Amid boxing?s stupefying array of weight divisions and ?super?/?interim?/?silver?/ ?diamond?/ ?emeritus?/?recess? championships, there is a division that is neither recognized nor named, yet exists in a de facto manner. Let?s call this phantom division the ?small heavyweights,? and set its weight limit at, say, 225 lb. At this point in time, the unofficial champion of that unrecognized division is Tomasz Adamek, who was once a cruiserweight title-holder and now campaigns among the heavyweights, most of whom are much bigger than he is.
But not all of the heavyweights outsize him. On Saturday, Adamek pounded out a controversial split decision over Steve Cunningham, another former cruiserweight champ. These two had a history going into the contest. Four years ago, Adamek floored Cunningham three times en route to a split-decision win at cruiserweight (200 lb. maximum). This time, Adamek weighed in at a muscular 223 lb., while Cunningham scaled a svelte 203.
The fight was held in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania ? a once-thriving steel town that is trying to find its economic way in the wake of the loss of its major industry. The contest was televised on the NBC network. These days, major bouts on ?free? television are about as rare as a pacifist at a National Rifle Association convention. Too bad this one had to end on a sour note, with one of the officials? scorecards not only misread, but also added incorrectly. When the tallies were finally figured out, Adamek won a narrow split decision. Many observers thought Cunningham deserved the win. But if this was a robbery, it was petty theft compared to the grand larceny Manny Pacquiao suffered in his loss to Timothy Bradley.
It was a classic ?pick-em? boxer-puncher duel, with Cunningham sticking and moving while Adamek bulled his way inside. Unlike their first encounter, neither man went down this time. The question was whether Adamek?s aggression was effective enough to overcome Cunningham?s jabs and counterpunches. If the final verdict had been a draw ? as was first announced before the error on one of the judges? scorecards was discovered ? that outcome would have been considered fair, as the fighters? styles offset each other. Now, boxing is left with a lump of coal as Christmas nears. Not all that big of a lump, but still ?
That?s too bad, because this was a good fight, especially compared to recent mismatches in which the giant Klitschko brothers have easily defeated smaller foes ? though, to be fair, Wladimir Klitschko recently outclassed Mariusz Wach, who is slightly larger than the 6?7? Ukrainian.
On the strength of his victory over Cunningham, and an early decision over the undersized Eddie Chambers, Adamek is the king of the small heavyweights. A showdown with the comebacking David Haye, who weighs between 215 and 220, would be a natural. But Adamek is gunning for bigger game. His next fight will be against Kubrat Pulev, with the winner getting a shot at Wladimir Klitschko. But Adamek has already come up short against Vitali Klitschko, getting stopped in 10 one-sided rounds.
Adamek?s best win among the big boys was a decision over the hulking-but-underachieving Chris Arreola. He might be able to get past the inexperienced Pulev, but Wladimir will prove to be one Klitschko too many. Still, Tomasz can always take consolation in being the best of the small heavyweights ? all of whom would have been big men in the era of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His award-winning novel, Damballa, which centers around a fictional heavyweight title bout, is available at Amazon.com.
