By: Danny Kendrick
Following a weekend of controversy, to put it lightly, the action continues (and maybe, so does the controversy since one of the combatants will be the uber-protected Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.). In this segment we focus on Tomasz Adamek of Poland and Eddie Chambers. This is a matchup that would be of more relevance in the championship landscape were it to be happening at cruiserweight. As we know, Adamek could most likely still make the weight and if Chambers sought the assistance of a renowned dietician, I personally believe he could make it down to the cruiser limit, at the very least. Both are, for the most part, fundamentally sound contenders with moderate power, but most definitely lacking in a few key areas, especially as it pertains to contending in the heavyweight division.
I see this going more in favor of Adamek, being as he’s the better conditioned and higher pressure fighter. Adamek is also the more resilient fighter in being able to take a big punch. He basically took everything Vitali Klitschko could hit him with and although he was visibly shaken by some of the shots, he kept coming before his corner stepped in. Where he may have a little difficulty adjusting is in dealing with Chambers decent footwork. However, I don’t see that being as serious of an issue as it could be since Chambers doesn’t have devastating power. Despite having fast hands (hence, his nickname “Fast Eddie.” Paul Newman, anyone?) and a pretty stiff straight right, it’s nothing Adamek hasn’t dealt with and worse.
There’s always the possibility that Chambers might sneak one through and put Adamek down with the one he didn’t see, but it’s very improbable since Adamek has the stronger fundamentals, good chin, and the fact that one of Chambers offensive flaws is that he has the tendency to not follow up his right hand with a left hook. He also isn’t a strong or frequent body puncher, so along with not following up on his power shots, he tends to also be one-dimensional. My personal prediction is a fight not totally devout of any action or drama, but not the most riveting match-up, either. Adamek by unanimous decision with Chambers taking maybe four or five rounds.
