Adamek decisions Estrada
Olympian Jason Estrada (16-3, 4 KOs) lost a hard fought decision to former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek (40-1, 27 KOs). Scores were 115-113, 116-112, 118-110. The fight took place Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by: Emily Harney)

Estrada, Adamekmake weight

Heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek weighed in at 220.5 today for his clash against Jason Estrada on Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Estrada weighed 237.(Photo by: Emily Harney)

'Big Six' tones up for Adamek
Estrada weighs in at a record-low for Saturday's title bout

NEWARK, N.J. (Feb. 5, 2010) -- On the eve of the biggest fight of his career, Jason "Big Six" Estrada is in the best shape of his life.

The former 2004 U.S. Olympian clocked in at a lean 237 pounds
Friday at the weigh-in for his IBF International Heavyweight championship bout against Polish champion Tomasz Adamek, which will take place tomorrow night at the Prudential Center.

Until Friday, Estrada (16-2, 4 KOs) had never weighed in at less than 239 pounds in his professional career, but with eight weeks to train for this fight, he is in peak physical condition as he prepares to face the hard-punching champion in  front of what figures to be a pro-Adamek crowd.

"I've never had this much time to train for a fight," Estrada said. "I've always been told three weeks or four weeks (in advance). I've never had eight weeks. Never.

"You can always add more to your plate. I've never had a problem working hard, especially when it's such a big opportunity."

While Adamek is already looking ahead to a bout with heavyweight challenger Chris Arreola, Estrada is hoping to use his speed, footwork and experience at the heavyweight level to pull off the upset. A former cruiserweight world champion, Adamek (39-1, 27 KOs) has fought just once as a heavyweight, knocking out 42-year-old Andrew Golota in October.

"Golota was a big heavyweight in his day -- a big puncher and a big, strong guy -- but that is not the same Golota," Estrada said. "To me that's not really a fight that I would take as a justification to fight me in the heavyweight division. Maybe [Adamek] should have fought someone else."

Adamek weighed in at 220 1/2 pounds Friday. Saturday's "Heavy Artillery" show, promoted by Main Events and Ziggy Promotions in association with Classic Entertainment & Sports, begins at 7 p.m.

'Big Six' puts pride on the line
Estrada bracing for title bout Saturday night

NEWARK, N.J. (Feb. 4, 2010) -- This is more than just a shot at a heavyweight title for Jason "Big Six" Estrada. A victory for Estrada over Tomasz Adamek on Saturday night would also be a win for his fellow Olympic teammates who've ventured into the professional ranks.

"I want to thank all of the Polish people that have come here to support Tomasz Adamek," Estrada's promoter, Jimmy Burchfield of Classic Entertainment & Sports, said during Wednesday's press conference, "but Jason 'Big Six' Estrada is fighting for the United States of America.

"He's fighting for his classmates of the 2004 Olympiad. He's fighting for every future, past and present Olympian. We don't come to this fight as an opponent. We come to fight. We come to win."

Estrada, a 2004 U.S. Olympian, is 16-2 as a pro with four knockouts. Adamek, a former cruiserweight world champion now competing as a heavyweight, is 39-1 with 27 knockouts. Saturday's IBF International Heavyweight title bout will take place at the Prudential Center.

"Funny thing is when I was playing video games as a light heavyweight I was always playing as Tomasz Adamek," Estrada said. "[I] loved his style and I still love what he did in the light heavy and cruiserweight division, but this is  a different story. He's among big boys now and it will be over his head to fight people like me. Experience, ring ability -- everything is on my side."

Adamek, a man of few words, has predicted a lopsided victory and, in some circles, has guaranteed to knock out Estrada -- something no one has done in Estrada's amateur or professional career.

"Jason is a very unorthodox fighter for this weight class, buy I always believed that no matter who I'm fighting against, it is up to me if I win or lose," Adamek said. "I know his strengths. I'm sure he thinks he knows my weaknesses, but whatever we are saying now makes no difference whatsoever. You can prove yourself in only one way -- by winning. And this is exactly what I intend to do on Saturday."

Unlike many of his past fights, Estrada has had eight weeks to prepare for Saturday's bout, which, in addition to his experience as a heavyweight, could give him the edge . Those questions will be answered once the bell rings Saturday night.

"I see some of the media and HBO looking past Jason Estrada," Burchfield said. "You are all making a big, big, big mistake. Jason's won every amateur title you can imagine. He's fought the real fighters, so this is going to be a real fight."

Quotes from yesterday's Adamek-Estrada presser for Saturday night's
fight in Newark

Kathy Duva, CEO Main Events –“Tomasz has to win against Jason Estrada before he can realize his dream of being the heavyweight champion. It’s a tremendous fight, people are watching it closely. We are delighted to be promoting it.”

“A lot of people are asking me why Tomasz took this fight. It is one of those fights where it seems as if we brought in a young guy who pretty much plays to Tomasz’s “not so strengths”; I don’t want to say weaknesses because I don’t think Tomasz has any of those! Jason’s got strength, he’s got speed, he’s got movement. He’s got a lot of the things that have given Tomasz problems in the past. This fight will give Tomas a good opportunity to deal with all those things.”

“Tomasz is never afraid, he amazes me. He goes into each fight calm and cool, and always confident that he will win. We all believe in him. We know he will give us another great fight, in exciting Adamek fashion and add another victory to his record.”

Tomasz Adamek - “I never underestimate anyone, ever. This is boxing; you have to be prepared every time because you can lose not only the fight but also your health. I know what’s at stake on Saturday – for me and for Jason.”

“I’m always asked if I feel worthy to be in the heavyweight division and my answer always is – just watch me fight and you’ll know the answer. I don’t expect anybody to respect me because I was champion in two other weight classes – just enjoy what you see when I’m in the ring. I did not lose any strength as compared to being a light heavyweight or cruiser weight. Contrary – fighting at my natural weight helped me be a better boxer. I expect to weigh around 222 pounds for the fight. That’s natural weight and power, zero loss of energy.”

“Mine will be a great mix of European and American style boxing because of my two trainers – Roger Bloodworth and Andrzej Gmitruk.“

“Jason is a very unorthodox fighter for this weight class, buy I always believed that no matter who I’m fighting against, it is up to me if I win or lose. I know his strengths; I’m sure he thinks he knows my weaknesses. But whatever we are saying now makes no difference whatsoever. You can prove yourself in only one way – by winning. And this is exactly what I intend to do on Saturday. Don’t blink, don’t miss a second."

“I will win.”

Jason Estrada – “Funny thing is when I was playing video games as a light heavyweight I was always playing as Tomasz Adamek. Loved his style and I still love what he did in light heavy and cruiserweight division. But this is different story, he’s among big boys now and it will be over his head to fight people like me. Experience, ring ability – everything is on my side. He’s making a big error thinking that beating aging Golota makes him a good heavyweight. Not at all.”

“I also understand that he has to say the things he’s saying – about putting me on canvas, talking about other fights after fighting me. He has to believe it, but believing and doing it are two different things.”

“This was my best training camp ever – by far. More than 8 weeks of very hard work, no injuries, no problems. I’m in my prime, I have to prove this now and help Adamek to fight Steve Cunningham again – as a cruiserweight. After this fight he will be finished in my division. I will prove that those are not just words this coming Saturday.”

Jimmy Burchfield, CES – “Main Events is the greatest promotion company in the whole sport. They only made one mistake; and that was picking Jason Estrada!”

“I want to thank all of the Polish people that have come here to support Tomasz Adamek, but Jason “Big Six” Estrada is fighting for United States of America. He’s fighting for his classmates of the 2004 Olympians. He’s fighting for every future, past and present Olympian. We don’t come to this fight as an opponent. We come to fight, we come to win.”

“I see some of the media and HBO looking past Jason Estrada. You are all making a big, big, big mistake. Jason’s won every amateur title you can imagine. He’s fought the real fighters, so this is going to be a real fight.”

Jersey tour
Estrada preps for Garden State
title bout against Adamek
By Michael Parente

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Former cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek promises to knock out challenger Jason Estrada on Feb. 6, a lofty prediction considering no one has ever dropped Estrada in his amateur or professional career.

Not in the ring. Not on the streets. Not even at home.

“My bed’s vertical,” Estrada quipped. “I sleep standing up.”

Truth is, Estrada will need to do more than just stay on his feet in order to outsmart Adamek, who will be fiighting as a heavyweight for just the second time in his professional career when he faces the former 2004 U.S. Olympian next month at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.

Nicknamed “Big Six,” Estrada is looking to take home the IBF International Heavyweight championship -- “A real belt, not a toy belt,” Estrada said -- and prove he can win a big fight in a hostile environment.

He had his first real opportunity in April of 2009 when he challenged Alexander Povetkin in Germany, but lost a close, unanimous decision -- just his second loss in 18 professional bouts.

A lot has changed for the former U.S. Olympian since then. Estrada rebounded in September by knocking out veteran Zuri Lawrence at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, an impressive finish that Estrada says was the by-product of additional training and a new workout regimen.

“I actually wanted to get back sooner, ” Estrada said of his seventh-round knockout win over Lawrence, “but that fight just happened to come up and I was happy for it.

”I worked hard. I worked real hard. For that, I did a lot of strength training and it actually paid off, because as soon as I touched him he was hurt. He tried to get away for a while, but I kept the pressure on him. I was in good shape and I got the big knockout.”

Estrada had ample time to prepare for Lawrence and it showed in the outcome of the fight. He’s had even more time to train in preparation of next month’s fight and he and his father, head trainer Roland Estrada, have planned accordingly.

“This is even better. I’ve never had this much time to train for a fight,” Estrada said. “I’ve always been told three weeks or four weeks (in advance). I’ve never had eight weeks. Never.

”You can always add more to your plate. I’ve never had a problem working hard, especially when it’s such a big opportunity.”
For Estrada, this is as big as it gets. Adamek enters next month’s bout with a 39-1 record and 27 knockouts, though he did most of his work at the cruiserweight level before making his heavyweight debut in Poland three months ago with a fifth-round knockout over Andrew Golota -- a fight that failed to impress Estrada.

“Golota was a big heavyweight in his day -- a big puncher, a big strong guy -- but that is not the same Golota [that Adamek fought],” Estrada said. “To me that’s not really a fight that I would take as a justification to fight me in the heavyweight division. Maybe he should have fought someone else.”

To those who’ve watched his entire career, Adamek’s greatest strength is his speed, which he says translates to the heavyweight division despite the fact he’s had to put on extra weight to compete with his peers. Again, Estrada wasn’t impressed with what he saw.

“I’ve watched his fights; I’ve studied him back and forth and forth and back. Honestly, I have to put the DVD on fast-forward to make him faster!” Estrada said.

“That’s about equal. Put the DVD on fast-forward. So, honestly, he’s a good fighter at light heavyweight and a good fighter at cruiserweight, but at heavyweight I think he made a mistake.”

Adamek certainly has the record to back up his claims, including his promise to score a knockout victory on Feb. 6, but Estrada has far more experience at the heavyweight division. Since turning pro in 2004, he’s 16-2 with four knockouts -- all as a heavyweight.

Conversely, Adamek dominated at the cruiserweight level, winning a title eliminator against O’Neil Bell and beating Steve Cunningham by split decision in December of 2008 at the Prudential Center to capture the IBF championship.

Following two successful title defenses against Johnathon Banks and Bobby Gunn, Adamek vacated his cruiserweight title and debuted at heavyweight in the aforementioned fight against Golota. To him, Estrada is simply a tune-up fight in preparation for a possible showdown against either Vitali or Wladimir Klitschko for a world heavyweight title or a match-up against former cruiserweight David  Haye.

Adamek heard Estrada’s rebuttal and scoffed at the idea of his opponent “sleeping vertically” in reference to Estrada’s ability to stay on his feet inside the ring.

“Everyone can talk, but when you get in the ring you have to do your job,” Adamek said. “That’s what I get paid for. Everybody says they’re going to win, but once you get in the ring you got to have heart. When the day comes, I show that.”

In terms of raw strength, Adamek has the edge on paper with 27 knockouts in 40 professional bouts, whereas Estrada has only four knockouts in 18 fights, but -- as always -- Estrada has found himself defending his record to those who suggest he lacks power.

“I can hit,” Estrada said. “I just choose to beat guys up. In my fights, I hurt everybody, but they survive because they’re survivors and they’re all veterans. It’s hard to beat somebody who doesn’t want to get knocked out and who doesn’t care about winning and only cares about not getting knocked out. That’s my main thing.

”People keep looking at the four knockouts. They don’t realize because they’ve never been hit by me. Until you’ve been hit, you don’t know. If you were to go by numbers, you’d say, ‘What is he doing in there with him?’ but you’ve got to look at the quality of opponents I’ve fought.”

Throughout his career, Estrada has never backed down from any challenge. He traveled to Germany to face Povetkin in a hostile environment and, despite the loss, came home knowing he can compete with the top heavyweights in his class.

Now he takes on a new challenge, one that’s just as difficult as any of the obstacles he faced as an amateur and professional.

The world will soon know whether or not “Big Six” can remain upright on Feb. 6.

“I’m not going to let him talk nonsense about putting me on my ass,” Estrada said.

Jason “Big Six” Estrada feels disrespected by Team Adamek
Feb. 6 in Newark

PROVIDENCE (Jan. 25, 2010) – As he prepares for his February 6 showdown in Newark against former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek, 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada’s nose is out of place and it doesn’t have anything to do with sparring sessions gone wrong.

Estrada (15-2, 3 KOs) feels disrespected by Team Adamek but not, surprisingly, for   Adamek looking past him to a reported April 24 fight against Chris Arreola, rather their apparent belief that Adamek (39-1, 27 KOs) has faster hands than Estrada, whose lightning-like hand speed for a 240-pound heavyweight has been his calling card.

“Looking past me towards 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.”

Estrada also notes that he’s never been down and Adamek was floored twice as a light heavyweight. “I know he likes to pressure his opponents but how is he going to do that against a bigger guy like me,” Estrada rhetorically asked. “I’m a heavyweight, not a light heavyweight. I’ve never taken big hits like he has. They say he has a great chin, but so do I, and we know he has been hurt at least twice….by light heavyweights! They weren’t flash knockdowns, either. I’ve never been hurt in my whole career. I don’t see him changing his come forward, tough guy style at this stage. He was a good light heavyweight, good cruiserweight, but I’m a real heavyweight.”

Providence-native Estrada was one of the most highly decorated American amateur boxers ever, compiling an amazing 261-14 record in U.S. competition. He was the first boxer to win both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. Challenge three years (2001-2003) in a row.

During his 5-year pro career, the 29-year-old Estrada has beaten solid heavyweights such as Lance Whitaker, Zuri Lawrence, Derek Bryant, Charles Sufford and Robert Hawkins. Adamek’s lone win as a heavyweight, Estrada noted, was against an over-the-hill Andrew Golota.

“Jason has had his best training camp,” his promoter Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.) remarked. “He’s never been in better shape, mentally or physically. He’s going to surprise a lot of people February 6th. Not me, though; I’ve always believed in him and I know what he’s capable of doing.”

By fight night, Estrada will have trained a full eight weeks for “Heavy Artillery,” much longer than ever before, and “Big Six” doesn’t mind fighting in Adamek’s backyard. “Training camp has been smooth,” Jason explained. “I’ve never had this much time to prepare for a fight, maybe five weeks and a couple of days, at best. There’s been plenty of time to get over little physical problems suffered in camp, not like in the past when I’d go straight from doing very little to hard training. I’m much more comfortable than I’ve ever been because of this extended time in camp. Mentally, it really helps.

“This is a big fight for me. Beating Adamek should take me to where I thought I’d be by now in the heavyweight division. Fighting in front of all his Polish fans doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve never had a problem being the villain. His fans will have nothing to do with the fight. It’s just going to be me and him in the ring. I’m half Puerto Rican with a lot of family, friends and fans coming to the fight, especially from New Jersey and New York. I know there will be a lot more Polish fans there for him, but my Hispanic fans will be loud, too.”

Estrada Press Conference Quotes

Kathy Duva, Main Events: “Tomasz participated in the “Polish Fight of the Century” in Poland , demolishing Andrew Golota. He pretty much made a statement with the heavyweight division. He is now going forward with plans to move up in the division and challenge for the heavyweight title eventually. After facing a very, very big, very slow, very big puncher, Tomasz is now going to come after another guy who is a lot bigger, a lot faster, a lot more mobile than Golota. He get used to another style, get himself acclimated to the heavyweight division where he certainly hopes to continue.”

“This is our 5th fight at Prudential Center , as a matter of fact today is the anniversary of our first fight, when Tomasz won the IBF Cruiserweight title. A good omen!’

Will Carafello, Prudential Center : “Tickets go on sale tomorrow at the Prudential Center box office and at Ticketmaster and we would also like to tell everyone that boxing tickets make a great holiday gift! So don’t just give a sweater or a tie this year – everyone wants boxing tickets! It should be noted that Tomasz’s last two fights at Prudential Center were sold out so get your tickets early because they might not be there.”

Jimmy Burchfield, CES: “I want to congratulate Prudential Center because as Kathy would remember we did the same thing at the Providence Civic Center when we brought Vinny Paz there to fight Joe Frazier Jr. We couldn’t get Vinny on television at the time and we rolled the dice and everybody told us we were crazy, but we put 15, 185 people in the arena and a thousand people outside who couldn’t get in.”

“I was at the Prudential Center to watch the champion (Adamek) fight. I saw this great facility and saw the kind of fights the people want to see. They want to see real fights. This is a real fight. I watched the charisma of Tomasz Adamek going into the ring. Everyone said to us “My God you are going to go into his arena, it’s a hostile place. Your fighter is going to get petrified in that place. I said no he’s not; he’s fought in bigger places.”

“It’s appreciated Mr. Adamek, that you gave Jason this opportunity, but you might have made a mistake in your choice of opponent because this young man is coming to win. This is a victory that puts him back on the top of the map and where he belongs.”

Jason Estrada: “I really honestly think that Tomasz made a big, big mistake. As far as the Golota fight goes, Golota was a big heavyweight in his day, a big puncher, a big strong guy, but that is not the same Golota (that Tomasz fought). To me that’s not really a fight that I would take as a justification to fight me in the heavyweight division. Maybe he should have fought someone else.”

“And then I hear stories that people say he can put me on my ass. It’s not gonna happen. Even in amateur boxing…it’s never happened. In the gym…it’s never happened. In the street…it’s never happened. When I sleep, in my bed…it’s never happened. As a matter of fact I stand up sleeping! So it’s not gonna happen.”

“I work too hard in the gym; I’m just too fast for him. Basically his whole thing about how much faster he is going to be… I’ve seen fast, I’ve worked with Eddie Chambers, I worked with Matt Godfrey, you know these guys are fast. You know I’ve watched his fights; I’ve studied him back and forth, forth and back. Honestly I have to put the DVD on fast forward to make him faster! That’s about equal; put the DVD on fast forward. So honestly he’s a good fighter at light heavy, a good fighter at cruiser, but at heavyweight I think he made a mistake.”

“I want to thank everyone who helped to put this fight together. I appreciate it, I appreciate the opportunity. This is something I have been looking forward to my whole life. I finally got a chance to get a real title, not a toy belt. It’s the real thing so I’m very happy about that.”

Tomasz Adamek: “I am preparing for my Feb 6th fight in my home, Prudential Center , Newark . I think Jason Estrada and I will make a tough fight.”

In response to Estrada saying Adamek made a mistake in taking this fight - “Anyone can talk before a fight, but inside the ring, that’s what you get paid for that’s when you have to work. I think I will win this fight.”

“Once I catch somebody I am going to put them down, so wait until February.”

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, December 11th, for the Tomasz Adamek – Jason Estrada Feb 6th, IBF Heavyweight International Championship Fight. Tickets priced at $38, $53, $78, $103 and $253 (ringside), can be purchased at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000 or Prucenter.com.

Tomasz Adamek Takes on Jason Estrada in IBF Heavyweight
International Championship Fight
February 6th at “The Rock”, Newark, NJ
Tomasz ‘Goral’ Adamek (37-1, 27 KO), the lineal and Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion, after knocking down powerful, four- time world heavyweight championship contender, Andrew Golota twice in Poland, continues his quest to further his heavyweight career. On February 6th at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, Adamek will take on Jason “Big Six” Estrada (16-2, 4 KOs) of Providence, Rhode Island, in a 12 round IBF Heavyweight International Championship fight. The fight is promoted by Main Events and Ziggy Promotions in association with Classic Entertainment and Sports Inc.
In his typical, confident manner Adamek said, “I signed to fight Jason Estrada on February 6 in my home away from home – Prudential Center in Newark.“ Jason Estrada is a completely different fighter than Andrew Golota – obviously younger, much faster, he can throw 60 punches a round. Against Estrada you have to be on your guard all the time, in every round. I did see his fight against world-class fighter Alexander Povetkin, Jason was busy, he wanted to fight – exactly what I like to do in the ring. This style of fight practically guarantees that on February 6 all my fans will have an action-packed, no holds barred confrontation. The difference between me and Povetkin will be very evident – I will do everything required to do what nobody has done to Jason before – knock him down. He’s never fought anybody as quick and accurate – I will not be intimidated by the number of punches he throws in every round – I welcome it.”
Estrada, who represented the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games in the super heavyweight division and won the gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games, has no reservations about coming to Adamek’s home turf to fight. “I think this is a great opportunity and I want to thank everybody involved in helping to make this fight. I guarantee it’s going to be a spectacular show February 6th. I want to thank Adamek, too. He’s a great fighter but he’s probably going to regret making this fight because I’m bigger, stronger, faster and quicker. We’re going into this fight expecting to win.”
Kathy Duva, CEO Main Events, expressed her delight to have Adamek come back to Prudential Center in Newark. “We thoroughly enjoyed the Golota fight in Poland, but it will be fantastic to be back in Newark to entertain all the enthusiastic NJ NY fans again. The feeling in the arena when Tomasz fights at ‘The Rock’ is electric. Tomasz has a great desire to win heavyweight championships and this fight will once again show he has what it takes. Tomasz always gives 100% and this fight will prove no different, it’s a terrific match.”
An exciting six-bout undercard featuring local fan favorites is being finalized and will be announced shortly. Tickets go on sale 12/11.