"Brick City" Brawl: Adamek Defeats Estrada

(Photo by Ed Mulholland - Main Events)

In front of a noisy crowd just over 10,100 people, Tomasz Adamek defeated Jason Estrada in close, tough battle at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.  All three official ringside judges scored the fight for Adamek. Steven Weisfeld scored the bout 115-113, while Joseph Pasquale scored it 116-112. On the other hand, judge Lawrence Layton scored the fight 118-110, which was truly an undeserved score. 

At the post fight press conference, Estrada voiced his frustration with the judges' scoring. "I can't go into people's hometown's anymore. Why do you have to knock him out? It's called boxing," Estrada said. Estrada also stated, "Everything he did, I let him do it."

Estrada fought very well in the first three rounds. He landed his right hand shots, and jabbed Adamek effectively. Adamek had trouble getting his punches off first, and suffered swelling under his right eye in round three. Estrada caught Adamek with numerous counter rights and left hooks. Estrada was clearly controlling the action.

However, Adamek stepped up the pace in the fourth round, landing a series of well-timed combinations. Estrada took the punches well, but his punch output dropped slightly. Adamek got hit with another counter left hook, although he landed the cleaner shots in the round. Adamek was not worried about taking shots from Estrada. "He doesn't have one knockout punch, so I was not too afraid about getting hit," Adamek stated.

In round five, Adamek landed a sharp left hook to Estrada's body. Adamek was throwing a lot of punches, but Estrada was slipping them and countering with left hooks. Toward the end of the round, Adamek landed consecutive overhand rights. After the fight, Adamek stated, "It was tough to hit Estrada in the head cleanly."

In the sixth and seventh rounds, Adamek connected with hard body shots.

As the fight moved into the later rounds, Estrada sustained an abrasion on his left cheek after being peppered with flush punches in round eight. Adamek continued to beat Estrada to the punch in round ten, connecting with a monstrous right hand.

Both men struck each other with solid body shots in the eleventh round. Adamek missed with a right, but landed a left hook to Estrada's head. 

In the twelfth round, Estrada backed Adamek into the corner when he nailed him with a left hook to the head. Adamek countered by unleashing a flurry of punches. Again, Estrada connected with a counter left hook. After that, Adamek used lateral movement until the final bell sounded. 

Many ringside observers thought the fight was extremely close. Adamek felt he won by a wide margin. "I thought I won this fight by maybe four or five points," Adamek said.

With the victory, Adamek improves to 40-1, 27 KO's, while Estrada falls to 16-3, 4 KO's.

Quillin Wins Again, Gets Past A Cautious Zuniga

In the co-main event, super middleweight Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin (21-0, 15 KO's) won a one-sided, ten round unanimous decision over Fernando Zuniga (28-10, 20 KO's) to remain unbeaten. Official scores were 98-92 and 100-90 twice. 

Quillin opened the first round landing a sharp, lead right hand. It was obvious Zuniga could not match his hand speed, and was hesitant to fire punches all fight. In the middle rounds, he tied up Quillin frequently. Quillin responded by ripping damaging shots in close range. In round six, Quillin nailed Zuniga with a brutal left hook to the body, and followed it with a blistering left hook to the head. At times, Zuniga caught Quillin with an occasional right hand. Although, Zuniga seemed content on fighting to survive rather than fighting to win. In the ninth round, Quillin connected with a solid right behind his jab. Later in the round, Quillin sent Zuniga back into the corner when he landed a lunging, right uppercut.

Quillin was forced to take the initiative more than in his previous fights because Zuniga failed to engage with him. As a result, Quillin had a difficult time finding his rhythm. Nevertheless, it was clear victory for Quillin, who had not fought since defeating Sam Hill (TKO 10) on September 17, 2008. 

Doughlin Dominates Hunter

It was supposed to be a junior middleweight bout, but when Denis Doughlin's opponent pulled out, he found himself fighting in a super middleweight clash against Eddie Hunter. The weight was not a factor, as Doughlin dished out a volume of rock-solid punches throughout the entire fight to capture a six round unanimous decision. Official scores were 59-55 and 60-54 twice. 

Doughlin started the first round by landing a straight, counter left. Hunter caught Doughlin with some counter rights, but Doughlin was unrelenting in his work rate. Doughlin struck Hunter with a straight left and followed it with a solid right to the body.

In round two, Doughlin sent Hunter into the corner when he connected with a flush left hand. Hunter started to fatigue because he could not keep up with Doughlin's persistent pressure. Doughlin hurt Hunter in round three when he landed a vicious right hook to the body. 

In the fourth round, Doughlin stunned Hunter when he connected with a straight left. He landed precise counter punches, and was timing Hunter efficiently. Hunter's punches had lost their steam by the sixth round, and Doughlin was still attacking at a fast pace. While Hunter was against the ropes, Doughlin struck him in the body with a hard right hook. 

Doughlin showed a sound, natural balance and great awareness in the ring. He walked through Hunter's shots, and landed crisp combinations the entire fight. If Doughlin can absorb punches at super middleweight, imagine how impressive he will look when he squares off against opponents his own size again at 154 lbs.?

Denis Doughlin improved to 7-0, 3 KO's., while Eddie Hunter falls to 3-2-1, 1 KO.

Majewski Overwhelms Pietrantonio

In a middleweight bout, Przemyslaw Majewski (12-0, 7 KO's) captured a six round unanimous decision over Anthony Pietrantonio (6-4, 5 KO's). All three official judges scored the bout 60-54.

Majewski displayed a stiff, left jab the entire bout. Pietrantonio had trouble matching the 30-year-old's power. As each round passed, Pietrantonio was absorbing lots of punishing blows. Pietrantonio slipped many shots, but lacked the power to be competitive in this fight. Rather than putting his punches together behind his jab, Majewski would jab and look to counter the slower Pietrantonio. Pietrantonio landed some clean punches, although Majewski was never hurt. On the other hand, Majewski hurt Pietrantonio several times with left hooks and right hands to the head. Majewski also slowed Pietrantonio to a great extent by inflicting a ferocious body attack.

Farrell Wins Action-Packed Battle

Jersey City's Patrick Farrell (5-0, 3 KO's) won his fifth consecutive bout Saturday night, defeating Jon Schneider (7-5-1, 5 KO's) by a four round unanimous decision. Official scores in the cruiserweight bout were 40-33 and 40-34 twice.

Farrell dropped Schneider with a flush right in the first round. After the knockdown, both men continued to slug it out, but Farrell was able to land the cleaner punches. Farrell timed Schneider with numerous right hands, and kept striking him with precise, counter left hooks. 

Farrell dropped Schneider again with a right hand in the third round. Schneider returned to his feet, and landed a hard, straight left to Farrell's head. From there, they exchanged blow-for-blow at a fast pace. In the fourth round, Farrell was in the corner as Schneider charged him. Then, Farrell hammered Schneider with more punishing shots to the face. Just as the bell rang to end the fight, Farrell landed another right hand to Schneider's head.

Ismayl Sillakh Crushes Larry Pryor

Ismayl Sillakh (10-0, 9 KO's) scored an exciting fourth round technical knockout over Larry Pryor (6-6, 4 KO's) in a light heavyweight bout. 

From the opening bell, Sillakh imposed his will on the lesser skilled, but courageous Pryor. Sillakh worked his jab, and fired blistering combinations that rarely missed. In round two, Pryor connected with a flush, counter left hook. However, Sillakh was still dictating the pace. After striking Pryor with a left hook, Sillakh sent him down with an overhand right to the head. Then, Sillakh swarmed Pryor with a combination. After that, Sillakh floored him again with a sharp right hand. Finally, Sillakh landed a devastating right hand - left hook combination that forced Pryor to take a knee. Referee Steve Smoger stopped the action at :47 seconds of round four.

Ali Thrashes Thompson

In a welterweight bout, highly talented Sadam Ali (5-0, 2 KO's) defeated a durable Jason Thompson (5-5-1, 4 KO's) by a four round unanimous decision. All three official judges scored the fight 40-36. 

Ali displayed tremendous coordination and ring generalship. Thompson pressed the action, but Ali fired numerous combinations behind his jab. Thompson could not sustain a consistent attack because of Ali's superior hand and foot speed. On occasion, Thompson caught Ali flush, but Ali showed a solid chin and dazzled the crowd with his blazing hand speed. Ali placed his punches perfectly. Thompson displayed incredible resilience, but ultimately did not have the skills to compete with the 21-year-old from Brooklyn, New York.

Weights From Prudential Center

Jason Estrada (237 lbs.), Tomasz Adamek (220.5 lbs.)

 

Peter Quillin (163.5 lbs.), Fernando Zuniga (164 lbs.)

 

Sadam Ali (145 lbs.), Jason Thompson (146 lbs.)

 

Denis Doughlin (162 lbs.), Eddie Hunter (167 lbs.)

 

Patrick Farrell (202 lbs.), Jon Schneider (192 lbs.)

Przemyslaw Majewski (165 lbs. ), Anthony Pietrantonio (164 lbs.) 

Ismayl Sillakh (185.5 lbs.), Larry Pryor (188.5 lbs.)

Final Press Conference: Adamek vs. Estrada

It was a cold and snowy morning in New Jersey, but emotions were sizzling at Hudson Bread in North Bergen, where heavyweights Tomasz Adamek (39-1, 27 KO's) and Jason Estrada (16-2, 4 KO's) came face-to-face before their showdown February 6th at the Prudential Center.

Estrada, 29, has won nine of his last ten bouts and has never been knocked out. He compiled a tremendous amateur record of 261-14, and became the first boxer to win both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. Challenge three years (2001-2003) in a row. On the other hand, Adamek, 33, has won eight straight, and has never suffered a loss above the light heavyweight limit of 175 lbs.

Jason Estrada is promoted by Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment and Sports, and his father, Dr. Roland Estrada, manages and trains him.

"Estrada is fighting for the U.S.A., his classmates from the 2004 Olympics and future, past and present Olympians. No CES fighter comes to a fight as an opponent," Burchfield stated.

Estrada understands how important this fight is to his career.

Estrada said, "I have been fighting my whole life. This is the hardest I ever worked for any fight. You will have a new IBF champion."

Adamek appeared in great shape and wants to make a strong impression Saturday night.

"After this fight, everyone will know how good I can be," Adamek declared.

IBF advisor Larry Hazzard was also in attendance. Hazzard said, "These fights with Adamek are not only good for Newark, but for the entire state of New Jersey. I will be surprised if he does not become heavyweight champ in the near future."

In the co-main event, Brooklyn's undefeated super-middleweight (20-0, 15 KO's) Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin takes on Ecuador's Fernando Zuniga (28-9, 20 KO's). Quillin has not fought since stopping Sam Hill in 10 rounds on September 17th, 2008. He is eager to get back into the ring.

"This was one of the best training camps I've had. I got that extra push from Johnny Perez, who works with Floyd Mayweather Jr.," Quillin said.

What makes Quillin improve with each fight?

Quillin stated, "My mind set is more focused on what I want to do. I want the best out of my training.  Everybody is trying to beat me and I cannot give someone that opportunity."

Quillin's trainer, Colin Morgan, assessed training camp: "It was good. We got some sparring in away from New York. We already started training before we went to camp. Sometimes, I just want to settle him down a bit."

Quillin's manager, John Seip, discussed Peter's career status: "We definitely have some things on the burner. Some cable networks are definitely interested in getting a new face, and Peter's mentioned in those areas. We're looking at another fight in the Spring, late March or early April. It could be overseas, but leaning toward New York. Then, we'll take another step up. In the summer, maybe we could face a top three opponent."

"I don't like to get ahead of it. He's coming off a year and a half layoff. We like to go one fight at a time. If everything works out the way we anticipate, this could be a very big year for Peter. He's ready, mature and understands the magnitude of the overall big picture. You have to be mentally ready, as well as physically. It's a matter of adjustment. 'Team Chocolate' is excited about where we are right now. He's 26-years-old, but a young 26-year-old as far as boxing is concerned. He hasn't been through any real wars yet. He's had some injuries, but that's been pain to his hands. Unfortunately, he had an appendectomy before his last fight. He's had a rash of injuries that are part of an athlete's life. We weathered it, and we're coming out stronger. He's looking better than before the injuries. It's all good things."

John Seip's assessment on Quillin improving with each fight: "Maturity and experience. Training changes as his level gets higher. The landscape changes. You can't step back on the ladder. You have to keep going forward. We have a strategy and a game plan. We're in no rush. We're going to put him in there with very competitive fighters and see what happens."

In a middleweight bout, Denis Doughlin (6-0, 3 KO's) faces Eddie Hunter (3-1-1, 1 KO). After having problems at school, Denis started boxing at eight years old with his uncle training him. At 12 years old, his mom started to train him in their house. After moving to New Jersey, he could not find a coach, so his mom continued to train him. He's had over 90 amateur fights. Doughlin has won his last two fights by unanimous decision.

Doughlin stated, "I've been working real hard. I have been training for this fight since October. I had three fighters cancel on me. This is all just polishing up and staying in shape. We had a twelve week camp, so I'm motivated. The fight is at 160 lbs., but I wanted it at 154 lbs. I was 157 lbs., but I've been eating to get my weight back up. I've been fighting guys a lot bigger than me and it's affecting my knockout percentage. I want to stay at 154 lbs. for now."

In a four round cruiserweight bout, Patrick Farrell (4-0, 3 KO's), New Jersey, battles Jon Schneider (7-4-1, 5 KO's), New York. Farrell only had 12 amateur fights, but is quickly making his mark as a professional.

Farrell acknowledged, "Training camp went good. After seven weeks, I feel great. I'm looking forward to putting on a good show. Jon has a lot of experience, and is the first southpaw I am facing as a pro. I sparred about 45 rounds with light heavyweight Yathomas Riley (7-0, 5 KO's). I'm very prepared."

Also on the card: Ismayl Sillakh (9-0, 8 KO's), Ukraine, takes on Larry Pryor (6-5, 4 KO's) Houston, Texas, in a six round light heavyweight bout.

Przemyslaw Majewski (11-0, 7 KO's), Poland, faces Anthony Pietrantonio (6-3, 5 KO's), Ohio, in a six round super middleweight clash.

Sadam Ali (4-0, 2 KO's), New York,  squares off against Jason Thompson (5-4-1, 4 KO's), New York, in a four round junior welterweight match up.

Brinkley Batters Stevens, Wins 12 Round Unanimous Decision

Jesse Brinkley (35-5, 22 KO's) won a one-sided, 12 round unanimous decision over Curtis Stevens (21-3, 15 KO's). Official scores were 117-109, 118-108 and 119-107.
In the first round, it appeared that Stevens was heading toward an early knockout win over Brinkley. Stevens connected with some left hooks that almost floored him. Brinkley recovered, and used his jab more in round two. Stevens was pressing the action, but without the presence of an effective left jab. Brinkley got his punches off first, and as a result Stevens hit him much less in the round.

By round three, Brinkley found his range and repeatedly struck Stevens with hard, accurate punches.

Both men stepped up the pace in round five and battled courageously. Toward the end of the round, Brinkley hurt Stevens with a left hook to the head. Stevens fired back, but was met with a flurry of punches from Brinkley. They continued swinging well after the bell had sounded to end the round.

Brinkley continued to punish Stevens in round six, and put him down after landing a series of rock-solid right hands. Stevens was tough, but minimized his chances to win with little head movement and the lack of an effective jab.

Stevens landed a sharp left hook in the eighth round, although Brinkley absorbed the punch well. Stevens' punches only reached the target one at a time, while Brinkley was landing combinations. Brinkley also hit Stevens with some punishing hooks to the body.

In the twelfth round, referee Vic Drakulich gave Stevens a standing eight count after Brinkley landed a barrage of punches. Brinkley could have used the ring to his advantage in the remaining minutes, but he elected to go for the knockout. Both men continued to swing until the final bell. Brinkley got the better of the exchanges, although he did not put Stevens down again.

With the victory, Brinkley could face undefeated IBF Super-Middleweight Champion Lucian Bute next. Stevens fought with great heart, but came up short suffering his third professional defeat. During the course of any fight, Stevens possesses the power to hurt his opponents. On the other hand, he cannot afford to pressure them without fighting behind a solid jab. Again, Stevens had trouble moving his head to slip punches. For Stevens to bounce back from his latest defeat, he must learn how to slip punches better and work his way into range by jabbing.

Serrano Remains Unbeaten

In a welterweight showdown, Raymond Serrano (12-0, 6 KO's) defeated Ronnie Warrior Jr. (13-3-1, 4 KO's) by an eight-round unanimous decision. All three official judges scored the fight 79-73.

Serrano started fast, landing right hand leads and beat Warrior to the punch repeatedly. Warrior, a southpaw, seemed overwhelmed by Serrano's blazing hand speed. Serrano was consistently pounding Warrior with crisp combinations, while Warrior was unable to counter with meaningful punches. Warrior's hand speed was too inefficient to keep up with the 20-year-old prospect from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Serrano displayed great maturity, balance and composure for a young fighter. He never stood in front of Warrior too long, gave many angles and was very accurate placing his punches. Warrior never disrupted Serrano's rhythm. Serrano found his range and used lots of lateral movement to frustrate Warrior the entire bout.

Adamek vs. Estrada Heating Up

The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey is starting to establish itself as a major venue for boxing events. On February 6th, Tomasz Adamek battles Jason Estrada in a twelve round heavyweight clash, which will mark the fifth event hosted by the arena since 2008. It will be Adamek's fourth appearance at Prudential, where he has a strong Polish fan base. Prior to facing Andrew Golota in Poland, Adamek fought at "The Rock" three consecutive times.

Adamek's team consists of trainer Andrzej Gmitruk, assistant trainer Roger Bloodworth and strength and conditioning coach Ralph Mendez.

"Tomasz has everything and a hard punch. He is very quick, conditioned well and expects to win a hard fought fight. Roger and Ralph have him on an extremely good plan. He is not losing speed or coordination. Tomasz is a very dangerous opponent in the heavyweight division," said Gmitruk.

Adamek appeared very sharp when he was working on the mitts with Gmitruk.

"My cardio is very good. I'm fast, strong and my right hand is most powerful," Adamek stated.

Adamek is becoming immensely popular in New Jersey, where many fans come out to support him at the Prudential Center.

"I am becoming as popular in Jersey City as I am in Poland. I'm very happy fighting in front of thousands of people in Newark."

In preparation for Estrada, Adamek has been sparring with much heavier fighters. He has been training for this fight the last eight weeks. In the past, he had problems making weight at light heavyweight. Now, Adamek feels extremely healthy at heavyweight.

"222 lbs. is very natural for me. I eat more and I'm not hungry. I feel naturally stronger at this weight."

With a win, Adamek will be facing Chris Arreola next on April 24th. Jason Estrada feels that Adamek, and his promotional company Main Events are looking past him. Estrada has won nine of his last ten bouts and has never been knocked out. Previously, Estrada stated his opinion on possibly being overlooked.

"Looking past me toward Arreola doesn't really bother me," Estrada said. "I think it's silly, and they'll hear about it after the fight. I never talk too much, but I'm going to talk like never before after this fight. I hope they keep thinking about fighting somebody else. I'm keeping track of everything, and got names of people to talk about after I beat Adamek. I'm going to shutdown his plans.

"I'm in the gym with sparring partners that are similar to him - tough, stand-up with decent hand speed. They made a big mistake offering me this fight, and an even bigger mistake thinking he has faster hands than me. I've heard that they've brought in guys to work with, who are big, but don't have fast hands. That makes me laugh. How, all of a sudden is he going to have faster hands than me? I am bigger, stronger, faster, quicker and younger than him. I'm just a better all around fighter."

Adamek responded, "He's a good boxer, but my dream is to be heavyweight champion. I'm ready to win. It's everyone's dream to be heavyweight champion. I will win because I am very fast, powerful and healthy."

When asked about Estrada's fast hands, Adamek replied, "I have fast hands. My left hand is very strong. My right is stronger."

Estrada is 16-2, with only 4 knockouts. Will Adamek attack him in the early rounds and try to end the fight in a quick knockout?

"I have prepared to go twelve rounds with Roger and Andrew. Wait till February 6th!"

At 33 years old and a record of 39-1, 27 KO's, Adamek's goal is very clear - to become heavyweight champion.

"I need one more belt....heavyweight."

Main Events has put together another terrific card. In the co-main event, undefeated middleweight contender Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin (20-0, 15 KO's) takes on Fernando Zuniga (28-9, 20 KO's) in a ten round bout. At super middleweight, Dennis Hasson (9-0, 3 KO's) squares off against Anthony Pietrantonio (6-3, 5 KO's) in a six round bout. In a light middleweight bout, Denis Doughlin (6-0, 3 KO's) faces Roberto Burgess (4-2, 2 KO's) in a six rounder. At cruiserweight, Patrick Farrell (4-0, 3 KO's) takes on Jon Schneider (7-4-1, 5 KO's) in a four rounder. Finally, Sadam Ali (4-0, 2 KO's) battles Jason Thompson (5-4-1, 4 KO's) in a four round, welterweight showdown.

Tickets for the event are available through Ticketmaster or at a Prudential Center Box Office. Group discounts are available. Tickets priced at $53, $78, $103, and $253 (ringside) are still available, and can be purchased at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or visiting Prucenter.com