australian, who continued to press forward. The Pole landed with almost everything, yet Haumono seemed indestructible. “The Highlander” increased the pace in the final rounds, but could not finish the fight early. The judges scored it 99:91, 99:91 and 100:90 for Adamek.
After losing his championship belt, suffering an injury and undergoing lengthy rehabilitation, Krzysztof Głowacki (27-1, 17 KO) returned with a stoppage victory. His heavy punches halted the previously unbeaten Hizni Altunkaya (29-1, 17 KO). “Główka” started aggressively, immediately looking for a left hook to the liver. In the middle of the first round, he landed a powerful left hook and clearly hurt his opponent.
The Pole’s pressure did not let up. In the middle of the second round, after a left hook in the corner, Altunkaya took a knee, gaining several seconds to recover. Over the next few minutes, Głowacki consistently broke down his tightly covered opponent with body shots. Thirty seconds before the end of the fifth round, Fiodor Łapin’s charge landed a powerful left hook and sent his opponent to the canvas for the second time. Moments later, he followed up with a right hook to score a third knockdown. Altunkaya made it to the break, but surrendered before the start of the sixth round. He was already badly beaten, and a knockout appeared only a matter of time.
Two world-class fighters produced an excellent spectacle. In the end, Mateusz Masternak (39-4, 26 KO) won, but Ismail Sillakh (25-4, 19 KO) set the bar very high. The Pole closed the distance, applied pressure and attacked the body. The Ukrainian moved well and kept his opponent at range. In the second round, Sillakh began boxing more boldly, switching from an orthodox stance to southpaw, and late in the round opened a cut on Masternak’s left eyebrow.
Piotr Wilczewski, serving as cutman on this occasion, immediately went to work. In the corner, Andrzej Gmitruk advised Masternak to punch the chest because Sillakh was leaning back when attacking. The third round belonged to the Ukrainian. He first shook the Pole with a right hook, then followed up moments later with a right uppercut. Masternak quickly answered with a right cross.
At the beginning of the fourth round, the Pole repeated the sequence. He sent Sillakh to the canvas and cut the skin beneath his eye. After the eight count, he added another long right hand. The Ukrainian staggered, but survived the most difficult moments. In the fifth round, Masternak added an effective jab and began dictating the pace. In the closing seconds, he landed a left hook and an illegal right hand. Had it not been for the bell, the fight might have ended early.
In the sixth round, Sillakh unexpectedly returned to the fight, but in the seventh the roles reversed once again. Masternak landed two hard right hands. In the eighth round, the Pole switched off for half a minute before the end, took a short right hook and dropped to his right knee. After a slow start to the ninth, the Wrocław native regained his rhythm. The final three minutes were outstanding. Masternak had more left in the tank and finished the fight more strongly. The judges unanimously awarded the victory to “Master,” scoring it 95:93, 96:92 and 95:93.
Maciej Sulęcki (25-0, 10 KO) impressively dealt with Damian Ezequiel Bonelli (24-2, 21 KO). In the very first exchange, “Striczu” slipped his opponent’s right hand and countered with a short left hook. The Argentine staggered, but did not go down. In the second round, the Pole increased the pressure and forced his opponent onto the ropes. Forty seconds before the end, he again countered with a short left hook. This time, Bonelli was counted to eight.
The Argentine survived to the break, but failed to learn his lesson. In the opening exchange of the third round, Sulęcki repeated the same combination and sent his opponent to the canvas for the second time. A minute and a half later, after slipping a punch, he landed a left hook over Bonelli’s lowered right hand. It was the third knockdown. The determined Argentine got back up, but after several more heavy punches, a towel came flying from his corner. He was already on the verge of a severe knockout.
In an entertaining junior heavyweight bout, promising prospect Adam Balski (10-0, 8 KO) defeated Łukasz Janik (28-4, 15 KO) by stoppage. From the outset, the speed advantage of the fighter trained by Piotr Wilczewski was apparent. Balski landed twice, first with a right hook by the ropes and then with a left hook in the center of the ring. Janik answered by clinching.
In the second round, Balski continued to control the action. He landed rights to the body and waited for an opportunity to counter hard. At the beginning of the third round, Janik landed two rights, but 50 seconds before the end he walked onto a left hook to the chin. He collapsed onto the canvas as if cut down. He struggled to rise before the count ended, then made it to the break. Afterward, Balski launched an attack. In the next exchange, he landed a powerful right hook to the body and knocked out the more experienced opponent. Janik later claimed the punch was low, but replays showed that it landed on the belt.
Ewa Brodnicka (14-0, 2 KO) had a very difficult fight. Substitute opponent Viviane Obenauf (10-3, 5 KO) gave her plenty to worry about and even sent the Pole to the canvas. Brodnicka gained a slight early advantage through consistency and her double jab. However, midway through the fight she unnecessarily engaged in chaotic exchanges at close range, and the bout became even.
In the eighth and ninth rounds, Brodnicka regained her rhythm. It seemed she would see out the victory, but a minute before the final bell she was caught by a right-left hook combination and went down. Referee Robert Gortat began the eight count. After the final bell, both fighters anxiously awaited the verdict. The judges were split, but awarded “Kleo” the victory by a two-to-one decision (95:94, 94:95, 96:93).
In a clash between two unbeaten junior welterweights, Łukasz Wierzbicki (13-0, 6 KO) defeated Robert Tlatlik (20-1, 14 KO). Tlatlik did not come out pressing from the start, as might have been expected. Wierzbicki took advantage. He stood with a wide stance, leaned back and countered the shorter opponent effectively. He also landed well with a left hook beneath the right elbow, while threatening with a right hook during brief exchanges.
The Pole held advantages in physical dimensions and speed. In the second half of the fight, Tlatlik increased the pace and tried to force his opponent onto the ropes, but failed to do him significant damage. After the final bell, the judges unanimously awarded the victory to Andrzej Gmitruk’s charge, scoring it 79:74, 78:74 and 80:72.
Robert Talarek (18-12-2, 11 KO) and Norbert Dąbrowski (20-7-1, 8 KO) produced a fantastic spectacle. They went to war from the opening minute. Dąbrowski landed a left uppercut, but Talarek answered immediately. Norbert added a left hook, and his opponent replied with a right. Almost the entire three minutes unfolded in this fashion.
After the break, Talarek hurt Dąbrowski with a right hook to the chin and launched an attack. “Noras,” however, answered with a left hook, cooling his opponent’s enthusiasm. The third round featured a punch-for-punch exchange, although Talarek’s shots made the greater impression. Dąbrowski started the fourth round well, but the closing stages again belonged to his opponent. A straight right cross buckled Norbert’s legs.
In the sixth round, Talarek suffered a cut on his left eyebrow. He was bleeding heavily, but quickly got the situation under control. In the seventh, he once again dictated the terms, and 15 seconds before the end sent Dąbrowski to the canvas with a long right cross. The final three minutes were just as exciting as the entire fight. The judges unanimously awarded Talarek the victory, scoring it 79:72, 77:74 and 79:73.
Source: bokser.org
