NEWARK, N.J.--Heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek won an ugly contest with a paunchy Kevin McBride on Saturday at the Prudential Center to set up a showdown with champ Vitali Klitschko later this year. The 12-round decision was one of only two fights to go the distance on the lopsided Main Events card carried by Integrated Sports Pay Per View.
The heavily partisan crowd clad mostly in the red and white of Adamek?s native Poland screamed themselves hoarse and danced to polka music between rounds, making the best of what can only be described as an ugly spectacle inside the ring. Weighing in at 285 lbs., it was clear from the moment he got off the plane that McBride (35-9-1, 29 Kos) had left his will to win back in Ireland.
Realizing he had no chance at winning a boxing match the Irishman quickly turned to roughhouse tactics such hip tosses, pushing the Pole?s head down and nailing him with rabbit punches. He also repeatedly bared his teeth in a manner that left those at ringside unclear whether he wanted to punish the smaller man or gobble him for a snack.
But as crude, fat and slow as he was in the ring, McBride was a gentleman in defeat. While he indicated Adamek?s power was not on par with some of the heavyweights he has faced, he credited the Pole?s speed for carrying the fight. McBride joked that had he come into the ring 20 lbs. lighter he may have caught Adamek. He ended the press conference by announcing his retirement from boxing after 19 years. Sending Mike Tyson into retirement will likely remain McBride?s primary claim to fame for fight fans.
For his part Adamek once again delighted his vocal New Jersey supporters and gamely turned up the pressure in the later rounds in an attempt to get the stoppage. With that said, aside from a couple well-placed combinations his punches didn?t seem to be that telling and one would be hard-pressed to lay out a realistic path to victory for Adamek against one of the Ukrainian giants. Still, he will get his shot to shock the world later this year and many would love to see him pull it off.
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