Image details: Tomasz Adamek v Paul Briggs served by picapp.com

Polish hero Tomasz Adamek got Saturday’s boxing night off to a cracking start with a surprisingly one-sided victory over Jamaican O’Neil Bell, Ring Magazine’s #3 ranked cruiserweight. After seven rounds of steady punishment Bell’s corner stopped the fight just before the eighth round’s start.

Bell’s body and face did not appear particularly damaged but his downhearted expression told a decidedly different story. He looked like a defeated man, head down, spirit removed, and his trainer responded by giving Adamek a premature TKO.

Adamek looked quick for a cruiserweight, knocking Bell down early, stymieing him throughout with skillful counterpunching, and easily triumphing while a sold out Katowice crowd serenaded their victor with chants of “Tomek, Tomek, Tomek.” Adamek will surely get some love now from Ring Magazine after failing to be ranked in their last cruiserweight compendium.

Up next for Adamek is a mandatory title fight against IBF champ and Ring Magazine #2 Steve Cunningham. After another sellout crowd at the Spodek Arena odds are that the mandatory fight will also take place in Katowice. Cunningham will not be as intimidated by the home crowd as Bell; he’s fought twice already on Polish soil losing to Krzysztof Włodarczyk in Warsaw on a controversial split decision and subsequently knocking Włodarczyk out at the Spodek in the fourth round.

Post from: EveryJoe

Adamek TKOs Bell in the 8th

During Adamek’s last fight in the Katowice’s Spodek (Saucer) Arena during June of 2007 he tore apart Panamanian Luis Andres Pineda with a seventh round TKO. As you can tell in the embedded youtube video the Polish crowd was feverish and rowdy.

Bell isn’t that intimidated. He’s the higher ranked boxer, he’s already knocked out the #2 ranked Jean Marc Mormeck (before losing the rematch in a decision), and he’s the natural cruiserweight. This is only Adamek’s second fight at 200 since losing big to future light heavyweight superstar Chad Dawson.

Nevertheless in Adamek’s first cruiserweight bout, the Pineda match, he won the IBO belt. Bell’s stated aim for this fight is to re-unify the cruiserweight belts a feat he achieved with his 2006 defeat of Mormeck. When he lost the rematch “What the Hell” Bell surrendered the WBC and WBA title but maintained the IBF crown. Confusing enough?

What’s not confusing is Bell’s pre-fight interview (youtubed by poundforpound.com videos), also embedded here. He’s ready and he’s determined. Hopefully he’ll avoid Clinton Woods‘ supposed fate poisoning fate and stay away from suspect pierogi and bigos while in Katowice.

Post from: EveryJoe

Top Cruiserweights Face Off in Poland