In a division that seems to have stagnated under the weight of the giants holding the belts, Tomasz Adamek has breathed in new life. Although smaller than many in the division, he has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with, using speed and superior boxing skills to defeat his much larger opponents. That is exactly what Adamek did to defeat “Big” Michael Grant.

The “Big” in front of Michael Grant’s name is no exaggeration. At 6 feet 7 inches, Grant stood a good 4 ½ inches taller than Adamek, and his reach was nearly an extra ten inches. Standing there in the middle of the ring before the opening bell, Adamek looked like the underdog. But the crowd never saw Adamek as an underdog. They had complete faith in their fighter. Michael Grant must have thought that he was fighting in Adamek’s native Poland. At least 95% of the 10,972 strong crowd was there to support Tomasz Adamek, and Tomasz Adamek did not disappoint his fans.

The first round easily belonged to Adamek. His strategy seemed simple, get in and land his jab and maybe a right and then get out of reach. Grant, for his part, seemed a little perplexed. After landing his first jab, he did very little until the end of the round. Maybe he expected Adamek to stand in front of him and trade shots. If the fight continued this way, Adamek would coast to a victory simply by outworking Grant. And it looked as though it might. In the second round, Grant did little more than scowl and jab. Grant definitely had the power to knock out Adamek, but he didn’t use it. Adamek just stuck to the game plan.

In the third round, Grant threw a left hook that sent Adamek into the ropes. It seemed like a turning point in the fight. Grant, however, never followed up on it. Adamek quickly regained control of the round, coming in and landing his combinations and then jumping out of reach. Adamek landed combination after combination. By the fourth round, Adamek seemed very much at ease in the ring. He was staying inside longer. Grant seemed to be tiring, holding more and more to stop Adamek’s assaults. But at the end of the round, Grant was able to land a few effective shots. This must have made an impression with Adamek. At the beginning of the fifth round, he was keeping more distance. Even with this increased distance, Adamek still outworked Grant for the first two minutes of the round. Then at the end of the fifth, Grant turned up the pressure on Adamek, taking control of the final minute of the round.

The end of the fifth round was a turning point in the fight. Grant’s size and power were starting to factor into the fight. Late in the sixth round, Grant landed a combination, staggering Adamek and cutting him over the right eye. Adamek was still looking shaky at the beginning of the seventh round. Grant’s shots seemed to have more and more effect on Adamek, and Grant controlled the first half of the round. However, Adamek was able to regain control of the fight late in the round, which was enough for all three judges to give the round to Adamek.

Grant was beginning to see what he needed to do to win this fight. And it looked as though Adamek might be in real trouble in the eighth. Grant was knocking Adamek back whenever he tried to come in. Moreover, Adamek was now dealing with a cut by his left eye, and Grant being a seasoned veteran of the ring took advantage of that cut. By the ninth round, the direction of the fight did not look good for Adamek. His right eye was starting to swell shut. Grant seemed to be having an easier time knocking Adamek back when he tried to move inside.

Now you might think a silence would fall over the crowd as they witnessed this turn of events, but the crowd kept chanting Adamek. Maybe this is all Adamek needed. More likely, he is the type of fighter who digs deep and does what is needed to win. The tenth round was another turning point in the fight. Adamek was once again getting inside and landing his combinations. At times, Adamek appeared to be jumping in to land those shots. Grant was back to relying on his jab. Bruised and battered, Adamek kept up his assault on Grant. The eleventh round started out more as a brawl, but Adamek quickly took control of the round. He seemed to pick up his attack as Grant slowed down.

The twelfth round picked up where the eleventh left off. However, the fight was not over for Grant. He was able to land a hard shot that put Adamek in trouble. Grant knew Adamek was in trouble and was trying to force him into the corner where he could finish him off. It was a tense few seconds for the Adamek camp. Adamek was shaky, but he managed to get out from against the ropes. For the last 15 seconds, Adamek was able to keep his distance. Although he lost the round, Adamek had won the fight. In fact, Adamek lost no more than three rounds on any of the judge’s scorecards.

Adamek had proved once again that he can take on a much bigger opponent. Unlike so many fighters out there today, Adamek is willing to take on an opponent that appears to have the advantage in the fight. Adamek could play it safe and fight smaller heavyweights. The Polish community of Northern New Jersey and the New York City would probably still pack into the Prudential Center to see him fight, no matter who he fought. Adamek, however, continues to reach for more challenging fights.

This is exactly what the heavyweight division needs. A fighter who is willing to shake things up. A fighter who will throw more than a few punches every round. The division needs more fighters like Adamek who are truly willing to fight.