Vitali Klitschko vs Tomasz Adamek

Germany-based Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko retained the WBC heavyweight championship by stopping Tomasz Adamek in the 10th round at the Stadion Miejski in Wroc?aw, Poland, on September 10, 2011. Referee Massimo Barrovecchio intervened at 2 minutes 20 seconds after the challenger had absorbed sustained punishment and was no longer defending himself effectively. Klitschko weighed 243 lb and entered with 42 victories and two defeats, while Adamek scaled 216 lb and brought a record of 44 wins and one loss. Official attendance was 43,500, with strong Polish support giving Adamek an imposing home reception.

Adamek had previously held championships at light-heavyweight and cruiserweight before moving into the heavyweight division. He had won six contests at the higher weight, including victories over Andrew Golota, Chris Arreola, Michael Grant and Kevin McBride. His only previous professional defeat had been a points loss to Chad Dawson in 2007. Adamek’s chances against Klitschko rested upon his speed, movement and ability to work in combinations, but the physical disparity was severe. Klitschko stood approximately six inches taller and held advantages in reach, weight and natural punching strength. At 40 years of age, the champion remained awkward, durable and difficult to approach behind his long left jab.

Klitschko established control in the opening round. He kept his left hand low at times but brought the jab upwards from an unusual angle, repeatedly meeting Adamek as the challenger tried to cross the distance. A hard right hand nearly put Adamek down before the round ended. Adamek attempted to increase his activity in the second, moving laterally and looking to throw several punches at once, but Klitschko’s jab prevented him from setting his feet. A heavy right sent Adamek backwards into the ropes midway through the round, and another right during the closing seconds propelled him across the ring. The ropes kept him upright, and no knockdown was called.

Adamek remained willing through the third and produced his best work in the fourth. He moved more freely, found occasional openings for the right hand and briefly forced Klitschko to adjust his position. His efforts brought encouragement from the crowd, but the punches had little effect upon the champion. By then Adamek was already bleeding from the nose and mouth, while Klitschko remained unmarked and in command of the range. Whenever the challenger stepped close enough to punch, he was met by the jab or a straight right before he could complete his combination.

Klitschko resumed his heavier work in the fifth and increased the punishment in the sixth. A left-right combination drove Adamek into the ropes and left him badly shaken. Barrovecchio ruled a knockdown and examined the challenger carefully before allowing the contest to continue. Adamek showed courage in surviving the round, but his punches had lost much of their authority and his movement had become more laboured. All three judges scored the sixth 10-8 for Klitschko.

The seventh brought no lasting recovery. Klitschko continued to strike with the jab and straight right, using his reach to keep Adamek at the end of his punches. Adamek tried to change angles and occasionally lunged forward, but he could not remain inside long enough to work to the body. Klitschko did not need to retreat in straight lines. He leaned away from punches, turned his shoulders and then answered while Adamek was still attempting to regain his balance.

There was a moment of confusion in the eighth when Klitschko went to the canvas while driving Adamek towards a corner. The champion had twisted his left foot and lost his balance, and Barrovecchio correctly ruled that no punch had caused the fall. The incident pleased the crowd but did not alter the contest. Klitschko immediately resumed his control, while Adamek continued to absorb jabs and right hands without finding any dependable route past the champion’s reach.

In the ninth, a stiff left jab sent Adamek staggering backwards once more. His face was swollen and bloodied, and his resistance had become largely defensive. He still moved forward when possible, but his attacks consisted increasingly of single punches thrown from too far away. Klitschko had no difficulty seeing them and returned the heavier, straighter blows. After nine rounds, judges Duane Ford, Esa Lehtosaari and Craig Metcalfe each had Klitschko ahead 90-80. Every round had been awarded to the champion.

Klitschko began the 10th with the same deliberate pressure. Adamek was driven backwards under further jabs and right hands, and his replies became infrequent. The champion cornered him and released another succession of punches as the challenger leaned against the ropes. Adamek remained standing, but he was taking clean blows without offering sufficient return. Barrovecchio stepped between the fighters with 40 seconds remaining in the round and ended the contest.

The stoppage was timely and could reasonably have come earlier. Adamek showed determination before his home support, but it could not overcome the difference in size and control. Klitschko landed 230 of 608 punches, while Adamek connected with 89 of 301. The champion’s jab accounted for 140 successful blows, more than Adamek landed with all punches combined. Klitschko also held a substantial advantage in power punches, landing 90 to the challenger’s 35.

The victory improved Klitschko’s record to 43-2, with 40 wins inside the distance, and completed another successful defence of the WBC championship. Together with his younger brother Wladimir, who held the WBA, IBF and WBO titles, he maintained the family’s command of the heavyweight division. Adamek suffered his first defeat as a heavyweight and accepted afterwards that the champion had been the better man. His courage was evident, but the contest demonstrated the difficulty faced by a former light-heavyweight and cruiserweight when confronted by a heavyweight of Klitschko’s dimensions, strength and experience.

I had plenty of respect for Tomasz Adamek going into this. He had been a champion at light-heavyweight and cruiserweight, then used speed and work rate to beat bigger heavyweights such as Chris Arreola. But Vitali Klitschko was a different proposition altogether. This wasn’t merely a size disadvantage; it was the wrong style against the wrong giant.

Adamek needed to step outside Klitschko’s jab, attack the body and leave at an angle. Instead, he spent too much time at the end of Vitali’s reach, where the champion could spear him with the left and bring the right behind it. Klitschko’s awkward stance made matters worse. He carried his hands low, leaned away from attacks and punished Adamek while the Pole was still trying to regain his balance.

By the sixth, Adamek was taking a hiding. His courage kept him upright, but courage without an answer becomes dangerous. Every rally from the home crowd was based on hope rather than anything happening in the ring. The stoppage in the tenth was correct and arguably late. Adamek was brave but completely outgunned. Klitschko made a proven champion look like a small heavyweight because, against Vitali, that is exactly what he was.