Tomasz Adamek


Tomasz "Tomek" Adamek is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2018. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC light heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007, and the IBF and The Ring magazine cruiserweight titles from 2008 to 2009. He also held the IBO cruiserweight title in 2007, and challenged once for the WBC heavyweight title in 2011. BoxRec ranks Adamek as the third greatest Polish boxer of all time, pound for pound. He is the first Polish boxer to win The Ring title.
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Early life

Adamek was born in Żywiec, Poland, as of 2012 he resided in Kearny, New Jersey. In 2013, he became a resident of Jersey City where he also trained and fought out of.

Professional career

Adamek made his professional boxing debut on 13 March 1999 in Manchester, England against Israel Khumalo. He won by TKO in the first round.

Light-heavyweight

WBC light-heavyweight champion

Adamek won the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title defeating Paul "Firepower" Briggs by majority decision on 21 May 2005. The fight was described by some as one of the most brutal in recent memory, as Briggs suffered a large cut above his left eye early in the fight and Adamek bled profusely from his nose for much of the fight as well. Adamek tended to be the aggressor and won the fight.

On 15 October 2005, he defended his title against German boxer Thomas Ulrich by knockout in Round 6.
He then defended his title in a rematch with Paul Briggs in 2006, again winning by majority decision.
After the fight Jim Lampley said that Adamek vs Briggs I and II was the best combined 24 rounds he has ever seen.

Adamek vs. Dawson

Undefeated Adamek with 31–0 lost his first fight by unanimous decision to Chad Dawson on 3 February 2007. During that fight, Adamek was knocked down in the seventh round; this was only the second time in his career he has been knocked down. Adamek, well behind on points, provided some drama by suddenly dropping Dawson in the 10th round but Dawson fended off the onslaught that followed, and won a clear-cut points decision. Immediately following the loss to Dawson, Adamek decided to move up in the cruiserweight division.

Cruiserweight

After losing to Dawson, Adamek moved up to cruiserweight to beat Luis Andres Pineda by technical knockout in round seven. He defeated Josip Jalusic on 29 December 2007 in Germany.

Adamek vs. Bell

On 19 April 2008, in Poland, Adamek fought former undisputed cruiserweight champion O'Neil Bell in an IBF Cruiserweight title eliminator. Adamek floored Bell in round one and had good success by outboxing Bell. Bell opted not to come out for round eight, citing that he felt dizzy and ill.

IBF and lineal cruiserweight champion

In December 2008 he fought the then reigning champion Steve Cunningham at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Knocking a game Cunningham down three times, he won the IBF and vacant lineal cruiserweight titles in a bout many thought was the fight of the year.

Adamek successfully defended his title against Johnathon Banks on 27 February 2009, at the Prudential Center in Newark. He won with a brutal TKO in the 8th Round. He then went on to defeat Bobby Gunn before a large crowd at the Prudential Center on 11 July 2009, with the referee stopping the bout at the ring physician's advice between rounds four and five.
He vacated the IBF title on 18 October 2009, choosing to move up to the heavyweight division.

Heavyweight

On 24 October 2009 in Łódź, Poland, Adamek defeated Andrew Golota by TKO in the fifth round to win the IBF "International" Heavyweight Title. Then, on 6 February 2010 in Newark's Prudential Center he defeated Jason Estrada by unanimous decision after 12 rounds.
Adamek then took on fellow heavyweight contender Chris Arreola on 24 April 2010, at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. The bout was televised as part of Boxing After Dark. The Polish fighter won a twelve-round majority decision, with the scores of 114–114, 115–113, and 117–111. A day before the bout, Arreola weighed 250½ pounds, while Adamek was 217.
In 2010 he was the first Polish winner of the "Muhammad Ali Athlete Award" at the Giant Awards diner in Chicago.
Adamek defeated veteran American Michael Grant by unanimous decision on 21 August 2010. In his first fight of 2011, Adamek defeated Irishman Kevin McBride by a wide unanimous decision.

Adamek vs. Vitali Klitschko

On 10 September 2011 Adamek faced the WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko in Poland, losing by TKO in the 10th round, in the first ever PPV fight in Polish TV history. The referee stopped the bout after Adamek received punishing blows and was ruled out, as he was no longer able to defend himself.

Post-Klitschko fights

Adamek returned on 24 March 2012, after signing a contract with Main Events, defeating Nagy Aguilera by unanimous decision. He then agreed to face former heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers. Both Adamek and Chambers were praised for taking the fight with no world title nor mandatory position on the line. Coming into the fight, Adamek was ranked No.3 heavyweight contender by The Ring, while Chambers, having had only one fight in two years and three months, was unranked by the publication. The fight was the main event of the Fight Night card on NBC Sports. In the opening rounds, both fighters were trading shots, with Chambers landing the most meaningful punches. During the first round, Chambers torn his bicep in the left arm, and often switched between orthodox and southpaw stances throughout the rest of the fight, throwing shots almost exclusively with the right hand, mostly connecting with overhand punches. Adamek was more active since round 3, frequently switching up from counterpuncher to aggressor. The bout lasted full twelve rounds, with Adamek being declared the winner by unanimous decision with scores 116–112 and 119–109. According to CompuBox, 1,381 punches were thrown, with Chambers landing 152 punches out of 462 thrown, while Adamek landed 134 punches out of 919.
Adamek defeated Travis Walker on 8 September 2012 via fifth-round technical knockout at 1:51 due to a stoppage by the referee.
Adamek defeated Steve Cunningham in a very close and somewhat controversial split decision on 22 December 2012. Initially, the result was a draw, but after noticing a mathematical miscalculation in the judges scorecards, Adamek was declared the winner. On 15 March 2014 Adamek was defeated by Vyacheslav Glazkov by unanimous decision after 12 rounds, losing his IBF North American heavyweight title.

Adamek vs Haumono

On June 24, 2017, Adamek defeated Solomon Haumono via unanimous decision, 100–90, 99–91 and 99–91 on the scorecards.

Adamek vs. Kassi

On November 18, 2017, Adamek fought and defeated Fred Kassi via unanimous decision, 97–93, 96–94 and 96–94 on the scorecards.

Adamek vs. Miller

On October 6, 2018, Adamek fought heavyweight contender Jarell Miller. Miller was ranked #2 by the WBA and #5 by the WBO at the time. Miller dropped Adamek twice in the second round. After the second knockdown the referee stopped the fight despite a disoriented Adamek making it to his feet.

Adamek vs. Khalidov

On February 24, 2024, in the main event of XTB KSW Epic: Chalidow vs Adamek, he fought Mamed Khalidov in a boxing match in the cage. The fight was contracted for 6 rounds with Adamek's purse being 250,000 USD. He won after the third round after Khalidov suffered a hand injury in the round.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
59Loss53–6Jarrell MillerKO2, 0:516 Oct 2018Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, US
58Win53–5Joey AbellTKO7, 2:3321 Apr 2018Hala Sportowa, Częstochowa, PolandRetained Poland International heavyweight title
57Win52–5Fred KassiUD1018 Nov 2017Hala Sportowa, Częstochowa, PolandWon vacant Poland International heavyweight title
56Win51–5Solomon HaumonoUD1024 Jun 2017Ergo Arena, Gdańsk, Poland
55Loss50–5Éric MolinaKO10, 3:002 Apr 2016Tauron Arena, Kraków, PolandFor vacant IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight title
54Win50–4Przemysław SaletaRTD5, 3:0026 Sep 2015Atlas Arena, Łódź, Poland
53Loss49–4Artur SzpilkaUD108 Nov 2014Tauron Arena, Kraków, PolandFor vacant IBF International and Poland International heavyweight titles
52Loss49–3Vyacheslav GlazkovUD1215 Mar 2014Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USLost IBF North American heavyweight title
51Win49–2Dominick GuinnUD103 Aug 2013Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, US
50Win48–2Steve CunninghamSD1222 Dec 2012Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USRetained IBF North American heavyweight title
49Win47–2Travis WalkerTKO5, 1:088 Sep 2012Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USRetained IBF North American heavyweight title
48Win46–2Eddie ChambersUD1216 Jun 2012Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USWon vacant IBF North American heavyweight title
47Win45–2Nagy AguileraUD1024 Mar 2012Aviator Sports and Events Center, New York City, New York, US
46Loss44–2Vitali KlitschkoTKO10, 2:2010 Sep 2011Stadion Miejski, Wrocław, PolandFor WBC heavyweight title
45Win44–1Kevin McBrideUD129 Apr 2011Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USRetained IBF International and NABO heavyweight titles
44Win43–1Vinny MaddaloneTKO5, 2:179 Dec 2010Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USRetained IBF International and NABO heavyweight titles
43Win42–1Michael GrantUD1221 Aug 2010Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USRetained IBF International and NABO heavyweight titles
42Win41–1Chris ArreolaMD1224 Apr 2010Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, USRetained IBF International heavyweight title;
Won vacant NABO heavyweight title
41Win40–1Jason EstradaUD126 Feb 2010Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USRetained IBF International heavyweight title
40Win39–1Andrew GolotaTKO5, 1:2024 Oct 2009Atlas Arena, Łódź, PolandWon vacant IBF International heavyweight title
39Win38–1Bobby GunnRTD4, 3:0011 Jul 2009Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USRetained IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles
38Win37–1Johnathon BanksTKO8, 1:3027 Feb 2009Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USRetained IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles
37Win36–1Steve Cunningham1211 Dec 2008Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USWon IBF and vacant The Ring cruiserweight titles
36Win35–1Gary GomezRTD7, 0:0111 Jul 2008Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, US
35Win34–1O'Neil BellTKO8 19 Apr 2008Spodek, Katowice, Poland
34Win33–1Josip JalusicUD829 Dec 2007Seidensticker Halle, Bielefeld, Germany
33Win32–1Luis Andres PinedaTKO7 9 Jun 2007Spodek, Katowice, PolandWon vacant IBO cruiserweight title
32Loss31–1Chad DawsonUD123 Feb 2007Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee, Florida, USLost WBC light heavyweight title
31Win31–0Paul BriggsMD127 Oct 2006Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois, USRetained WBC light heavyweight title
30Win30–0Thomas UlrichKO6, 1:5715 Oct 2005Mehrzweckhalle Süd, Düsseldorf, GermanyRetained WBC light heavyweight title
29Win29–0Paul Briggs1221 May 2005United Center, Chicago, Illinois, USWon vacant WBC light heavyweight title
28Win28–0Ismail AbdoulUD810 Sep 2004Blue City, Warsaw, Poland
27Win27–0Dzhabrail DzhabrailovKO5, 0:4317 Apr 2004Baltic Hall, Mariehamn, FinlandWon vacant WBO Inter-Continental light heavyweight title
26Win26–0Olivier BeardTKO3 20 Dec 2003BBTS Wlokniarz Hall, Bielsko-Biała, Poland
25Win25–0Ed DaltonKO2, 2:144 Oct 2003Baltic Hall, Mariehamn, FinlandWon vacant IBF Inter-Continental light heavyweight title
24Win24–0Roberto CoelhoUD830 Aug 2003Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
23Win23–0Zoltán BéresUD66 Apr 2003Palacio de Deportes, Benidorm, Spain
22Win22–0Andrei KarstenTKO2 15 Feb 2003Töölö Sports Hall, Helsinki, Finland
21Win21–0Varuzhan Davtyan4, 3:0014 Dec 2002Telewest Arena, Newcastle, England
20Win20–0Laverne ClarkTKO3 18 Oct 2002Sport Hall, Kozienice, PolandWon vacant Poland International light heavyweight title
19Win19–0Mihai IftodeUD827 Jul 2002Hala Milenium, Kołobrzeg, Poland
18Win18–0Siarhei KaranevichUD1024 May 2002Płońsk, PolandWon vacant CISBB light heavyweight titles
17Win17–0Willie McDonaldTKO3 6 Apr 2002Łódź, Poland
16Win16–0Dzianis SalomkaTKO5 23 Feb 2002OSiR, Włocławek, Poland
15Win15–0Ruslan HladkykhUD629 Dec 2001Sport Hall, Konin, Poland
14Win14–0Zdravko KosticUD1010 Nov 2001Sport Hall, Włocławek, Poland
13Win13–0Timofey MaklakovTKO3 11 Aug 2001Sport Hall, Jaworzno, Poland
12Win12–0Ion Voica1 18 May 2001Sport Hall, Warsaw, Poland
11Win11–0Rudi Lupo102 Mar 2001Sport Hall, Warsaw, PolandWon IBC Inter-Continental light heavyweight title
10Win10–0Nino CiriloTKO3 3 Nov 2000Sport Hall, Nowy Dwór, Poland
9Win9–0Stanislav SchreiberTKO3 14 Oct 2000Sport Hall, Dębica, Poland
8Win8–0Glenn OdemTKO4 10 Jun 2000Sport Hall, Elbląg, Poland
7Win7–0Terry FordTKO3 25 Mar 2000Białystok, Poland
6Win6–0Mark Lee DawsonTKO3 21 Feb 2000Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, London, England
5Win5–0Melvin WynnTKO3 10 Dec 1999Warsaw, Poland
4Win4–0Kevin Whaley-ElTKO4 22 Oct 1999Legia na Bemowie Hall, Warsaw, Poland
3Win3–0Milko StoikovTKO3 26 Jun 1999Hala Ludowa, Wrocław, Poland
2Win2–0Smokey EnisonTKO2, 2:5029 Apr 1999York Hall, London, England
1Win1–0Israel Khumalo1, 2:1513 Mar 1999Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, England

Exhibition boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
4Loss3–1Roberto Soldić2, 1:326 Sep 2025Arena Gliwice, Gliwice, Poland
3Win3–0Kasjusz ŻycińskiUD431 Aug 2024Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland
2Win2–0Patryk Bandurski318 May 2024Arena Gliwice, Gliwice, Poland
1Win1–0Mamed Khalidov3, 3:0024 Feb 2024Arena Gliwice, Gliwice, Poland

Viewership

Poland

DateFightViewership NetworkSource
24 October 2009Tomasz Adamek vs. Andrew Golota8,190,000 – 13,000,000Polsat
Total viewership8,190,000 – 13,000,000

United States

DateFightViewershipNetworkSource
22 December 2012Tomasz Adamek vs. Steve Cunningham3,200,000NBC Sports
Total viewership3,200,000

Pay-per-view bouts

DateFightPay-per-view buysCountryNetworkSource
10 September 2011Vitali Klitschko vs. Tomasz Adamek200,000PolandCyfra+ PPV
8 November 2014Tomasz Adamek vs. Artur Szpilka100,000PolandCyfrowy Polsat PPV
Total sales300,000