Tomasz Adamek facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tomasz Adamek
Adamek with the IBF title, 2008
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Góral
Rated at	Light heavyweight Cruiserweight Heavyweight
Height	1.87 m
Reach	191 cm
Born	(1976-12-01) 1 December 1976 (age 48) Żywiec, Poland
Boxing record
Total fights	61
Wins	55
Wins by KO	32
Losses	6
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Poland European Championships Bronze 1998 Minsk Light heavyweight

Tomasz "Tomek" Adamek (born December 1, 1976) is a famous Polish former professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 1999 to 2018. Tomasz was a world champion in two different weight classes. He held the WBC light heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007. He also held the IBF and The Ring magazine cruiserweight titles from 2008 to 2009.

Tomasz Adamek also won the IBO cruiserweight title in 2007. In 2011, he even fought for the WBC heavyweight title. Many people consider him one of the best Polish boxers ever. He was the first Polish boxer to win The Ring title, which is a big deal in boxing.

Early Life and Start in Boxing

Tomasz Adamek was born in Żywiec, Poland. Later, he lived in Kearny, New Jersey, in the United States.

He started his professional boxing career on March 13, 1999. His first fight was in Manchester, England, against Israel Khumalo. Tomasz won this fight by a technical knockout (TKO) in the very first round. This means the referee stopped the fight because his opponent couldn't continue safely.

Becoming a Champion

Light Heavyweight Champion

Tomasz Adamek became the WBC light heavyweight champion on May 21, 2005. He won this title by beating Paul "Firepower" Briggs. Their fight was very tough, with both boxers getting hurt. Adamek was the one who kept attacking and won the fight.

He successfully defended his title two times. First, he knocked out German boxer Thomas Ulrich in the sixth round on October 15, 2005. Then, he fought Paul Briggs again in 2006 and won once more.

First Loss: Adamek vs. Dawson

On February 3, 2007, Tomasz Adamek faced Chad Dawson. Adamek had won all 31 of his previous fights. This was his first loss, decided by the judges. Adamek was knocked down in the seventh round, but he got back up. He even knocked Dawson down in the tenth round, but Dawson recovered and won the fight. After this loss, Adamek decided to move to a heavier weight class called cruiserweight.

Cruiserweight Success

After moving to cruiserweight, Adamek quickly started winning again. He defeated Luis Andres Pineda by TKO in the seventh round. He also beat Josip Jalusic in Germany in December 2007.

Winning the IBF Cruiserweight Title

On April 19, 2008, Adamek fought O'Neil Bell in Poland. This fight was to decide who would get a chance to fight for the IBF Cruiserweight title. Adamek knocked Bell down early in the fight and was clearly winning. Bell stopped fighting after the seventh round because he felt dizzy.

In December 2008, Tomasz Adamek fought Steve Cunningham for the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles. The fight was in Newark, New Jersey. Adamek knocked Cunningham down three times and won the fight. Many people thought this was one of the best fights of the year.

Adamek defended his cruiserweight titles successfully against Johnathon Banks on February 27, 2009. He won by TKO in the eighth round. He then defeated Bobby Gunn on July 11, 2009, when the referee stopped the fight.

On October 18, 2009, Adamek gave up his IBF cruiserweight title. He decided to move up to the heavyweight division, which is the heaviest weight class in boxing.

Heavyweight Challenges

On October 24, 2009, in Poland, Adamek won the IBF "International" Heavyweight Title. He defeated Andrew Golota by TKO in the fifth round. On February 6, 2010, he beat Jason Estrada by a decision after 12 rounds.

Adamek then fought Chris Arreola on April 24, 2010. Adamek won this fight by a majority decision. Arreola was much heavier than Adamek, but Adamek still managed to win.

In 2010, Tomasz Adamek received the "Muhammad Ali Athlete Award." This was a special award given in Chicago.

Klitschko and Adamek, during signing for the fight in 2011

Adamek continued his winning streak in the heavyweight division. He defeated Michael Grant on August 21, 2010. In 2011, he also beat Kevin McBride by a clear decision.

Fighting for the WBC Heavyweight Title

On September 10, 2011, Tomasz Adamek had a huge fight against the WBC heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko. The fight took place in Poland and was a very big event. Adamek lost the fight by TKO in the tenth round. The referee stopped the fight because Adamek was taking too many punches and couldn't defend himself anymore.

Later Heavyweight Fights

After the Klitschko fight, Adamek continued to box. On March 24, 2012, he defeated Nagy Aguilera. He then fought Eddie Chambers on June 16, 2012, and won by a decision. This fight was important because both boxers were highly ranked.

Adamek also defeated Travis Walker by TKO in the fifth round on September 8, 2012. He had a very close fight with Steve Cunningham again on December 22, 2012. Adamek won this fight by a split decision, which means the judges had different opinions, but most of them picked him.

On March 15, 2014, Adamek lost to Vyacheslav Glazkov by a decision. This meant he lost his IBF North American heavyweight title.

In 2017, Adamek won two more fights. He defeated Solomon Haumono on June 24, 2017, and Fred Kassi on November 18, 2017, both by decision.

His last professional boxing match was on October 6, 2018, against Jarrell Miller. Miller knocked Adamek down twice in the second round, and the referee stopped the fight.

In a special boxing match in a cage on February 24, 2024, Adamek fought Mamed Khalidov. Adamek won the fight after the third round because Khalidov got a hand injury.

Professional Boxing Record

Fight Viewership

Poland Viewership

United States Viewership

Pay-Per-View Fights

Some of Tomasz Adamek's biggest fights were shown on "pay-per-view." This means people had to pay extra to watch them.

See also

In Spanish: Tomasz Adamek para niños

• List of light heavyweight boxing champions
• List of cruiserweight boxing champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of IBF world champions
• List of The Ring world champions