Andrzej Fonfara facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andrzej Fonfara
Fonfara in 2011
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Polish Prince
Rated at	Super middleweight Light heavyweight
Height	1.89 m
Reach	196 cm
Nationality	Polish
Born	(1987-11-04) 4 November 1987 (age 37) Białobrzegi, Polish People's Republic
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	36
Wins	30
Wins by KO	18
Losses	5
No contests	1

Andrzej Fonfara (born 4 November 1987) is a Polish former professional boxer. He competed from 2006 to 2018. He held the IBO light heavyweight title from 2012 to 2013. Andrzej also fought for the WBC light heavyweight title twice. He also challenged once for The Ring light heavyweight belt. He lived and trained in Chicago for most of his boxing career.

Andrzej Fonfara's Boxing Journey

Starting as a Super Middleweight

Early Days in Poland and USA

Andrzej started his boxing journey in Warsaw, Poland. He joined the Gwardia Warszawa boxing club. His first trainers were Jacek Kucharczyk and Jerzy Rybicki. Later, he moved to another club, Legia Warszawa. There he trained with Krzysztof Kosedowski, Adam Kozlowski, and Lukasz Landowski. But he soon returned to his first club. With Stanislaw Lakomiec, he won his biggest amateur awards. As a senior boxer, he trained with Paweł Skrzecz and Sebastian Skrzecz. They helped him finish his amateur career.

His professional career began in 2006 in Ostrołęka, Poland. He won his first fight against Miroslav Kubik. After this, he got a chance to train and fight in the United States. He moved to Chicago with his family. There, he trained with Sam Colonna, who was also Andrzej Golota’s trainer. In 2009, he signed a contract with 8 Count Productions.

Moving to Light Heavyweight

In early 2010, Andrzej decided to move to the light heavyweight division. This weight class was a better fit for his body. In 2010, he won a WBC Youth Championship. In 2011, he won the WBO NABO Title. On September 23, 2011, he won a fight by TKO in the second round. This happened against Jose Spearman in his hometown of Chicago.

Big Fights: Johnson and Karpency

Fonfara fought 43-year-old former world champion Glen Johnson on June 13, 2012. The fight took place at Chicago's UIC Pavilion. Fonfara won by a unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 99–91, 97-93, and 97–93. Johnson landed some good punches early on. But Fonfara had better energy and speed. He worked hard in the last four rounds as Johnson tired. Fonfara used his jabs and right hands from a distance. Johnson announced his retirement after this fight. This was the first time Fonfara had fought beyond seven rounds.

After his win against Johnson, Fonfara challenged Tommy Karpency for the vacant IBO light heavyweight title. The fight was on November 16, 2012, at the UIC Pavilion. Fonfara won the IBO title by stopping Karpency in round 7. Fonfara started strong. Karpency fought back in the middle rounds. In round 7, Karpency fell and then waved off the fight. Fonfara did not shake Karpency's hand after the fight. There was some tension between them from the start.

On June 10, 2013, it was announced that Fonfara would fight Gabriel "EL Chico Guapo" Campillo. This fight was shown live on ESPN Friday Night Fights. It happened on August 16 at the U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Fonfara won the fight by knockout in the 9th round. He landed a left body shot that made Campillo unable to continue.

Challenging for World Titles

In January 2014, Fonfara decided to fight Adonis Stevenson. Stevenson was the lineal, WBC, and The Ring champion. The fight was set for May 24. Stevenson started very well. He knocked Fonfara down twice with strong left punches. It looked like he might stop Fonfara. However, Fonfara recovered well. He even knocked Stevenson down in the ninth round. Stevenson also recovered quickly. The two boxers traded punches in the final round. The crowd gave them a standing ovation. Stevenson won the fight by unanimous decision. The judges scored it 116–109, 115-110, and 115–110.

After the fight with Stevenson, Fonfara signed a contract with Al Haymon. Six months later, in November 2014, Fonfara returned to the UIC Pavilion. He fought Doudou Ngumbu. Fonfara won the 10-round fight by unanimous decision. The scores were 97-93, 98-92, and 97-93.

Fonfara vs. Chávez Jr. and Cleverly

Fonfara fought Julio César Chávez Jr. on April 18, 2015. This was for the vacant WBC International Light Heavyweight Championship. The fight took place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Fonfara controlled the fight. He knocked Chávez down with a left hook in the 9th round. Before the 10th round, Chávez told his corner to stop the fight. This was his first TKO loss. Chávez was behind on all three judges' scorecards when the fight stopped.

On October 16, 2015, Fonfara fought former world champion Nathan Cleverly. This fight was at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago for the WBC International light heavyweight title. Fonfara won by unanimous decision after 12 exciting rounds. The judges scored it 115–113, 116–112, and 116-112 for Fonfara. Both fighters threw and landed a huge number of punches. They set new records for a light heavyweight fight. Fonfara also set individual records for punches landed and attempted. Cleverly kept fighting hard, even with a swollen nose.

Unexpected Loss and Comeback

Fonfara was set to defend his WBC International light heavyweight title. He fought Joe Smith Jr. on June 18, 2016, at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. This was a scheduled 10-round fight. In a big surprise, Smith won the title by technical knockout in the 1st round. Smith knocked Fonfara down twice. The referee stopped the fight after the second knockdown. This win ended Fonfara's 15-fight undefeated streak at the UIC Pavilion.

On February 7, 2017, it was announced that Fonfara would return to the ring. He fought on March 4 against former world champion Chad Dawson. The fight was scheduled for 10 rounds. Fonfara started training with Virgil Hunter before this fight. Going into the tenth and final round, Fonfara was behind on the scorecards. But 38 seconds into the round, he landed a straight right punch that hurt Dawson. He followed with more punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight. Fonfara got a much-needed win. Dawson was also knocked down in round 9 but got up.

Rematch with Stevenson

On April 8, 2017, Adonis Stevenson announced a rematch with Fonfara. The fight took place in Quebec, Canada, on June 3, 2017. Fonfara started well in round 1 with his jab. Stevenson, waiting for his chance, landed a left hook that dropped Fonfara. Fonfara got up, but he was unsteady. The bell saved him from more punches. In round 2, Stevenson continued to hit Fonfara with big lefts. The fight ended quickly. Fonfara's trainer, Virgil Hunter, stepped onto the ring apron after just 28 seconds. He signaled to the referee to stop the fight. Stevenson kept his WBC and Lineal world titles. Fonfara agreed with the stoppage. Hunter explained that there was no need to continue because Fonfara was hurt.

Moving to Cruiserweight

Fighting in Poland

On April 23, 2018, it was reported that Fonfara would fight in Poland. This was his first fight there since his professional debut in 2006. He fought Ismail Sillakh at the Hala Torwar in Warsaw on June 16. This fight was at the cruiserweight limit. Fonfara defeated Sillakh by technical knockout in the sixth round. Fonfara landed many punches, and the referee stopped the fight. Sillakh was also knocked down in round 2 but continued.

Retirement from Boxing

On February 13, 2019, Andrzej Fonfara announced his retirement from boxing. He was 31 years old. In a message to his fans, he said:

"There is no more enthusiasm, and above all [no more] motivation and adrenaline, which gave the desire to go out into the ring and compete. I am healthy, everything is OK, but I no longer have the heart for boxing. I'm always 100 percent or nothing. I can not do otherwise. Thank you."

Fonfara ended his 13-year professional boxing career with 30 wins and 5 losses. He won 18 fights by knockout.

Mixed Martial Arts Debut

On August 5, 2023, Fonfara made his Mixed martial arts debut. He fought at Clout MMA 1. He defeated Marcin Najman by TKO in just 15 seconds of the first round.

Professional boxing record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
37	Win	31–5 (1)	Fábio Maldonado	KO	2 (6), 2:47	20 Jul 2024	Compass Arena, Willowbrook, Illinois, USA
36	Win	30–5 (1)	Ismail Sillakh	TKO	6 (10), 2:14	16 Jun 2018	Torwar Hall, Warsaw, Poland
35	Loss	29–5 (1)	Adonis Stevenson	TKO	2 (12), 0:28	3 Jun 2017	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	For WBC light heavyweight title
34	Win	29–4 (1)	Chad Dawson	TKO	10 (10), 0:38	4 Mar 2017	Barclays Center, New York City, New York, US
33	Loss	28–4 (1)	Joe Smith Jr.	TKO	1 (10), 2:32	18 Jun 2016	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US	Lost WBC International light heavyweight title
32	Win	28–3 (1)	Nathan Cleverly	UD	12	16 Oct 2015	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US	Retained WBC International light heavyweight title
31	Win	27–3 (1)	Julio César Chávez Jr.	RTD	9 (12), 3:00	18 Apr 2015	StubHub Center, Carson, California, US	Won vacant WBC International light heavyweight title
30	Win	26–3 (1)	Doudou Ngumbu	UD	10	1 Nov 2014	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US
29	Loss	25–3 (1)	Adonis Stevenson	UD	12	24 May 2014	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	For WBC and The Ring light heavyweight titles
28	Win	25–2 (1)	Samuel Miller	KO	2 (10), 0:58	6 Dec 2013	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US
27	Win	24–2 (1)	Gabriel Campillo	KO	9 (12), 1:37	16 Aug 2013	U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois, US
26	Win	23–2 (1)	Tommy Karpency	TKO	7 (12), 0:57	16 Nov 2012	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US	Won vacant IBO light heavyweight title
25	Win	22–2 (1)	Glen Johnson	UD	10	13 Jul 2012	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US
24	Win	21–2 (1)	Byron Mitchell	TKO	3 (10), 1:03	16 Mar 2012	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US	Won vacant USBO light heavyweight title
23	Win	20–2 (1)	Phil Williams	KO	3 (10), 1:25	16 Dec 2011	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US
22	Win	19–2 (1)	Jose Spearman	TKO	2 (8), 1:20	23 Sep 2011	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US
21	Win	18–2 (1)	Anthony Russell	KO	6 (10), 2:46	20 May 2011	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US	Won vacant WBO–NABO light heavyweight title
20	Win	17–2 (1)	Ray Smith	KO	4 (8), 1:04	9 Apr 2011	Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US
19	Win	16–2 (1)	Adam Jaco	TKO	5 (8), 2:25	28 Jan 2011	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US
18	Win	15–2 (1)	Anthony Doughty	KO	1 (8), 0:23	19 Nov 2011	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US
17	Win	14–2 (1)	Roger Cantrell	TKO	4 (10), 1:01	30 Apr 2010	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US	Won vacant WBC Youth light heavyweight title
16	Win	13–2 (1)	Adan Leal	TKO	4 (6), 2:38	29 Jan 2010	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US
15	NC	12–2 (1)	Skylar Thompson	TKO	2 (8), 2:59	26 Jun 2009	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US	Vacant WBF (Foundation) United States super middleweight title at stake;
14	Win	12–2	Kendall Gould	UD	6	27 Mar 2009	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, US
13	Win	11–2	Terrence Wilson	UD	6	23 Jan 2009	Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, US
12	Loss	10–2	Derrick Findley	TKO	2 (8), 3:00	11 Jul 2008	Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, US
11	Win	10–1	Manny Castillo	DQ	2 (6), 1:20	11 Apr 2008	Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Illinois, US	Castillo disqualified for an intentional shoulder-butt
10	Win	9–1	Jorge Alberto Gonzalez	MD	6	15 Feb 2008	Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, US
9	Win	8–1	Dave Saunders	KO	1 (6), 0:28	26 Nov 2007	Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, US
8	Win	7–1	Luis Hodge	UD	6	14 Sep 2007	Congress Theater, Chicago, Illinois, US
7	Win	6–1	Joshua Rodriguez	KO	3 (4)	13 Jul 2007	Congress Theater, Chicago, Illinois, US
6	Win	5–1	Justin Danforth	UD	4	13 Apr 2007	Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, US
5	Loss	4–1	Eberto Medina	UD	5	1 Dec 2006	Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, US
4	Win	4–0	Calvin Pitts	KO	2 (5)	10 Nov 2006	Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, US
3	Win	3–0	Johnny Higgins Jr.	UD	4	20 Oct 2006	Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, US
2	Win	2–0	Gregory Walker	UD	4	23 Jun 2006	Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Illinois, US
1	Win	1–0	Miroslav Kubik	MD	4	3 Jun 2006	Hala widowiskowo-sportowa, Ostrołęka, Poland

Mixed martial arts record