IBF Cruiserweight Champion Tomasz Adamek Makes Bold Move to Heavyweight To Face Fellow Countryman Andrew Golota
LODZ, Poland – International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek has made a bold move up to heavyweight to face the best Polish heavyweight ever, Andrew Golota, on Saturday, Oct. 24 in the new Lodz Arena in Lodz, Poland.
Golota and Adamek appeared at a media-packed press conference on Tuesday at the Warsaw Marriott to announce what the Polish media have dubbed as, “The Polish Fight of the Century.” Interest for this fight is so great in Poland that three national television outlets carried the press conference live.
Interestingly, Adamek (38-1, 26 KOs), from Gilowice, is the one who asked for the match.
“If somebody asks to me to dance, I never say no, and this was Adamek’s idea not mine,” Golota said at the press conference, “so I said, why not? He has never fought anybody from the heavyweight division, and has no idea how hard we can hit. He will know in about two months.”
The Warsaw native added: “I hate breaks in training, my place is in Chicago, but I understand they [promoters] had to make this official because nobody could believe he wants this fight, including me. Adamek is faster than bullet and lightning combined—so they say—so I’m supposed to be very careful. But he is also easy to hit. This is the way I see this fight.”
Adamek did not appreciate the Warsaw-born Golota (41-7-1, 33 KOs) poking fun at him, and both fighters appeared to have a genuine dislike for one another.
“Andrew is Andrew, always laughing, making jokes, some of them about my skills,” Adamek said. “No problem. Nobody ever went down from words. Let’s see what will happen when we will be in the ring. Two words from me: speed kills. He will never be close enough to hit me.”
“Just happens this way that I will fight two 40-year-olds, first Golota and then, hopefully, Bernard Hopkins on January 30 in Newark. I will finish both of their careers.
Peter Garczarczyk, a Chicago-based sportswriter born in Poland that now writes for several Polish-based publications, is a longtime confidant to both Golota and Adamek. He also attended the press conference in Warsaw.
“Boxing fans in America may not know how big this fight is in Poland and how much these two fighters genuinely don’t like one another,” Garczarczyk said. “Golota thinks Adamek’s victories and world championships don’t measure up to the quality of opposition he has faced in his heavyweight career, and Adamek detests the fact that so many Polish people still revere Golota.
“I believe the only reason this fight is taking place is because Adamek wants to take Golota’s place in the hearts and minds of the Polish people. Adamek thinks he is merely using Golota as a stepping stone in his quest to be regarded as the best Polish fighter in history. He wants to settle this score now before moving on to even greater accomplishments.”
Don King promotes Golota and formerly promoted Adamek, having given the young Pole his first opportunity to fight for a world championship.
“Golota and Adamek are fighting for something bigger than a world championship or money; they’re fighting for country,” King said. “In Poland, this fight will compare to our Super Bowl or the World Cup in terms of demand and attention.
“I’ll be ringside in Poland for this one. Polish fans are what we call in the ghetto SKD, meaning they are something kind-of different. They are real fanatics, and this fight cuts right down cultural, spiritual and visceral lines that run right through the country. There’s never been anything quite like this in Poland.
“I love Poland and I love the Polish people. I have visited the Warsaw Rising Museum that pays tribute to the Polish resistance movement in World War II and Oswiecim Concentration Camps. I hope to meet Lech Walesa and President Lech Kaczynski during my visit to the great country of Poland.”
The fight will be staged in the 14,000-seat Lodz Arena, which opened in May, in the large city of Lodz located 85 miles from the nation’s capital of Warsaw. Ticket prices, on-sale date and purchase locations are planned to be announced next week.
Golota and Adamek co-promoter Ziggy Rozalski has completed a deal with Polish national television broadcaster Polsat to televise the fight live in Poland. The fight is being promoted by Ziggy Promotions, Don King Productions and Polsat.
