American boxing fans missed out on another terrific fight from Germany as undefeated World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion Tomasz Adamek's sixth-round knockout over European Boxing Union champion Thomas Ulrich in Dusseldorf was not televised in the United States.

Adamek, now 30-0 with 21 knockouts, showed extensive growth in his boxing skills under the sole tutelage of legendary Polish trainer Andrew Gmitruk, displaying a stinging left jab from the outset that proved to be his most valuable weapon in setting up the knockout.

Both fighters came out of the corners ready to fight, and their interplay built until the middle of the second round when they abandoned safer one-punch tactics, exploding with a flurry of combinations that increased the attention of the sold-out crowd of 5,000 at the new, Mehrzweckhalle.

While Ulrich was determined and skilled, Adamek's telephone-pole jab kept the German native from establishing a firmer foothold in the match.  Both fighters erupted with power-punch combinations before the bell sounded to end round three, but it was Ulrich who appeared to be absorbing more of the punishment as blood began to appear on his face.

A bronze medalist at the 1996 Olympics, Ulrich tried from the beginning to score with left hooks but became less successful in landing them as the fight progressed, most notably in round four where Adamek began to take greater control of the fight.

By round five Adamek dug in and began throwing three- and four-punch combinations, all set up by the lead jab.  Ulrich refused to concede and landed his best two punches of the contest--both big right hands--but Adamek remained undaunted.

Ulrich, with blood now smeared around a great portion of his face, decided to go for broke while still capable of turning the fight in his favor.  He paid the price for his valor when Adamek threw a jab followed by a thunderbolt straight right that landed flush and dropped the challenger with devastating effect.

English referee Ian John Lewis, who had been an invisible gatekeeper up to this point, counted Ulrich out before he could regain his feet at 1:57 of the round.  Ulrich dropped to 28-2.

This match was the second co-promotion between Don King Productions and Hamburg-based Universum in less than three weeks.  "Relentless" Lamon Brewster retained his World Boxing Organization heavyweight crown in a thrilling ninth-round technical knockout over Luan Krasniqi, which was also not televised in America, on Sept. 28.

Australian Paul "Hurricane" Briggs rebounded after losing to Adamek by majority decision in Chicago on May 21 in one of the best fights of the year by defeating a game but outmatch Etienne Whitaker, from Youngstown, Ohio, by technical knockout in round five.

Former heavyweight world champion Oliver "The Atomic Bull" McCall was out-pointed in 10 rounds by Cuban-born Juan Carlos Gomez, who now lives in Hamburg, in a 10-round heavyweight elimination bout.

Judge Anek Hongtongkam, from Thailand, scored the fight 96-94 while Richard Flaherty, from the United States, and Ian John Lewis, from England, both scored the fight 98-92--all in favor of Gomez.

Croatian heavyweight prospect Mario Preskar improved to 7-0-1 with a second-round technical knockout over Slovakian Vlado Szabo.

10-15-2005

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