http://spam.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/8192616/tomasz-adamek-fight-travis-walker-newarkHeavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek, whose planned fight against long-faded James Toney was scrapped, will instead face Travis Walker on Sept. 8 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., promoter Main Events has announced.
Adamek, a national hero in his native Poland, lives in New Jersey and is a major draw at the Prudential Center, so the fight will take place in Newark, but in the afternoon as it is being marketed in Poland as a pay-per-view fight in prime time.
Adamek (46-2, 28 KOs), a former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, is on the comeback trail from a lopsided 10th-round knockout loss to heavyweight titleholder Vitali Klitschko in September. Adamek has since won two fights in a row, including a unanimous decision against contender Eddie Chambers at the Prudential Center on June 16.
Walker is not the caliber opponent that Chambers is, but Adamek is staying active in pursuit of another title opportunity.
"I like Travis as an opponent because he is a tough fighter and all his fights are interesting," Adamek said. "Every fight he fights is for the fans, like me. I have fought at Prudential Center eight times and I am excited to come back to give my fans a good fight and another exciting win."
After the fight with Toney fell apart, Main Events signed the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Walker (39-7-1, 31 KOs), a 33-year-old journeyman from Houston.
"Tomasz has expressed his desire to face tall opponents in order to better prepare for inevitable future fights with the many super-sized heavyweights who are in the division," Main Events promoter Kathy Duva said. "Travis Walker is a top 12 contender coming off a big win who is eager to face Adamek's challenge. We expect another great event at Pru Center. The only difference will be that this show will take place in the afternoon to accommodate Polish television."
America television arrangements have not been worked out, Duva said.
Walker has faced a number of top heavyweights. He went the distance with Kubrat Pulev, who later won the European title, in an October loss. In March, Walker knocked out former title challenger Kali Meehan in the sixth round in an upset. Walker has also gone the distance with former titleholder Ruslan Chagaev and been knocked out in three rounds by contender Cristobal Arreola.
"Adamek thinks that I will be an easy win for him, but he will be greatly surprised at the combination of finesse, strength and power that I will utilize in this fight," Walker said. "I'm going to stop him, period."
Duva also announced that rising heavyweight prospect Bryant Jennings (14-0, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia will appear on the undercard against an opponent to be determined.
