TOMASZ ADAMEK TO  DEFEND IBF CRUISER CROWN  AGAINST JOHNATHON BANKS ON FRIDAY, FEB.  27 - Plus Giovanni Lorenzo To Face Dionisio Miranda in WBC Eliminator

In ShoBox Co-Feature,  Live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT   From The Prudential  Center in Newark, New  Jersey  NEW  YORK  (Feb. 19, 2009) – A no-nonsense, non-stop action fighter who makes  for “Fight of  the Year” candidates more often than most, Tomasz Adamek  returns to SHOWTIME to  defend his International Boxing  Federation (IBF) cruiserweight title against undefeated Johnathon Banks in  the main event Friday, Feb.  27, on ShoBox: The New Generation (live at  11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west  coast)

How exciting is the  aggressive-minded Adamek? Three of his last nine fights have been legitimate  candidates for “Fight of the Year”. So will  Adamek-Banks turn out to be another  “Fight of the  Year” nominee?   “You never know,  you’ll just have to watch and see,’’ said Adamek, a quiet, humble man outside  the ring who turns into a raging tiger inside. “I come to fight and give my best  and put on a show for the fans.It’s all about  winning and I will do whatever it  takes to win.’’

Adamek (36-1, 24 KOs), of Jersey City,  N.J., by way of Poland, will be making the first defense of his IBF title  against Detroit’s Banks (20-0, 14 KOs), the IBF’s No. 8-ranked contender who is  managed and trained by Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward, at the Prudential  Center in Newark, N.J.
 
In the  12-round ShoBox co-feature, Giovanni Lorenzo (26-1, 18 KOs), of  New York City via the Dominican Republic, will be opposed by Dionisio Miranda (19-3-2, 17 KO’s) of  Barranquilla, Colombia, in an IBF middleweight elimination bout. The winner could be next in line to challenge champion Arthur Abraham. 

The  event is promoted by Main Events and Ziggy Promotions,in association with K2  Promotions. Tickets, priced from $38, can be purchased at The Prudential Center  box office, by visiting its website (_www.prucenter.com (http://www.prucenter.com/) ) or by  calling Ticketmaster (201) 507-8900. Non-televised undercard bouts begin at 8:30  p.m. ET. 

"Adamek  is so all-action and relentless, it's inconceivable he could be in a boring  fight, but it's his vulnerabilities -- he's hard to miss -- that make him so  appealing and fun to watch,’’ ShoBox play-by-play announcer Nick Charles  said. “Because of that give-and-take style, you don't want to get caught looking  away during an Adamek fight.’’ Two notable Adamek  slugfests came in victories over Paul
 Briggs in May 2005 and again in October 2007 (on SHOWTIME). The third came  in his last start when he upset defending champion and previously unbeaten Steve Cunningham to capture the IBF  200-pound title on Dec. 11, 2008. 

 “Adamek has established himself as clearly the best fighter  in his division and not many top fighters can say that,’’ ShoBox expert analyst Steve Farhood said. “He's been  consistently crowd-pleasing in two
 divisions. Against a puncher like Banks,  there's every reason to believe that this will be highly entertaining, just like  Adamek’s fight with Steve Cunningham.’’

A  former World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight champion, Adamek registered three  knockdowns yet narrowly outpointed Cunningham on Dec. 11, 2008, at the  Prudential  Center. Adamek, a 3-1  underdog, was triumphant in a scorching 36-minute argument characterized by  numerous give-and-take exchanges and significant swings in momentum by the  scores of 116-110, 115-112 and 112-114.  The punishing, epic  battle with Cunningham not only was one of the most exhilarating of ‘08 but one  of the most exciting championship fights in the history of the division. Only  the instant classic,  historic first fight between Evander Holyfield and Dwight Muhammad Qawi may have been better. (Incidentally, that 1987 bout was promoted by Main Events and aired on SHOWTIME)  

By outlasting  Cunningham in a remarkable display of  courage and guts, the granite-chinned,  six-foot-two-and-a-half-inch, 32-year-old Adamek remained undefeated as a  cruiserweight and became one of the very few  Polish fighters to win world titles in two divisions “I’m  really looking forward to fighting again on SHOWTIME at the Prudential Center,” said Adamek, whose only defeat  came on  decision in a hard-fought contest to unbeaten southpaw Chad Dawson in February 2007 on  SHOWTIME. “Banks packs a mean punch, but I’ll be ready. This will be a great  fight.’’

Banks has made the vast majority of his starts in the United States, but he is much  more well-known and popular in Germany where he is the main sparring partner for world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. He has appeared on the same cards as Klitschko, who also is trained by Steward. “If I were in  Germany, it’d be a whole bunch of people waiting for me to sign autographs,”  said the confident, hard-hitting Banks, who will provide Adamek with a stern  challenge. If triumphant, Banks will become the 31st ShoBox alum to attain a world  title.  In his last outing,  the six-foot-3, 26-year-old Banks scored a 12-round majority decision over  Vincenzo Rossitto of Italy in a match for the International Boxing Organization  (IBO) cruiserweight crown on July 12, 2008, in Hamburg, Germany.

An  accomplished amateur at 178 pounds, Banks  also makes for excellent scraps. His most noteworthy victory may have been  against Eliseo Castillo when he rallied from two first-round knockdowns to flatten the Cuban in the fourth round  of a thriller in July 2006. “Adamek, we know, is  an aggressive, rough, tough fighter,’’ Steward said. “ Banks is a guy that fights  up to his competition. Adamek’s got to be the favorite. But when you have a  puncher (Banks) in there you’ll be surprised. I think Banks is a better puncher  than Cunningham. I think it’s going to be an exciting  fight. “Banks knows he can’t  try to box and run for 12 rounds so he’s not going to do  it.”

The aforementioned  Charles will call the ShoBox action  with Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing. For more information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and  more, please go to the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://sports.sho.com_ (http://sports.sho.com) . 

About  ShoBox: The New Generation Since  its inception in July 2001, the critically-acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured  young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise  exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving  ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title.  The growing list of fighters who have  appeared on ShoBox and advanced to  garner world titles includes:

Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff  Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly  Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi,Kendall Holt and Timothy Bradley. 

About  Showtime Networks Inc.Showtime Networks  Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the  premium television networks
 

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SNI also manages  Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian  Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI  markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to  subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.
 

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