Tomasz Adamek Blows Out Game Vinny Maddalone In Heavyweight Mismatch

Top heavyweight contender Tomasz "Goral" Adamek (43-1) of Poland destroyed Vinny Maddalone (33-6) Thursday night, outclassing the game journeyman from Queens, N.Y. via a fifth-round TKO.

Adamek, since entering the heavyweight division after a dominant career at cruiserweight, has had his ups and downs: After destroying his semi-retired countryman Andrew Golota, Adamek had a not entirely convincing win over Jason Estrada, an impressive majority decision victory over the much bigger Cris Arreola and a hanging-on-for-dear-life cliffhanger win over the even bigger Michael Grant.

Those waiting for Adamek to look totally dominant at heavyweight finally got their wish in his bout against Maddalone.

Looking less bulky in the upper body than he did last time out against Grant, Adamek used his superior speed to pepper the fearless but awkward Maddalone from the first round onward. He doubled and tripled up on the jab, worked Maddalone's midsection and then went head-hunting with crisp combinations.

You name it, Adamek was throwing it at Maddalone, including the kitchen sink.

If Adamek showed any weakness in this fight, it was in his vulnerability to the left hook, which the less than speedy Maddalone nevertheless managed to land with some regularity.

But all the work Adamek was putting in, especially to the body, had Maddalone running on empty by Round 5, when a right-left combination following a wild miss by Maddalone saw the Queens-native deposited to the mat.

From then on, it was a mere matter of time, as Adamek was determined to close the show and get his first stoppage as a heavyweight, blitzing Maddalone with combinations to the body and head. 

Finally, and correctly, Maddalone's corner had seen enough and signalled to referee Steve Smoger to call an end to the fight at 2:17 of Round 5.

With this win, Adamek figures to be in the running for a title fight next year with one of the Klitschko brothers, possibly at Madison Square Garden in New York, which would benefit from the proximity of Adamek's Polish fanbase in New Jersey as well as that of the many Russian and Ukrainian fans of the Klitschkos residing in Brooklyn.

Perhaps the most tantalizing—and potentially winnable—heavyweight championship matchup for Adamek would be against Britain's David Haye, in a battle of of ex-cruiserweight champions.

A fight between Adamek and Roy Jones Jr. has also been discussed and some members of Team Adamek are apparently all for it, but if that were to take place, it would be a travesty and a waste of Adamek's time—and at age 34, he hasn't got all that much time to waste in what remains of his boxing career.

Let's hope that cooler heads prevail in the Adamek camp: Adamek is too valuable a commodity in the current heavyweight scene to be taking part in credibility-destroying fights of the kind Haye just had with Audley Harrison.