Tomasz Adamek vs Paul Briggs 2

A first-round knockdown and a ninth-round point deduction were not enough to remove the WBC light-heavyweight championship from Tomasz Adamek, who retained his title over Paul Briggs by a narrow majority decision at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, on October 7, 2006. Before a reported crowd of about 15,000, many of them Polish supporters of the champion, Adamek prevailed by scores of 115-111 from Ray Hawkins and 114-112 from Ken Morita, while Mauro Di Fiore returned a draw at 113-113.

The contest was a return of their severe 12-round meeting in Chicago in May 2005, when Adamek won the vacant championship by another majority decision. Briggs had fought much of that first bout with a serious cut over his left eye, while Adamek’s face had been marked and swollen by the Australian’s heavy counters. Both men had won twice in the interval. Adamek, unbeaten in 30 contests, had knocked out Thomas Ulrich in his first defence; Briggs, now trained by Johnny Lewis, arrived with a record of 25-2 and remained convinced that the title should already have been his.

Briggs made the stronger beginning. Adamek was finding his distance and appearing the busier man when the challenger suddenly drove a left hook against his jaw. The champion went down and was counted by referee Timothy Adams. Adamek rose with his senses intact and recovered sufficiently to finish the round on the attack, but the knockdown gave Briggs the opening session by two points and immediately placed the champion in arrears.

Adamek responded by increasing the pace in the second. He worked behind the left hand, followed with straight rights and forced Briggs to defend for longer stretches. A cut opened over the challenger’s left eye, this time apparently from a punch rather than the accidental collision which had caused his wound in their first contest. Lewis and the Australian’s corner controlled the bleeding well, and it did not become the governing feature of the fight. Adamek continued to apply pressure through the next two rounds, throwing in greater number and directing part of his attack towards the body. Briggs remained compact, catching many blows on his arms and gloves while waiting to counter.

The direction changed again in the fifth and sixth. Adamek carried his left hand too low, and Briggs punished the error with firm right hands and hooks. The challenger’s punches were generally the more conspicuous, and Adamek also suffered damage to his nose. Briggs fought with greater initiative than he had shown in parts of the first match, meeting the champion rather than merely waiting for him. Adamek continued to throw, but much of his work struck the guard, while the Australian’s cleaner counters made these middle rounds difficult to score in the champion’s favour.

Adamek recovered his authority in the seventh and mounted a strong attack in the eighth. A sequence of hard blows to the head shook Briggs and forced him to defend under pressure. The challenger was hurt, but he held his position and survived without going down. His resistance again proved substantial; Adamek could land heavily, yet Briggs remained capable of answering and never allowed the champion to proceed without risk.

There was confusion in the ninth when Briggs went to his hands and knees after a blow which referee Adams ruled low. The challenger was allowed time to recover, and Adamek was subsequently penalised one point after another punch was judged below the belt. Television replays cast doubt upon whether the first of the disputed blows had in fact landed illegally, and there was an argument that Briggs should instead have received a count. The official ruling stood, however, leaving Adamek with the difficult task of overcoming both the opening-round knockdown and the deduction.

The final rounds settled the contest. Adamek appeared the fresher man and resumed his steady advance, while Briggs’s output declined sufficiently to surrender the initiative. The champion combined punches to head and body and kept the Australian occupied behind his defence. In the twelfth, Adamek produced his busiest round of the night, throwing 119 punches and landing 33 as he sought to make the verdict secure. Briggs continued to counter and was never overwhelmed, but he could not match the champion’s volume in the closing minutes.

The punch figures illustrated the closeness of the struggle. Adamek landed 272 of 986 punches, while Briggs connected with 248 of 756. The champion held an advantage of 92 to 72 in landed left leads, and the power-punch totals were almost level, Adamek leading 180 to 176. Briggs had been the more accurate man, but Adamek’s substantially greater output and stronger conclusion persuaded two judges. The verdict was arguable rather than unjust. Briggs had scored the only recognised knockdown and benefited from the point deduction, but Adamek had carried more of the fighting and finished with the greater command. His record advanced to 31-0, and his second contest with Briggs proved to be his second successful defence of the championship.

The two Adamek-Briggs fights were absolute corkers. They are easily among the finest back-to-back light-heavyweight contests of their period. Neither man was a household name outside his own country, but boxing supporters knew what they offered: sound fundamentals, physical strength and a willingness to hold their ground when hurt.

Briggs began the rematch perfectly, timing Adamek’s approach with a left hook and dropping him in the opening round. The Australian was the more accurate puncher, particularly when Adamek carried his lead hand low, but the champion worked at a higher rate and attacked the body relentlessly. Adamek’s great strength wasn't subtlety; it was his ability to recover, reset, and resume punching. He badly shook Briggs in the eighth and finished the last two rounds with greater urgency.

The ninth-round deduction against Adamek was questionable because the first supposed low blow looked legal and could have been ruled a knockdown. Even with that penalty, I thought Adamek deserved the decision. Briggs blocked plenty and landed the cleaner individual shots, but Adamek forced the fight, produced more sustained work and took command when it mattered. It was close, but it was no robbery.