Former heavyweight world champion and Chicago native Oliver “The Atomic Bull”
McCall has agreed to step in to fight Przemyslaw “Chemek” Saleta on Don King’s
Global Glory card at the United Center on Aug. 13. Saleta’s original opponent,
Andrew Golota, suffered a training injury, which
will prevent him from participating in the match.
Golota was sparring at the Windy City Gym on Monday when his opponent hit him
with a left hook that caused Golota’s headgear to stretch and tear his right
eyelid. He was taken to New Horizon Clinic in Skokie where Dr. Gregory Turowski
administered eight stitches inside the eyelid and 10 stitches to the outside of
the eyelid to close the cut.
McCall (44-8, 31 KOs) became heavyweight world champion by scoring a
second-round technical knockout over then World Boxing Council champion Lennox
Lewis in 1994. Always a dangerous puncher, McCall has also scored wins over
Larry Holmes, Oleg Maskaev and Henry Akinwande.
On Nov. 13, McCall fought heavyweight contender DaVarryl Williamson at Madison
Square Garden in New York. McCall lost a close decision to Williamson, who
recently earned the right to be the current mandatory challenger to
International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion Chris Byrd.
Saleta, (42-6, 21 KOs) from Warsaw, was the first Polish fighter to turn
professional in 1991. He had been a national, European and world kickboxing
champion as both an amateur and professional. He met and defeated Vitali
Klitschko while a kickboxer.
Saleta lived in Florida and trained under the legendary Angelo Dundee from 1992
to 1996. He became the WBC International cruiserweight champion in 1994 before
moving to heavyweight the following year.
His career highlight occurred when he became the first and only Polish fighter
to become European champion when he scored a ninth-round technical knockout over
then-undefeated Luan Krasniqi in Dortmund, Germany on July 20, 2002. Krasniqi
defeated Lance “Mount” Whitaker on May 28 in a World Boxing Organization
elimination bout, and will face heavyweight champion “Relentless” Lamon Brewster
in Germany on Sept. 28.
Saleta’s movie star looks and endorsement deals have made him a media darling in
Poland where he hosts numerous television and radio shows while often gracing
the covers of female-appeal magazines.
His first wife was a model, his soon-to-be ex-wife posed for the Polish edition
Playboy, and his current girlfriend, 21-year-old Kasia Kraszewska, was the cover
girl and Playmate of the Month in the March issue of the Polish edition of
Playboy. She shot a Playmate test in Chicago on July 19 for the U.S. edition of
Playboy.
8-2-2005
