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

Andrzej Fonfara's Boxing Journey

Starting as a Super Middleweight

Andrzej Fonfara started his boxing journey in Warsaw, Poland. He joined the boxing club Gwardia Warszawa. His first trainers were Jacek Kucharczyk and Jerzy Rybicki. Later, he moved to another club, Legia Warszawa. There, he trained with Krzysztof Kosedowski and others. He eventually returned to his first club. He worked with Stanislaw Lakomiec and won many awards. He finished his amateur career with Paweł and Sebastian Skrzecz.

His professional boxing career began in 2006. He won his first fight in Ostrołęka, Poland. After this, he moved to the U.S. to train and fight. He lives in Chicago with his family. He trained with Sam Colonna, a famous boxing trainer. In 2009, he signed a contract with 8 Count Productions. That same year, one of his wins was changed to a "No Contest."

Moving to Light Heavyweight

In early 2010, Andrzej decided to change weight classes. He moved 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 in Chicago. He won by TKO in the second round against Jose Spearman.

Big Fights: Johnson and Karpency

On July 13, 2012, Fonfara fought Glen Johnson. Johnson was a 43-year-old former world champion. The fight took place in Chicago. Fonfara won by a unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 99–91, 97-93, and 97–93. Johnson landed some strong punches early on. But Fonfara had better energy and speed. He worked hard in the last four rounds. Johnson announced his retirement after this fight. This was the first time Fonfara had fought beyond seven rounds.

After beating Johnson, Fonfara challenged Tommy Karpency. This was for the vacant IBO light heavyweight title. The fight happened on November 16, 2012. 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. He then waved off the fight himself. Fonfara did not shake Karpency's hand. There was some tension between them. Karpency had been knocked down twice in the first round.

On August 16, 2013, Fonfara fought Gabriel Campillo. Campillo was a former world champion from Spain. The IBO did not approve this fight. So, Fonfara lost his IBO title. However, the IBF approved it as an eliminator fight. Fonfara won by knockout in the 9th round. He landed a strong left body shot. This made Campillo unable to continue.

Challenging Stevenson

In January 2014, Fonfara decided to fight Adonis Stevenson. Stevenson was the WBC and The Ring light heavyweight champion. The fight was set for May 24, 2014. It was shown on Showtime. Stevenson started the fight very well. He knocked Fonfara down twice. He looked like he might win quickly. But Fonfara recovered strongly. He even knocked Stevenson down in the ninth round. Stevenson also recovered fast. The two boxers exchanged many punches. 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 this fight, Fonfara signed a contract with Al Haymon. Six months later, in November 2014, Fonfara returned to the ring. He fought Doudou Ngumbu in Chicago. Fonfara won the 10-round fight by unanimous decision. The scores were 97-93, 98-92, and 97-93.

Fonfara vs. Chávez Jr.

On April 18, 2015, Fonfara fought Julio César Chávez Jr.. This fight was for the vacant WBC International Light Heavyweight Championship. Fonfara controlled the fight. He knocked Chávez down in the 9th round. Before the 10th round, Chávez told his corner to stop the fight. This was Chávez's first TKO loss. Chávez was behind on all three judges' scorecards when the fight ended.

Fonfara vs. Cleverly

On October 16, 2015, Fonfara fought former world champion Nathan Cleverly. This was 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 boxers threw and landed a huge number of punches. They set new records for a light heavyweight fight. Fonfara landed 474 punches and threw 1,413. Cleverly kept fighting hard, even with a swollen nose.

Fonfara vs. Smith Jr.

On June 18, 2016, Fonfara defended his WBC International light heavyweight title. He fought Joe Smith Jr. in Chicago. Smith Jr. was not very well known at the time. But he caused a big surprise. Smith won the title by technical knockout in the first round. He knocked Fonfara down twice. The referee stopped the fight after the second knockdown. This ended Fonfara's 15-fight undefeated streak at the UIC Pavilion. Smith Jr. later went on to defeat Bernard Hopkins.

Fonfara vs. Dawson

On March 4, 2017, Fonfara returned to the ring. He fought Chad Dawson, a former world champion. Dawson had lost three of his last six fights. Fonfara started training with Virgil Hunter before this fight. Going into the final round, Fonfara was behind on the scorecards. But 38 seconds into the 10th round, he landed a strong right hand. This hurt Dawson. Fonfara followed with more punches. The referee stopped the fight, giving Fonfara a much-needed win. Dawson had also been knocked down in round 9 but continued.

Fonfara vs. Stevenson II

On June 3, 2017, Andrzej Fonfara had a rematch with Adonis Stevenson. The fight took place in Canada. Fonfara started well in the first round. But Stevenson landed a left hook that dropped Fonfara. Fonfara got up, but he was unsteady. The bell saved him from more punches. In the second round, Stevenson continued to hit Fonfara with strong lefts. After just 28 seconds, Fonfara's trainer, Virgil Hunter, stopped the fight. Stevenson kept his WBC and Lineal world titles. Fonfara agreed with the decision to stop the fight. His trainer explained that Fonfara was hurt and needed to be protected.

Cruiserweight Division

Fonfara vs. Sillakh

On June 16, 2018, Fonfara fought in Poland for the first time since 2006. He fought Ismail Sillakh at the cruiserweight limit. Sillakh had a tough record in his recent fights. Fonfara defeated Sillakh by technical knockout in the sixth round. Fonfara landed many punches, and the referee stopped the fight. Sillakh had also been knocked down in round 2. Fonfara was ahead on the scorecards when the fight ended.

Retirement from Boxing

On February 13, 2019, Andrzej Fonfara announced his retirement from boxing. He was 31 years old. He said he no longer had the passion or motivation to compete. He stated he was healthy but his heart was no longer in boxing. Fonfara ended his 13-year professional career with 30 wins and 5 losses. He had 18 knockout wins.

Mixed Martial Arts Debut

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

Boxing Career Summary

Mixed Martial Arts Summary