By Cliff Rold

Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - Whether he ever proves a serious threat to World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko or not, 29-year Vyacheslav Glazkov (17-0-1, 11 KO) of Lugansk, Ukraine, established himself as a legitimate contender Saturday night at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with a battering twelve-round unanimous decision over Poland’s 37-year old former WBC Light Heavyweight and Lineal World Cruiserweight Champion Tomasz Adamek (49-3, 29 KO). 

Glazkov weighed in for the bout at 218 ¼, Adamek at 219 ¾.  The referee was Gary Rosato.

Through the first three rounds, it was the younger man using the jab to swell the eyes of Adamek with the right eye looking the worse of the pair.  Adamek attempted to jab back but he was repeatedly beat to the punch and Glazkov’s right hand slowly emerged as a hammering factor.

It didn’t get any better in the next two rounds.  Adamek wore a mask of despair as he begged his body to respond and felt his face swell even more with each smacking Glazkov blow.  By the end of the fifth, Adamek looked every bit of the 37-years old he is and victory appeared far away.

Adamek was doing marginally better in the sixth, landing a good right hand early on, but by the final minute it was Glazkov raking with power shots to the face again.  Adamek closed with a nice right and Glazkov left with a blemish under the left eye.

Glazkov caught Adamek with a right to start the seventh.  A break in the action was called to fix the tape on one of Glazkov’s gloves.  The rest did nothing to aid Adamek’s closing left eye.  Glazkov rocked Adamek with a right hand but the veteran collected himself and continued to fight back hard.  The older man had his moments in the eight but, again, it was the right hand of Glazkov owning the round.  Adamek was hurt in the final minute and closed the frame shaky.

The tape needed repair on the right glove of Glazkov again in the ninth.  It might have been the best moment of the round for Adamek whose face was made even more a mass of wreckage with each nasty piece of Glazkov leather.

Glazkov slowed down in the tenth and Adamek took advantage, letting his hands move and maybe getting his first round in a while.   Glazkov let the momentum continue to tilt away in the eleventh as one could wonder if fatigue was setting in against veteran moxie.  With moments to go in the final round, it was Adamek who seemed to wobble Glazkov just a bit to close a strong late rally and make what had been a one-sided fight for a long stretch a potential nail biter.

Thankfully, the judges watched the whole fight closely, proven at scores of 117-110, 117-111, and 116-112 for Glazkov.

Glazkov, speaking through an interpreter, pointed to how tough it was to go twelve full rounds for first time.  Adamek, always a class act, was gracious in defeat.  After a couple fights teetering on the edge of defeat recently, Adamek finally went over.  Time is not one his side if he wants to continue on as a serious contender.

Adamek entered the bout rated #4 by the IBF, Glazkov #10.  Expect a significant change in the days ahead.