Poland's Tomasz Adamek is making a name for himself and boxing in Newark
by Andy McCullough/The Star-Ledger Thursday July 09, 2009, 5:34 AM
Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerThe Prudential Center needed a boxing star, and Tomasz Adamek needed a boxing home. And now the Polish cruiserweight and Newark's two-year-old arena are perfect together.
Tomasz Adamek stretches on the second floor of a Division Street fitness center in Jersey City, warming up for a light workout. He tinkers with a jump rope before finding a rhythm. His gloves pop and hiss as he punches his trainer's pads.
Around him, the photographers capture a 6-foot-2 man with ears that point and a nose that has been broken. He wears black shorts and a black polo shirt bearing is name. He is sheathed in sweat and is about 4,200 miles from his home. In one corner of the ring, there's a cell phone and a Polish passport.
Tomasz Adamek Trains Before his Prudential Center Bout
Cameras snap photos as the world's best cruiserweight boxer begins his day. The photographers capture Adamek as he prepares for his future. Ten months ago, he left Poland to live in America. Now, he steps out of the ring to explain why he's here.
"I must be here," he says. "In Poland, I can't have a big fight. Only here, I can get them."
Only here. Adamek, 32, and the holder of the IBF and IBO world titles, has made a home in New Jersey. He fought his past two bouts at the Prudential Center in Newark. He raised his profile here.
On Saturday night, Adamek will fight again at the Rock, this time against Hackensack's Bobby Gunn. A sea of fans and flags bearing Polish red will again greet the champion. Few believe Adamek will struggle with his journeyman challenger.
But because of the Prudential Center crowds, his handlers say, Adamek's future has brightened. Ring Magazine ranks him as its No. 1 cruiserweight. So does ESPN. He will appear as a video game character in EA Sports' "Fight Night Round 4." His people have spoken about matches with everyone from future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins to current heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Said Adamek, "I wait on the big fight."
Until then, Newark will do just fine. People here are happy to have him.
***
Tacked inside the Polish and Slavic Federal Credit Union in Clifton, there is a poster for the fight between Adamek (37-1, 25 KOs) and Gunn (21-3, 18 KOs). The front entrance reads "Welcome" on one door and "Zapraszamy" on the other. The fight poster covers a quarter of the corkboard. The rest contains a smattering of business cards and flyers, some written in English, some written in the language of Adamek's home.
"There's a lot of Polish people in New Jersey and New York," said Ziggy Rozalski, Adamek's manager. "So there's a big following. He loves it."
Boxing remains a sport with an ethnic and regional draw. Ohioans adore Kelly Pavlik. Fans from Manchester, England, cross the Atlantic for Ricky Hatton. Adamek has the Polish.
Heavyweight Andrew Golota was Poland's first boxing mega-star. But Golota melted down in the spotlight: He lost two fights to Riddick Bowe because of low-blow disqualifications and was blown out in title fight losses to Lennox Lewis and Lamon Brewster.
But Adamek is a world champion, joining a short list that includes former cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk and 1990s light heavyweight champ Dariusz Michalczewski.
Adamek grew up in the mountain village of Gliwice, near the Slovakian border. He started boxing on cards in Warsaw. In 2005, he won his first world title. It came in his first fight in the United States. Adamek took the vacant WBC light heavyweight belt (175 pounds), surviving 12 rounds with Paul Briggs and a broken nose in Chicago. He defended the title twice before losing to Chad Dawson in 2007.
Weight-drained and weary, he moved up to cruiserweight (200 pounds) afterward. That's when New Jersey comes in.
For years, Main Events, the promoters based in Totowa, wanted to bring boxing to Newark, Main Events owner Kathy Duva said. They hoped to recreate something like the electric Atlantic City scene when Arturo Gatti, another adopted son of Jersey City, fought there.
They searched for a bellwether like Gatti, someone who makes entertaining fights and sells tickets. Tomasz Adamek, with his sturdy chin and willingness to trade center-of-the-ring bombs, fit the bill. His built-in following didn't hurt either.
"Really from the time we signed Tomasz, our goal was to put him in Newark," Duva said. "That was the purpose. We knew we needed to find the right guy to make that work."
In December, 5,217 fans came to see him fight Steve Cunningham. Two months later, 5,987 showed up for an eighth-round knockout of Johnathon Banks.
And Duva insisted two weeks ago that Saturday night's fight was already on pace to surpass that. "There's something that happens," she said, "when you get a guy who has that kind of a relationship with his following, where they feed on each other."
***
Jeff Vanderbeek will be ringside again Saturday night. There's a fight to enjoy, of course. And he can take pride in the atmosphere he helped create.
"That's something that I'll never get tired of," said Vanderbeek, the owner of the Devils and the operator of the Prudential Center. "To see people getting excited in this arena we built."
He still raves about the first night. Adamek faced IBF champion Steve Cunningham in the first world title fight held in Newark since 1948. In the months prior, Vanderbeek had helped bring championship boxing back to Newark.
Adamek floored Cunningham three times and won a split-decision thriller. Poland had a champion.
So did the Prudential Center.
"To have a guy who can bring in thousands of people," said Brian Gale, the arena's director of booking and marketing, "right off the bat, you know it helps financially for both the building and the promoter."
Gale added, "We want this to be his home."
The Prudential Center opened in 2007. The building hopes to host four boxing shows a year, Gale said. They want to set up a similar number of mixed martial arts events.
The Rock is home to the Devils, Seton Hall basketball, indoor soccer, professional lacrosse, all sorts of concerts and shows.
But few events offer more publicity than high-profile fights, be they in a ring or in an octagon.
The Cunningham fight aired on Versus. The Banks fight aired on Showtime. Last year, an MMA card featuring Kimbo Slice aired on CBS.
"It's great exposure for the building," Gale said. "It's great exposure for the fighters. And, honestly, it's great exposure for the city of Newark. Any time you can get Newark out there on a national and international stage through TV, everybody benefits."
***
Ziggy Rozalski owns the Jersey City gym where the world's top-ranked cruiserweight trains. The ring is a carpeted platform covered by a blue canvas. The posts are painted in red and white candy stripes, the colors of the Polish flag. The speakers play techno at a merciful volume.
For years, Tomasz Adamek hustled back and forth between here and Poland. He tried training in Europe, but it was hard to find sparring partners. He tried shuttling to the States before fights, but it was hard on his family: his wife, Dorota, and their two daughters, 9-year-old Roksana and 6-year-old Weronika.
The move made sense. Now he drives 15 minutes to train, leaving behind his family and the title belts he stores in a suitcase at his apartment. He works with Andrew Gmitruk, his trainer of 10 years.
They toil while others the promoters prep for the future.
Right before Main Events announced the Gunn fight, Kathy Duva received a phone call. Can Tomasz come fight Wladimir Klitschko in less than a month? Klitschko's opponent had pulled out of the fight, and HBO needed a suitable replacement.
The Adamek camp declined. But the message rang out.
"He went from being virtually unknown to they're calling you up to see if you'll fight Klitschko," Duva said. "So that's pretty good."
After Saturday night, there are options: Adamek could unify the cruiserweight title. Or he could move to heavyweight. Rozalski says he could face 41-year-old Andrew Golota in Poland. There is talk about an HBO fight with Bernard Hopkins in January. A rematch with Steve Cunningham looms if Cunningham wins his upcoming fight and becomes a mandatory challenger.
Decisions, decisions.
Inside his new home, the world's top-ranked cruiserweight shrugs.
Says Adamek, "Only big fights interest me."
Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerTomasz Adamek will fight against Hackensack's Bobby Gunn Saturday night in Newark, and if he wins, then he will have many options after that. "Only big fights interest me,'' he says.
by Andy McCullough/The Star-Ledger Thursday July 09, 2009, 5:34 AM
Tomasz Adamek stretches on the second floor of a Division Street fitness center in Jersey City, warming up for a light workout. He tinkers with a jump rope before finding a rhythm. His gloves pop and hiss as he punches his trainer's pads.
Around him, the photographers capture a 6-foot-2 man with ears that point and a nose that has been broken. He wears black shorts and a black polo shirt bearing is name. He is sheathed in sweat and is about 4,200 miles from his home. In one corner of the ring, there's a cell phone and a Polish passport.
Tomasz Adamek Trains Before his Prudential Center Bout
Cameras snap photos as the world's best cruiserweight boxer begins his day. The photographers capture Adamek as he prepares for his future. Ten months ago, he left Poland to live in America. Now, he steps out of the ring to explain why he's here.
"I must be here," he says. "In Poland, I can't have a big fight. Only here, I can get them."
Only here. Adamek, 32, and the holder of the IBF and IBO world titles, has made a home in New Jersey. He fought his past two bouts at the Prudential Center in Newark. He raised his profile here.
On Saturday night, Adamek will fight again at the Rock, this time against Hackensack's Bobby Gunn. A sea of fans and flags bearing Polish red will again greet the champion. Few believe Adamek will struggle with his journeyman challenger.
But because of the Prudential Center crowds, his handlers say, Adamek's future has brightened. Ring Magazine ranks him as its No. 1 cruiserweight. So does ESPN. He will appear as a video game character in EA Sports' "Fight Night Round 4." His people have spoken about matches with everyone from future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins to current heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Said Adamek, "I wait on the big fight."
Until then, Newark will do just fine. People here are happy to have him.
***
Tacked inside the Polish and Slavic Federal Credit Union in Clifton, there is a poster for the fight between Adamek (37-1, 25 KOs) and Gunn (21-3, 18 KOs). The front entrance reads "Welcome" on one door and "Zapraszamy" on the other. The fight poster covers a quarter of the corkboard. The rest contains a smattering of business cards and flyers, some written in English, some written in the language of Adamek's home.
"There's a lot of Polish people in New Jersey and New York," said Ziggy Rozalski, Adamek's manager. "So there's a big following. He loves it."
Boxing remains a sport with an ethnic and regional draw. Ohioans adore Kelly Pavlik. Fans from Manchester, England, cross the Atlantic for Ricky Hatton. Adamek has the Polish.
Heavyweight Andrew Golota was Poland's first boxing mega-star. But Golota melted down in the spotlight: He lost two fights to Riddick Bowe because of low-blow disqualifications and was blown out in title fight losses to Lennox Lewis and Lamon Brewster.
But Adamek is a world champion, joining a short list that includes former cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk and 1990s light heavyweight champ Dariusz Michalczewski.
Adamek grew up in the mountain village of Gliwice, near the Slovakian border. He started boxing on cards in Warsaw. In 2005, he won his first world title. It came in his first fight in the United States. Adamek took the vacant WBC light heavyweight belt (175 pounds), surviving 12 rounds with Paul Briggs and a broken nose in Chicago. He defended the title twice before losing to Chad Dawson in 2007.
Weight-drained and weary, he moved up to cruiserweight (200 pounds) afterward. That's when New Jersey comes in.
For years, Main Events, the promoters based in Totowa, wanted to bring boxing to Newark, Main Events owner Kathy Duva said. They hoped to recreate something like the electric Atlantic City scene when Arturo Gatti, another adopted son of Jersey City, fought there.
They searched for a bellwether like Gatti, someone who makes entertaining fights and sells tickets. Tomasz Adamek, with his sturdy chin and willingness to trade center-of-the-ring bombs, fit the bill. His built-in following didn't hurt either.
"Really from the time we signed Tomasz, our goal was to put him in Newark," Duva said. "That was the purpose. We knew we needed to find the right guy to make that work."
In December, 5,217 fans came to see him fight Steve Cunningham. Two months later, 5,987 showed up for an eighth-round knockout of Johnathon Banks.
And Duva insisted two weeks ago that Saturday night's fight was already on pace to surpass that. "There's something that happens," she said, "when you get a guy who has that kind of a relationship with his following, where they feed on each other."
***
Jeff Vanderbeek will be ringside again Saturday night. There's a fight to enjoy, of course. And he can take pride in the atmosphere he helped create.
"That's something that I'll never get tired of," said Vanderbeek, the owner of the Devils and the operator of the Prudential Center. "To see people getting excited in this arena we built."
He still raves about the first night. Adamek faced IBF champion Steve Cunningham in the first world title fight held in Newark since 1948. In the months prior, Vanderbeek had helped bring championship boxing back to Newark.
Adamek floored Cunningham three times and won a split-decision thriller. Poland had a champion.
So did the Prudential Center.
"To have a guy who can bring in thousands of people," said Brian Gale, the arena's director of booking and marketing, "right off the bat, you know it helps financially for both the building and the promoter."
Gale added, "We want this to be his home."
The Prudential Center opened in 2007. The building hopes to host four boxing shows a year, Gale said. They want to set up a similar number of mixed martial arts events.
The Rock is home to the Devils, Seton Hall basketball, indoor soccer, professional lacrosse, all sorts of concerts and shows.
But few events offer more publicity than high-profile fights, be they in a ring or in an octagon.
The Cunningham fight aired on Versus. The Banks fight aired on Showtime. Last year, an MMA card featuring Kimbo Slice aired on CBS.
"It's great exposure for the building," Gale said. "It's great exposure for the fighters. And, honestly, it's great exposure for the city of Newark. Any time you can get Newark out there on a national and international stage through TV, everybody benefits."
***
Ziggy Rozalski owns the Jersey City gym where the world's top-ranked cruiserweight trains. The ring is a carpeted platform covered by a blue canvas. The posts are painted in red and white candy stripes, the colors of the Polish flag. The speakers play techno at a merciful volume.
For years, Tomasz Adamek hustled back and forth between here and Poland. He tried training in Europe, but it was hard to find sparring partners. He tried shuttling to the States before fights, but it was hard on his family: his wife, Dorota, and their two daughters, 9-year-old Roksana and 6-year-old Weronika.
The move made sense. Now he drives 15 minutes to train, leaving behind his family and the title belts he stores in a suitcase at his apartment. He works with Andrew Gmitruk, his trainer of 10 years.
They toil while others the promoters prep for the future.
Right before Main Events announced the Gunn fight, Kathy Duva received a phone call. Can Tomasz come fight Wladimir Klitschko in less than a month? Klitschko's opponent had pulled out of the fight, and HBO needed a suitable replacement.
The Adamek camp declined. But the message rang out.
"He went from being virtually unknown to they're calling you up to see if you'll fight Klitschko," Duva said. "So that's pretty good."
After Saturday night, there are options: Adamek could unify the cruiserweight title. Or he could move to heavyweight. Rozalski says he could face 41-year-old Andrew Golota in Poland. There is talk about an HBO fight with Bernard Hopkins in January. A rematch with Steve Cunningham looms if Cunningham wins his upcoming fight and becomes a mandatory challenger.
Decisions, decisions.
Inside his new home, the world's top-ranked cruiserweight shrugs.
Says Adamek, "Only big fights interest me."
