By Mitch Abramson
A day after his career-defining fight on July 15, Pawel Wolak admitted he looked like a “freak.” Gazing at his reflection in a mirror, his features distorted, Wolak was both elated and horrified by what he saw. He was excited because he knew his gutsy performance against Delvin Rodriguez instantly raised his profile, paving the way to bigger and perhaps more lucrative fights; he was shocked because the swelling he sustained in the fight had slowly extended to include the entire right side of his face.
Wolak, 29, awoke the next day a more popular fighter, but he also rose looking like an alien. Wolak fought nearly the second half of his fight with a giant hematoma clouding his right eye, the result of what he believes was a possible head butt. He and Rodriguez fought to a majority draw.
“The weird thing about the swelling is that it started in my eye, then it migrated to the side of my head and then it started slowly moving to the side of my cheek,” Wolak said of the 24-hour bug. “And then it became all types of colors, from back to purple. I was starting to look like a little bit like a freak. It was a little scary.”
He was calmed by the doctor’s diagnosis that, amazingly, no structural damage was done to the eye, even though he couldn’t open it for at least two days after the fight. His orbital bone around his right eye was fine. A CAT scan came up negative, he said. Listening to the advice of the ringside doctor, Wolak was taken by a waiting ambulance to the hospital after the fight, where he was told the good news: it looked far worse than it actually was.
“I knew I had no damage from the orbital bone,” Wolak said. “I felt no pain from the swelling. It was just ridiculously swollen.”
Wolak remains on indefinite suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission until he sees an opthamologist and is cleared to fight. Eager to capitalize on his newfound fame, Wolak flew out to Las Vegas for last weekend’s Amir Khan and Zab Judah fight. By that point, the swelling had subsided except for a tiny mouse over his right eye. Wolak, who is still being trained by Tommy Brooks and Farrel Brenner, his strength and conditioning coach, trekked to sin city to see firsthand the makings of his burgeoning celebrity.
His gritty effort has drawn comparisons to Arturo Gatti, and he desperately wants to start making bigger paydays so he can leave his job as a roofer, which during the summertime is excruciating. He said he pocketed $20,000 from the fight with Rodriguez, a pittance compared to what he and Rodriguez deserved given their effort.
In a sport marred by lackadaisical performances in big fights, Wolak stood out for the effort he put out, and Wolak wants to make sure he takes advantage of the moment. As a result, he cut ties with his longtime manager Ivan Edwards, who has been with him since day one and was shocked by the news. Edward’s managerial contract expired just weeks before the fight on July 1, but Edwards was sure the relationship would remain intact. Edwards could be seen lingering in Wolak’s dressing room after the fight. He claims to have a verbal agreement with Wolak to sign an extension, and he told BoxingScene that he’s pursuing litigation to make sure Wolak honors that agreement.
“He assured me our relationship would continue and now that he can make a payday, he’s pushing me out the door?” Edwards said. “That’s really hurtful. So I’m good enough to drive you to the party but I’m not good enough to drive you home? I was with this guy from the start of his career when no one was interested in him. I studied and I tried to make him a champion and this is what he does to me? I was good enough to get him to this point but I’m not good enough to bring him further? What he did is use me to get where he is right now. That’s not right and I’m going to see if a handshake agreement can hold up in court.”
Edwards, who estimated he’s probably sank roughly $60,000 of his own money into Wolak’s career, said that Wolak has three fights left on his Top Rank promotional contract. Since Edwards said he’s responsible for negotiating the terms of that contract, he said he should be entitled to Wolak’s next three fights. For his part, Wolak feels that Edwards may not be the guy to bring him to the next level. Concerned about taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself, Wolak wants to put his future in the hands of a more experienced manager. He thanked Edwards for his hard work but believes this is the best action to take while he’s still fighting.
“I don’t think he has enough to get me to the next level,” Wolak said. “If things keep going well, there are a lot of layers that have to be sorted out and I don’t think he can handle everything. I just noticed that there’s a lot of media attention going on right now and you kind of have to be kind of a schmoozer. You got to sell your guy and I got to say he wasn’t doing it.”
While he was glad-handing in Vegas, Wolak spoke to manager Cameron Dunkin about the possibility of working together, and he visited the offices of his promoter, Top Rank, to figure out the next course of action. Top Rank VP Carl Moretti expects Wolak to see action in either November or December, possibly at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of the rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito on Dec. 3. An opponent has yet to be determined, but Moretti said a rematch is always a possibility if Rodriguez is open to it.
“Whether it’s Delvin or Joe Blow, we know that whomever he faces, it’s going to be an action-type fight because of his style,” Moretti said. “He clearly brought himself to a new level with his fight with Delvin,” added Moretti. “He literally fought with one eye and he showed the commission and the fans watching that he’d fight with no eyes if he had to. He’s just that kind of a fighter.”
A national boxing audience witnessed Wolak risk his long-term health against Rodriguez at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan. Fighting nearly blind for the final three or four rounds, Wolak shrugged off the throng of doctors who were on the verge of stopping the fight and soldiered on in an astonishing show of guts and disregard for his own physical condition. The result was an entrance into folk hero status for the hard-charging fighter.
In the days following the fight, Wolak even came to appreciate the judge’s decision. In a strange way, that no one came out the winner put the focus purely on the contents of the fight. Their scuffle is being mentioned as perhaps a Fight of the Year candidate.
“It was almost a perfect outcome,” Wolak said over the phone from his home in Warren County, NY. “The ridiculously swollen eye, how I fought through it and didn’t stop. [The fans] want to see more. It was a traumatic fight. If it had been a first round stoppage that would have meant nothing compared to what happened now. It’s really the best case scenario what happened. The fan reaction has been incredible.”
He saw that firsthand in Las Vegas, where Wolak fit in nicely with the boxing community. He was playing blackjack at the Hard Rock last Friday when he looked up at the giant screen only to see ESPN replaying his fight with Rodriguez. For a blue-collar guy like Wolak who isn’t used to such attention and people making a fuss about him, it was a memorable moment.
“It was unbelievable,” Wolak said. “The people at my table, the people who were around me were like, ‘Oh man, that’s you.’ I know now there’s a market for me. I know now there are fans who support me. The Roseland Ballroom was packed. Now I know there’s a demand for my services and if there’s a demand then there is money for it.”
