By Johnny Walker
So the heavyweight division is dead, you say?
The joke’s on you, pal.
Don’t believe everything you read (just what you read on Boxing Insider, where we still love the heavyweights).
On March 24, fans of the still very much alive heavyweight division will be ecstatic, as a number of top heavyweight contenders will be in action in Brooklyn, New York, and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In Atlantic City, the new series called “Heavyweight Regeneration” gets off the ground at the Resorts Hotel & Casino. The rising Polish powerhouses (and Boxing Insider favorites) Mariusz Wach (26-0, 14 KOs) and Artur Szpilka (9-0, 7 KO) will be aiming to show American fight fans why the next wave of heavyweight dominance could be located in Poland instead of Ukraine. The 6’8” Wach, who scored the heavyweight knockout of the year in 2011 with a one-punch devastation of Kevin McBride, will be going up against the 6’7” Tye Fields in a battle of the giants. Meanwhile, the colorful newcomer Szpilka, 22, who enters the ring in an orange prison jumpsuit accompanied by sexy strippers dressed as policewomen, is as of now up against the ever popular “TBA.”
Also scheduled to be in Atlantic City is British sensation David Price (12-0, 10 KO), the man who caused Tyson Fury to toss away his British and Commonwealth belts rather than face him. Price, 28, is a 6’8” giant with a well-muscled physique; he destroyed his last opponent, John McDermott, in less than a round (McDermott had given Fury two tough battles). Price takes on Josue Blocus (16-2-0, 14 KOs).
Meanwhile, over in Brooklyn, two veteran heavies have been added to the upcoming Zab Judah-Vernon Paris card to be held at the Aviator Sports Complex and televised on NBC’s “Fight Night” series.
In Brooklyn, former WBO world heavyweight champion Sergei “The White Wolf” Liakhovich (25-4, 16 KOs) will make his return against Philadelphia’s Bryant Jennings (12-0, 5 KOs). The White Wolf is coming off of a tough TKO loss to Robert Helenius in which he once again showed his toughness; he had been scheduled to go up against Eddie Chambers on the previous “Fight Night” card, only to have Chambers pull out with an injury. His opponent Jennings was victorious on the previous “Fight Night” card, stepping in on only five days’ notice to get a scrappy win over Maurice Byarm.
Also added to the card is Polish warrior Tomasz Adamek (44-2, 28 KOs), the former cruiserweight kingpin who is looking to regain his bearings after being badly pummeled last time out in his native Poland by WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. Adamek is currently up against “TBA,” but no matter who he fights, it will be interesting to see what direction Adamek’s heavyweight career takes after he was advised by Klitschko to forget about the heavyweight division. Adamek so far has stubbornly insisted that his future in boxing lies in playing with the big boys.
So fans of heavyweight action, circle March 24 on your calendars: it’s going to be a busy day!
