Ringside Boxing Report: Tomasz Adamek vs. Michael Grant

© Robert Brizel / Saddo Boxing

In a cautious cat and mouse war on Saturday, August 21, 2010 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Tomasz Adamek retained the IBF International and WBO NABO Heavyweight titles with a twelve round unanimous decision over challenger Michael Grant.

A capacity crowd of 12,972 mostly Polish flag waving Adamek fans loudly cheered their hero and booed Michael Grant at every opportunity.

The bout proved an excellent matchup and an exciting competitive fight between the bigger and older Grant and the smaller, faster Adamek. The bout immediately raised one big question after the opening bell: who would win, David or Goliath.

At 6’7″ and 261 pounds, Grant looked like a giant colossus heavyweight. Adamek at 6’1″ and 217 pounds looked like a barely inflated cruiserweight.

Adamek entered into a classic cat and mouse war. Adamek, the mouse, would jump in like a jackrabbit; throw an overhand left or right hand from a lower stance, and then take off like a mouse. Grant, the cat, proved too heavy to chase him, but he nonetheless stalked Adamek as the power counter puncher all night.

To his credit, Grant fought a far superior fight against Adamek than Chris Arreola did. This is primarily because Grant did a very good job cutting off the ring and keeping Adamek on the move for all twelve rounds.

The fight’s most bizarre moment occurred near the end of round two, when both fighters crashed to the canvas after an Adamek push while Grant was throwing a right hand. The referee ruled no knockdown, and then the bell rang.

Adamek got cut over the right eye from a Grant overhand left at some point, but the cut was not a factor in Adamek’s vision or the bout. Grant appeared unmarked after the bout, while Adamek had some facial bruising, but not all that bad considering the size and power differential between the two boxers.

Adamek threw more punches by volume and was the aggressor for the first eleven rounds. Grant kept constant pressure on Adamek with meticulous counter punching and the occasional uppercut.

At 38, he was in great physical shape but just too slow. Entering the twelfth and final round, Adamek appeared exhausted. Only the home field advantage and the cheers of the crowd kept his heart alive for the final round and the danger that was to come.

Grant fought smart in the sense that he refused to punch himself out, or tire himself out in the process of stalking Adamek. Near the end of each round, Grant would get to Adamek, who seemed to tire at the end of the rounds.

In round twelve, Grant finally reached the tired and exhausted Adamek. He landed big and numerous power punches with both hands to Adamek’s head and quickly had Adamek out on his feet, in serious trouble and ready to go. Grant failed to press his advantage and go all out for the knockout, allowing Adamek to escape and survive to the final bell.

Adamek stated after the bout he felt he won all twelve rounds. “I take my hat off to Adamek, he’s a tough guy. But I’m not chasing 220 pounds anymore,” stated Grant.

Adamek improves to 42-1 (17) with scores of 117-111, 118-111 and 117-110 while Grant drops to 46-4 (34).

In the televised preliminary bout to the main event, light middleweight contender Joel Julio, a Columbian fighter out of Miami, Florida, fought a quiet ten round tactical war in center ring with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s ‘s Jamaal Davis. Julio has failed to win the WBO light middleweight title twice within the past 24 months.

After an even first round, Davis, with a most deceiving 12-6 record, landed a lot of straight lefts in the second round that shook Julio, who was trying to counter but getting hit.

Julio picked up the tempo significantly in rounds three, four, and five, landing left-right combinations to head and body, Davis more on the defensive and looking to hold.

Julio pushed Davis to the canvas in the sixth, ruled no knockdown. Julio began landing power shots but Davis, in the tradition of the tough Philadelphia fighter, hung tough and refused to fold under pressure. Davis came back and won the seventh, his best round of the fight, throwing overhand lefts and rights and uppercuts that scored.

In rounds eight and nine, Julio tried to jab, while Davis tried to keep the fight on the inside and scrap where he does best, including holding and hitting. Julio threw a lot of punches that missed in the second half of the bout.

A very close and exciting bout, much closer than the scorecards indicated. Julio rises to 36-4 (31) by scores of 97-93, 99-93 and 98-92 while Davis falls to 12-7 (6).

Undercard Results

Sadam Ali KO5 Lenin Arroyo

Ali repeatedly hit Arroyo in the head with overhand lefts and rights to the head with no effect for four rounds. In round five, Ali went to the body, and kayoed Arroyo with a left hook to the stomach at 2:46 of the round.

Ali improves to 9-0 (5) while Arroyo drops to 20-13-1 (4), losing his last six in a row to fighters with a combined 83-1.

Jeremy Bryan RD1 Daniel Mitchell

A punch or contact of some kind to Mitchell’s right eye caused Mitchell great discomfort. He poured spring water into his eye during a five minute break between rounds 1 and 2 to alleviate his condition, but to no avail. The ringside doctor eventually ended the contest.

Shem Pagan W4 Raul Rivera

Pagan, a five time New York City Golden Gloves boxer out of Brooklyn, New York, making his pro debut fought a cautious four against Philadelphia ‘s Raul Rivera, now 0-3.

Pagan dropped Rivera with an overhand right in the second round, and used his height and reach advantage to win this bout on points with scores of 40-35 and 40-34 twice.

Tyrone Luckey TKO1 Larry Yanez

Debuting junior lightweights fought this bout at the lightweight limit of 135, and former three time New Jersey Golden Gloves champion Luckey made his debut quick.

Luckey began landing jab combinations and dropped Yanez with a left hook to the head. Yanez got up, and Luckey tagged him at will with power shots to the head forcing the referee to stop the bout.