By Keith Idec
The most significant thing trainer Roger Bloodworth and Tomasz Adamek took away from Adamek’s lopsided loss to Vitali Klitschko is that Adamek had to add more mass if he is to be more successful against huge heavyweights.
While some suggested Adamek might be best served by moving back down to cruiserweight following a 10th-round technical knockout defeat to Klitschko, Bloodworth and Adamek committed to properly putting more weight on his 6-foot-1 frame. Bloodworth wants Adamek to weigh about 15 more pounds for his March 24 fight against Nagy Aguilera than Adamek did when he challenged Klitschko for the WBC heavyweight title Sept. 10.
“He’s changing his style a little and he’s much bigger,” Bloodworth said following an Adamek workout in Jersey City, N.J. “He’s now 227 [pounds] and we want him at 230. I knew it was going to take a while for him to grow into a heavyweight’s body. Now, he has the muscle and the strength. If he doesn’t get back into the ring now, he might stay out too long. We feel good about where he is.”
Adamek and Aguilera will square off in a 10-round fight in Brooklyn, N.Y., that’ll be televised by NBC Sports Network as part of a tripleheader that’ll feature junior welterweight contenders Zab Judah (41-7, 28 KOs, 2 NC) and Vernon Paris (26-0, 15 KOs, 3 NC) in the 12-round main event. The 25-year-old Aguilera (17-6, 12 KOs), of Newburgh, N.Y., has lost four of his last six fights, but Adamek (44-2, 28 KOs) considers Aguilera “a good opponent” for his first fight since Klitschko won every round en route to stopping him.
“I need to win a couple fights to get a chance at the title again,” said Adamek, who weighed in at 216 pounds for the Klitschko fight. “I need practice. I was slow against Klitschko. I wasn’t the true Tomasz. I think it was a valuable lesson. I wasn’t ready for that fight.
“Every day, I feel like I’m a better fighter. I’m bigger, and with six months of rest, I am much stronger. I’ve been eating better. I like American steak and I’ve been eating a lot. I think the [extra] 10 pounds has been a big help. It’s most important to be healthy.”
If Adamek beats Aguilera, the Kearny, N.J., resident is expected to headline another card at Prudential Center in nearby Newark, N.J., on June 16.
Atlanta’s Kevin Johnson (25-1-1, 11 KOs) is a possible opponent for Adamek that night, but a deal has not been made for that fight. Johnson also has a March 18 fight scheduled against Australia’s Alex Leapai (25-3-3, 20 KOs) in Ascot, Australia, which he would need to win to get a shot at Adamek.
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com.