Frank Warren

Kathy Duva of Main Events Promotions is convinced that the next great heavyweight champion is going to come from the cruiserweight division. Duva has been down that road before. Her husband, Dan, and her stepfather, Lou, thought the same thing about Evander Holyfield.

And they were right. Now Holyfield refuses to throw in the towel on his career. But that is another matter for another day.

Duva looks at Tomasz Adamek, a former light heavyweight and cruiserweight world champion, and thinks he could be the man to shake things up in the heavyweight division.

“Those big slow giants aren’t fun to watch,’’ Duva said. “You’ll need someone who has movement and is willing to throw punches to make the heavyweights exciting again.’’

Adamek is testing Duva’s theory. He will take on Jason Estrada (16-2, 4 KOs) at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Feb. 6.

Adamek (39-1, 27 KOs) certainly fills that bill. He is a pedal to the floor kind of fighter, who isn’t afraid to mix it up if he has to. I’ve seen Adamek in two monumental fights. His first light heavyweight title match against Paul Briggs was an absolute war. But Adamek didn’t flinch as Briggs pushed him to his physical limits. Adamek ended up winning a war of attrition to take the WBC title.

I saw him again when he fought Steve Cunningham for the IBF cruiserweight title. Again it was an action-packed match as Adamek and Cunningham went back and forth sending each other to the canvas. In the end, Adamek won.

Adamek of Zywiec, Poland dipped his toe into the heavyweight waters by taking on a fellow Pole, Andrew Golota, at Lodz, Poland on Oct. 24. Adamek dropped Golota in the first round and went on to score a convincing fifth round TKO. You can’t take too much from that considering Golota has faded considerably since he gave Riddick Bowe all he could handle before being disqualified in two fights.

But Estrada, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing team, is a different type of heavyweight. He is young, fast and quick and has movement. That is something that Adamek will have to take in consideration before the two of them meet. Adamek fought Golota at 214 pounds and plans to weigh 221 pounds for Estrada. A victory would put him in line to fight some of the other contenders around that weight and possibly fight David Haye, the WBA heavyweight champion who also moved up from the cruiserweight division.

“I will fight everybody. We have this fight on February 6th right now I concentrate on that,’’ Adamek said. “Maybe in April (Cris) Arreola, we will see. Maybe one more fight after that and then I will be ready for a championship fight. Right now I must win against Estrada.”

Perhaps trying to stoke some kind of fire to fight Adamek, Estrada said he was upset that Adamek was talking about future opponents before they fought.

“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."

Adamek said he has not had any problems adjusting to the bigger weight and taking a heavyweight shot.

“Cruiserweight was more difficult for me. I always had a problem getting to the weight, especially when I was 175,’’ he said. “I feel very good at this weight. I feel faster. The difference in training is the sparring partners are heavier - 240, 250lbs. But I feel stronger because my weight is natural.”

Though Estrada has lost twice, he said he has never been down, even as an amateur. He doubts whether Adamek, who will be fighting for just the second time at heavyweight, can put him down.

“I know he likes to pressure his opponents but how is he going to do that against a bigger guy like me,” Estrada said. “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.”

Estrada notes that he is faster, quicker and stronger than Adamek. But Adamek believes he can match anything that Estrada can bring to the ring.

“I’m fast too. I think I am stronger. He must know this. My jab is very strong and my right has the most power,” Adamek said.

Ultimately this could come down to heart and determination. In that department Adamek is unmatched. Is it enough to carry him to the heavyweight championship? It worked for Holyfield and to a certain extent it is working against him now.

“My dream is to be champion in the heavyweight division. Estrada is a good boxer; but I am serious about this fight. I need to win. It is very important in order to move up for a heavyweight title. Estrada is a technical boxer. If I see opportunity to knock him out I will, but if not, I prepared to go 12 rounds.”