Top heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek of Poland successfully defended his IBF International Heavyweight championship when he stopped Vinny Maddalone in the fifth round on Thursday.
Adamek (43-1, 28 knockouts) dominated the fight from the outset, but he put the challenger away with a series of hard punches in the fifth round. He floored Maddalone (33-7) with a hard left uppercut, but Maddalone survived the count and got to his feet.
Sensing Maddalone was in trouble, Adamek kept the pressure on and unleashed a host of undefended punches with both hands that forced Maddalone’s corner to signal to referee Steve Smoger to stop the fight.
“I have more balance now and I can throw that punch,” Adamek said of the left hook that floored Maddalone. “I felt he was going down, but he got back up. I thought maybe I could hit him a few more times and he would go down again. I watched the referee and then they stopped it.”
The win enabled him to continue his quest toward a possible heavyweight championship fight against either of the Klitschko brothers, Vitaly or Vladimir, who both own a share of the world heavyweight crown.
“I’m very happy with it,” Adamek said. “I fought four times this year and won all four. I feel I’m very close now to a title fight. I am ready.”
Adamek, who trains in Jersey City, controlled the fight from the outset against the underdog Maddalone, a former professional baseball player and bar owner from New York.
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