Tomasz Adamek vs. Dominick Guinn: Preview and Prediction for Heavyweight Bout

The big boys will take center stage this Saturday night on NBC Sports Network when Tomasz Adamek meets Dominick Guinn in heavyweight action.

Adamek was originally scheduled to face Tony Grano but had to scramble for a new opponent when an injury forced his foe to drop out of the fight.

The 36-year-old Pole is a former cruiserweight champion who has unsuccessfully challenged for the WBC heavyweight title against Vitali Klitschko. Adamek got a decision many felt he didn't deserve against Steve Cunningham in December, and he'll need to be impressive to get back into the title picture.

Guinn was once considered amongst the contenders for the title of next great American heavyweight. But "The Southern Disaster" has seen his career become just that in recent years as he's become little more than a journeyman. He hasn't fought in more than a year, and he'll need to turn back the clock to have a chance at scoring the upset.

Read on for our complete preview and prediction for this Saturday's heavyweight fight.

Tale of the Tape

This has the feel of a fight that shouldn't happen. Tomasz Adamek gets nothing more here than a stay-busy fight, and Dominick Guinn gets another payday in what's been a disappointing career. 

Guinn is the bigger man with advantages in height and reach. Of the two combatants, Guinn is the more natural heavyweight. That might have mattered a few years back, but it's difficult to see how he can bring anything to the table that will trouble Adamek at this stage.

Record:	Tomasz Adamek 48-2-1, 29 KO	Dominick Guinn 34-9-1, 23 KO
Height:	6'1.5"	6'3"
Reach:	76"	78"
Weight:	223 lbs (last fight)	238.5 lbs (last fight)
Stance:	Orthodox	Orthodox
Hometown:	Zywiec, Poland	Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA
Rounds:	329	243

*Profiles via BoxRec.com.

Main Storylines

Tomasz Adamek needs a good performance in this fight to help erase the memory of his controversial decision victory over Steve Cunningham last December. Many observers felt he didn't deserve the nod on that night, and against a journeyman like Guinn who hasn't fought in a year, he must look impressive.

Adamek is 36 years old and has to figure that his chances of securing another heavyweight title shot are running low. A loss here would be devastating, and it would all but remove him from contention.

Dominick Guinn has proved to be durable in his career. He's never been knocked out in 44 professional fights. But he's little more than a journeyman at this point, and while he might put up a decent effort, it's hard to see how he wins this fight.

Guinn was once a highly touted prospect, but now he's doing little more than playing spoiler against Adamek.

Strengths

Tomasz Adamek is a calculating and efficient puncher. When he lets his hands go, he is accurate and hits with power. He has solid defense and gets hit a lot less than he connects on his opponent.

Adamek loves to throw combinations, and when he throws punches in bunches, he lands with precision. 

Dominick Guinn is durable. He's been in the ring with some big punchers, but he's never been knocked out. That alone won't win him the fight, but it could keep him hanging around.

Guinn has a good jab—which Cunningham used to give Adamek fits—and he has the ability to box well at distance. It's just a question of how much, if anything, is left in the tank.

Weaknesses

Tomasz Adamek did not look good in his last fight. He was far less accurate against Steve Cunningham than we're used to seeing, and he was hit a lot more. The key in that fight was Cunningham's ability to pump a solid jab and fight effectively from the outside. 

Was that just a bad night for Adamek, or was it a sign of slippage from the 36-year-old? It could be another indication of a brewing problem. After all, that fight was just one removed from another highly controversial decision victory against Eddie Chambers, who was fighting with one arm after injuring his bicep early in the bout.

Dominick Guinn is a journeyman fighter who has failed to live up to his potential. He's 38 years old now and hasn't fought in a year. He has lost three of his last four fights and isn't a factor in the heavyweight mix. 

He's a late substitution, which means he'll have had little time to condition and prepare for his opponent. And conditioning was never one of his strong points to begin with.

Tomasz Adamek Will Win If...

Tomasz Adamek should win this fight, and he should win it convincingly. Anything less would have to be considered a major setback. He'll look to keep the fight in close quarters where he will be able to exploit his advantages in precision and punching power. 

Guinn has never been stopped before, but you'd be hard pressed not to question whether he's coming to fight or just collect a paycheck.

Either way it should be an easy night for Adamek as long as he relies on his strengths and doesn't get lulled into the type of inactivity that hurt him against Cunningham. 

Dominick Guinn Will Win If...

Well, this is a tough one. 

Dominick Guinn just isn't the fighter he once was, and unfortunately he never became the fighter many hoped he'd be. He's here as a late replacement who hasn't been given much chance of winning the fight. 

His best chance would be to try and keep the fight on the outside and disrupt Adamek's rhythm with his jab. That was a successful strategy for Steve Cunningham, and it's one he'll need to do his best to replicate.

And the Winner Will Be...

Tomasz Adamek is supposed to win, needs to win and will win. He will keep the fight at close quarters and allow his power punching and combinations to become the decisive factor.

It wouldn't be surprising to see Dominick Guinn overperform in this fight—he has nothing in the world to lose—but his time has passed. He'll do somewhat better than expected, but he won't win.

Although Guinn has never been finished, a stoppage victory is not out of the question late in the fight, but it's much more likely to see Adamek pound out a clear and convincing decision. That's exactly what he'll do.