“The Highlander” Better Than Kassi as Częstochowa Gala Delivers Plenty of Thrills
In the main event of the “Night of Warriors” gala in Częstochowa, Tomasz Adamek (52-5, 30 KO) defeated Fred Kassi (18-7-1, 10 KO) after an entertaining bout. “The Highlander” was 8.5 kilograms heavier than his opponent at the weigh-in, but early on his speed advantage was most apparent.
The Cameroonian protected his head well, so the advancing Pole began almost every combination with punches to the body. In the middle of the second round, the fighters clashed heads. Blood streamed down Tomek’s face, but fortunately the cut was on his forehead. Cutman Tomasz Skarżyński did an impeccable job.
Adamek came forward even more boldly in the third round. There was no particularly powerful punch to the jaw, but the Pole consistently worked over his opponent’s body. Such punches usually make their presence felt later in a fight. In the middle of the fourth round, Kassi went on the offensive and surprised our boxer with several hooks against the ropes. They did not make much of an impression, however, as Adamek had already absorbed considerably heavier punches during his career.
The fifth round brought a genuine brawl. At the beginning of the sixth, after another clash of heads, a cut appeared on Kassi’s face this time. Adamek sensed his opportunity and launched combinations at his opponent, prompting even louder support from the crowd. The Cameroonian answered with a straight right, but Tomek immediately countered with a leaping left hook.
In the seventh round, “The Highlander” returned to his left jab, firing it almost automatically. He used it to control the distance, and whenever Kassi raised his hands high, the Pole attacked the body and solar plexus area. After a weaker eighth round, the Cameroonian regained the initiative in the ninth and landed several counters.
Adamek boxed the final round very well. First he reached his opponent with a left hook, then he landed a combination consisting of a right to the body and a left hook upstairs. He also launched a determined attack, looking to seal the victory. It was a shame he did not have one more round, but he still produced an entertaining fight against an awkward opponent. The judges unanimously favored the Pole, scoring it 97:93, 96:94 and 96:94.
Adam Balski (11-0, 8 KO) defeated Demetrius Banks (9-3, 4 KO), although after his recent spectacular performances he boxed somewhat below expectations this time. The reason was a serious injury he suffered early in the fight.
Balski boxed with a large number of feints. He feinted the right hand and controlled the first round with his left jab. The second round looked similar. The American focused primarily on avoiding clean punches. When he came forward more boldly in the third round, he surprised the Pole with a right hook as he exited a clinch.
After a nervous and chaotic third round, Balski settled down in the fourth. He returned to his jab, using it to set up his opponent and create openings for further attacks. In the middle of the round, he caught Banks with a hard right cross and sent him to the canvas. When he tried to finish the job after the count of eight, he struck near the hip. The American cleverly suggested that the punch had landed below the belt and gained more than a minute to recover.
“Slippery” Banks also survived the fifth round. He did not show much offensively, but he was difficult to hit cleanly in defense. He was constantly moving and avoiding heavy shots. The sixth and seventh rounds followed a similar, rather sluggish pattern. Balski accumulated points but did not shine as he had in his previous appearances.
Both fighters opened up more during the final three minutes. The boxer from Kalisz confirmed his superiority, although his debut with trainer Curren was not particularly impressive. The judges unanimously awarded Balski the victory: 80:70, 80:71 and 79:72.
Michał Żeromiński (13-3-1, 1 KO) and Łukasz Wierzbicki (14-0, 6 KO) fought an excellent bout. After ten fiercely contested rounds, the boxer from Zgorzelec won by split decision, capturing the vacant Polish welterweight title.
“Żeroma” came forward from the opening bell. As expected, Wierzbicki relied on counterpunching and looked for a powerful left hand. He landed a clean left cross in the second round. It was a good spell for Łukasz, who began using his legs and moving backward faster than his advancing opponent.
In the middle of the third round, Wierzbicki landed a heavy left cross. Żeromiński’s legs buckled, but the boxer from Radom stayed upright and there was no count. He was going through a difficult spell, but he was known for his character and answered with a short combination against the ropes before the bell.
Żeromiński’s pressure continued in the fourth round, and the fight began to even out. At the start of the fifth, Wierzbicki landed a left hook under the right elbow, near the liver. Michał doubled over, but weathered the crisis and attacked again late in the round, landing a hard straight right.
In the sixth round, Piotr Wilczewski’s charge shifted into a higher gear. It was the first round he clearly won, and time began working in his favor. Wierzbicki handled the first two minutes of the seventh well, but Żeromiński accelerated again late in the round and forced the harder puncher to retreat.
The eighth round followed a similar pattern. The ninth was more even. Wierzbicki continued to box while moving backward, but his counters began finding their mark again. Everything was to be decided in the final round. After two minutes of fierce action, Żeromiński unexpectedly took on the role of counterpuncher. He landed a left hook and a straight right.
After the final bell, both men waited tensely for the verdict. The judges scored it 97:93 for Żeromiński, and 96:95 and 96:94 for Wierzbicki. Łukasz won by a two-to-one decision.
Robert Parzęczewski (18-1, 11 KO) had little trouble dispatching the physically weaker Said Mbelwa (43-25-5, 28 KO) on home soil. The local favorite quickly caught the Tanzanian with a powerful right cross. Mbelwa retreated to the ropes and covered up behind a high guard, so “Arab” focused on body shots in the first round.
The picture remained unchanged in the second round. Grzegorz Krawczyk’s charge occasionally allowed his opponent to attack, waiting to counter with his right hand after leaning away. One of three such attempts landed, but Mbelwa managed to escape danger.
Parzęczewski realized that this was the path to victory. A minute into the third round, he attacked with the right again, landed perfectly on the chin and broke his opponent down. The Tanzanian rose at eight, but moments later he was on the canvas again after a short right hook.
Referee Molenda allowed the fight to continue, but after another punch, this time a left hook through the guard, he stepped in and stopped the bout out of concern that Mbelwa could suffer a severe knockout. It was the correct decision. Mbelwa protested, but he was clearly unsteady on his feet and could have sustained even more serious injuries.
At the end of September, Kamil Młodziński (8-2-4, 5 KO) and Michał Leśniak (7-1-1, 2 KO) produced a great spectacle. This time, too, there was no shortage of excitement, but no winner emerged. It was a shame, as the vacant Polish junior welterweight title was at stake.
As in their first bout, both men exchanged powerful punches from the outset, and neither intended to take a backward step. In the middle of the second round, Młodziński landed a clean right hook to the jaw. “Szczupak” survived several difficult seconds before returning to the fight.
The fans could rub their hands with anticipation. For the judges, however, it was a major challenge, because almost every landed punch was answered immediately. The fight was worthy of a championship belt. At the halfway point, both men were breathing heavily, and it was clear that the frantic pace had to slow. The winner would not necessarily be the better fighter, but the one who handled the crisis better.
Leśniak found a second wind in the seventh round. He punched with less power but more freedom and in combinations. Młodziński, encouraged by his corner, resumed the fight. The closing moments were dramatic again, filled with exchanges and clashes, action for action.
After the final bell, both men raised their hands in triumph and received well-deserved applause. The judges scored it 96:94 for Młodziński, 97:93 for Leśniak and 95:95. The draw means that there is still no Polish champion at 63.5 kilograms. Everything suggests that a trilogy will be needed.
Mateusz Rzadkosz (6-0-1, 2 KO) waited a year and a half for a rematch with Tomasz Gromadzki (5-1-1, 1 KO) after their draw in February of the previous year. He felt unsatisfied after the first fight and wanted to prove he was better than “Zadyma.” He succeeded.
The opening belonged to Gromadzki, who surprised his opponent with a right hook. Rzadkosz answered at the end of the round with a right uppercut. In the second, he took over the initiative, landing a powerful left hook and a straight right counter.
The third and fourth rounds appeared even, but the more composed Rzadkosz slipped most of his opponent’s attacks. He answered accurately from the defensive position, particularly with a well-timed right uppercut. At the halfway point, he had won the second, third and fourth rounds, while the first could have gone to Gromadzki.
Mateusz, who was extending his lead, ended the bout spectacularly in the fifth round. In the center of the ring, he unleashed a nine-punch combination upstairs, finishing with a tenth punch downstairs—a left hook to the liver. Gromadzki fell to the canvas with a grimace of pain and managed to rise at eight, but when referee Grzegorz Molenda asked him if he wanted to continue, he shook his head. He did not want to go on and was counted out.
The fight between Damian Wrzesiński (12-1-1, 5 KO) and Marek Laskowski (9-8-2, 1 KO) started very well but ended too quickly and unfortunately. The favored “Wrzos” surprised his opponent twice with powerful left hooks in the first round.
In the second round, when Laskowski began protecting himself better against his opponent’s left hand, Wrzesiński switched his attention to the right hook. Near the end of the round, one such punch coincided with an accidental clash of heads. Laskowski’s eyebrow was split, and after consultation with the doctor, the bout was stopped.
Because the fight did not go beyond the fourth round, it was ruled a no contest. It was a shame, as the bout had been shaping up well.
Source: bokser.org
