If Tomasz Adamek (44-2, 28, KOs) was the same size as Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40 Kos) their heavyweight title fight on Sept. 10 in Wroclaw, Poland could have been one for the ages. But while Adamek showed his usual heart and courage, he was simply too small to compete with the 6-foot-8 Ukrainian WBC world champion. Klitschko finally ended the spirited, but one-sided affair in the 10^h round when Italian referee Massimo Barrovecchio called a halt to the bout at the 2:20 mark.

The 40-year old champion was in excellent shape for the fight and displayed a solid jab and accurate power punching. The 34-year-old Adamek was also ready to fight, but just couldn’t get in range to land many effective shots. He did land a few in the third and fourth rounds, but was consistently beaten to the punch for most of the fight. However, he did show that he had a good game plan in place by aiming half of his shots at Klitschko’s body, landing about 30 of them.

Adamek showed he has a great chin even though he was sent to the canvas in the sixth round and was wobbled on a couple of other occasions. Other than the Klitschko brothers, he could very well be the best heavyweight in the world right now. This is quite an achievement considering the former light heavyweight and cruiserweight world champion has had to bulk up to compete in the heavyweight division.

There are several intriguing fights out there for the Pole, with one of them being against England’s David Haye. In fact, if Haye possessed Adamek’s heart and desire, he could have possibly upset Wladimir Klitschko back in July. Instead, Haye was criticized for his lack of determination in that fight and he lost a lopsided unanimous decision.

But boxing’s a funny old game. Even though Haye embarrassed himself in the ring after shooting off his mouth for months prior to the fight, there’s a good chance that Vitali will take him on next. While an Adamek vs Wladimir Klitschko fight could be interesting, it’s the general consensus that Adamek’s just too small for him.

After the bout the 216-lb. Adamek more or less admitted the same and said the 243-lb. Klitschko was just too big and strong, but he never gave up trying at any time during the fight. He added that the champion was smarter than he thought, but nothing he did really surprised him.

Klitschko is far from being a perfect boxer, but his sheer size and mental makeup make him one of the best heavyweights of all time. He does lack a few things in the skills department, but other than his brother, it’s hard to see a heavyweight on the horizon who could beat make him taste defeat again before he retires.

You’re never going to hit a home run if you don’t swing the bat. You’re never going to score a basket if you don’t shoot the ball and you’re never going to beat Wladimir Klitschko, let alone knock him out, unless you throw punches.

Former WBA champ David Haye should have known this going into his heavyweight unification bout with the IBF, IBO, and WBO titleholder Klitschko in a rain-drenched soccer stadium in Hamburg, Germany on July 2. But it turns out he didn’t have much of a plan other than running off his trash-talking mouth for several months prior to the bout. He landed a lot more one-liners than he did punches.

It shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise though as this never had the makings of a good fight. It was either going to be a great one or a complete dud. And unfortunately, we got the latter because of the effort of both men in the ring. For all of the hype and buildup, both Haye (25-2, 23 KOs) and Klitschko (55-3, 49 Kos) to a lesser extent, deflated the crowd with their defensive styles and this is reflected in the scores of 117-109, 116-110, and 118-108, all for Klitschko.

Even though Haye had a slight reach advantage he was constantly lunging in when trying to land his right-handed ‘Hayemaker.’ He was much more effective when he elected to use his left jab, but it wasn’t often enough. His one shining moment came late in the fight when he nailed Klitschko with a right hand in the 12th round, forcing him to hold on, but he didn’t follow it up.

Klitschko didn’t land any significant blows either, but was awarded with a knockdown in the 11^th round, but this was basically a way for referee Genaro Rodriguez to punish Haye for constantly falling to the canvas after lunging at Klitschko. The big Ukrainian did help him to the mat a few times though by pushing down on the back of Haye’s neck and he was deducted a point for his actions in the eighth round. After the fight Haye said he had a broken fourth-toe on his right foot. However, being a right-handed fighter it shouldn’t have affected him too much, especially when others have fought with broken jaws and hands.

While this fight was a huge disappointment, the sad part about it was that it was actually one of the most competitive Klitschko’s been involved in over the past three and a half years. Haye took him the distance and actually threw and landed more punches than many of Klitschko’s most recent opponents such as Ruslan Chagaev, Hasim Rahman, Eddie Chambers, and Calvin Brock. Haye and Sultan Ibragimov have been the only two to last the distance in Klitschko’s last 11 fights.

While Klitschko can be blamed for his part and lack of action in this fight he and his 39-year-old brother, WBC Champion Vitali, can’t be blamed for the sorry state of the heavyweight division. There’s not really much out there these days. In fact, the best of the lot is probably Tomasz Adamek, who will fight Vitali in his Polish homeland in September. But like Haye, he’s not a natural heavyweight, being a former light-heavy and cruiserweight champ.

At the age of 35, it’s conceivable that Wladimir could hold onto his title for another five years. As for the 30-year-old Haye, he might retire or could possibly take a few more fights to fatten up his bank account. But one thing’s for sure, it’s highly unlikely that he’s ever going to get his hands on another heavyweight title belt. In fact, it doesn’t look like any of the current heavyweights will until the Klitschkos hang up their gloves.

It’s being billed as the biggest heavyweight fight in years, but will the Wladimir Klitschko vs David Haye bout in Germany on July 2 be able to live up to all of its pre-fight hype? As far as top names go, the fight’s a winner. The 35-year-old Klitschko comes in as the WBO and IBF champion while the 30-year-old Haye is the WBA belt holder.

Klitschko’s record stands at 55-3 with an impressive 49 knockouts. Haye will enter the ring at 25-1, with an equal amount of power, shown by his 23 KO’s. However, it could that both men’s power actually turns this highly-anticipated matchup into a one-punch dud.

Most boxing fans love to see explosive knockouts, but this fight could be over as soon as one of them lands his first solid punch. While Klitschko of Ukraine and Haye of England have only lost four fights between them, they’ve all been by way of devastating knockouts.

Klitschko has been stopped by Lamon Brewster (five rounds) Corrie Sanders (two rounds) and Ross Puritty (11 rounds) in his career while Haye was halted by Carl Thompson in the fifth round and dropped by Jean-Mark Mormeck. Klitschko was also dropped three times against Samuel Peter in 2005.

Haye’s only loss came back in 2004 and Klitschko hasn’t been beaten since then either when Brewster laid him out. But, they haven’t exactly been fighting any world beaters over the past seven years. Sure, Haye’s beaten the likes of Monte Barrett, Nikolay Valuev, John Ruiz,  and Audley Harrison since the former cruiserweight champion moved up to the heavyweight division in 2008, but none of these guys are anywhere near hall of fame material.

In fact, Haye’s last fight against fellow Brit Audley Harrison in November was one of the worst in the history of boxing. It was so bad the British Board of Control debated over paying Harrison, but he eventually got his money, which he didn’t deserve based on his disgraceful performance in the ring.

Klitschko’s also been on a winning streak against known-name fighters, but nowhere near the elite level. He’s beaten Calvin Brock, Ray Austin, Chris Byrd, Tony Thompson, Eddie Chambers, and Peter in a rematch in his last fight which came about nine months ago.

The lack of competition means these guys will both be taking a big step up in class when meeting each other. But as their records show, they both also have problems taking a punch from hard-hitting fighters.

Haye definitely has the most entertaining style of the two since Klitschko fights in a more systematic style behind his rigid jab. However, will he be willing to trade shots with the 6-foot-7 Ukranian? He more or less has to because it’s about the only way he can win. Klitschko will be happy to use his superior reach and skills to keep Haye at bay.

The big question is how will each fighter react when they’re nailed flush on the jaw? It’s possible that both of them could crumble, so the guy who lands first might end up winning this fight early on. Haye will have to rely on his speed of hand when throwing quick combinations while Klitschko will throw powerful right hands behind his jab.

Both men have shown heart by getting up off the deck to win fights and it’s possible they’ll both have to pick themselves up again if neither of them can finish the other off early on.

The advantages however all point to Klitschko as he’s a natural heavyweight with a lot more experience. If both fighters can stand up to each other’s power this could be a classic, if not, this is going to end early…perhaps too early.