Adamek won’t be facing Toney on 9/8; could be fighting in IBF Box-Off tourney

By Boxing News - 07/11/2012 - Comments

Image: Adamek won't be facing Toney on 9/8; could be fighting in IBF Box-Off tourneyBy Dan Ambrose: Some boxing fans may be sad to learn that former two time world champion Tomasz Adamek (46-2, 28 KO’s) won’t be facing 43-year-old James Toney (73-7-3, 45 KO’s) on September 8th as previously talked about. The 35-year-old Adamek’s promoter Kathy Duva was unable to make a deal with Toney, so instead Adamek may participate in the IBF ordered 4-fighter box-off tourney.

Duva said to fightnews.com “As we were not able to come to terms with Toney by the time the IBF unexpectedly ordered Adamek to participate in a four-man eliminator, we have decided to explore that option and move on.”

Toney was an unpopular pick for Adamek, because of how old Toney is how little success he’s had in the past seven years in the ring. It would have been a terrible mismatch and it likely wouldn’t have increase Adamek’s popularity any to be seen beating up on a once great fighter way past his prime. It seemed like a bad idea that wasn’t well thought through.

The IBF four-fighter tourney is a very interesting option for Adamek, because if he were to win that tourney, he would not only become the mandatory challenger for IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. The participants in the tourney are Alexander Ustinov, Odlanier Solis, Kubrat Pulev, and Adamek, if he agrees to fight in the tourney. It’ll be a real tough ask for Adamek to beat the 6’4″ Pulev and 6’7″ Ustinov because of their huge size. Solis also would be a really tough fight for Adamek if Solis comes in shape, which is highly doubtful.

Adamek defeated Eddie Chambers in his last fight in June, and didn’t impress in that fight. Indeed, Adamek looked slow and had problems with Chambers’ hand speed. The good news is that Adamek would only have to deal with one fighter with Chamber’s like hand speed in the IBF box-off tourney and that would be Solis.



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