[EMSoccerCoach]

Light-Heavyweight Title Fight

#1Philadelphia Jack O’Brien (17-0, 7 KO)

VS

#3Tomasz Adamek (12-2, 9 KO)

The opening round is, as expected, a feeling out process here, marked by a pair of short, hard crosses from O'Brien mid-round and good body work late by Adamek. But Adamek ramps it up in the second, going low to high to put O'Brien on his heels and covering up to withstand Adamek's assault.

O'Brien's movement improves as he gets off combos and escapes before Adamek can tie him up in the third. The fourth, however, sees Adamek drop O'Brien for a 6-count. To make matters worse, O'Brien appears to hurt himself on a punch after the knockdown, and his eye is swelling a bit as well.

But it's a title fight, and O'Brien sucks it up, firing with abandon in the 5th and finding every opening Adamek leaves for him. He repeats this in the 6th, fighting a tactically sound fight.

The seventh seems a continuation, as Adamek just can't find the range. O'Brien comes in close mid-round, lands a combo and backs away. But Adamek catches him backpedalling with a hook and O'Brien is down for 6 again.

Both men take a breather in the 8th, bringing us to a ninth round that sees O'Brien not as willing to back out on Adamek. He hurts him inside, where he hasn't ventured to stay, and persists. Adamek is smothered and eventually dropped, rising at 4. With just 10 seconds left in the round, O'Brien doesn't have time to finish him.

But he doesn't need to. The fight has been taken out of Adamek, and O'Brien wins the next several rounds - 10 through 14 -comfortably.

Adamek digs deep in the 15th, and O'Brien - knowing he's been dropped twice himself - is hardly comfortable despite his recent run of rounds. So the men square off to the crowd's delight. O'Brien seems to get the better of it until a body shot followed by a hook puts him backpedalling into the ropes in the round's final seconds, perhaps tipping a judge in Adamek's favor as we go to the cards.

The decision is unanimous...145-139, 145-139, 144-140 for the winner, and FIRST PBA LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION...PHILADELPHIA JACK O'BRIEN!!!!