Dariusz Michalczewski Polish professional boxer Date of Birth: 05.05.1968 Country: Poland

1. Biography of Dariusz Michalczewski
2. Early Career and Promoter
3. Unification Fight and Loss of Titles
4. Fight with Montell Griffin
5. Potential Fight with Roy Jones Jr.
6. Final Fights and Retirement
7. Loss to Fabrice Tiozzo and Retirement

Biography of Dariusz Michalczewski

Dariusz Michalczewski is a Polish professional boxer who competed in the light heavyweight division. He was a world champion in the WBO (1994-2003), WBA (1997), and IBF (1997) weight categories. In September 1994, Michalczewski defeated WBO light heavyweight world champion Lionzer Barber by a unanimous decision.

Early Career and Promoter

Michalczewski's promoter was Klaus-Peter Kohl, who organized fights exclusively in Germany and selected lesser-known and weaker opponents for the Polish boxer. As a result, Michalczewski spent 9 years fighting mostly in Germany (with one fight in Poland), defending the less prestigious WBO title.

Unification Fight and Loss of Titles

In June 1997, Michalczewski participated in a unification fight against Virgil Hill, the WBA and IBF light heavyweight champion. Michalczewski won the fight by a unanimous decision. However, he soon lost the WBA and IBF titles. The IBF stripped Michalczewski of his title for refusing to fight mandatory challenger William Guthrie, while the WBA took away their title because Michalczewski also held the less prestigious WBO belt simultaneously.

Fight with Montell Griffin

In August 1999, Michalczewski faced former WBC light heavyweight champion Montell Griffin in Germany. Griffin was leading on the scorecards, but in the 4th round, he absorbed several punches and the referee stopped the fight. The decision was controversial, as some experts believed the stoppage was premature.

Potential Fight with Roy Jones Jr.

Between 1999 and 2003, there was much talk about a possible fight between Michalczewski and undisputed light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. Michalczewski's team insisted that the fight take place in Germany, while Jones Jr. was reluctant to fight outside the US due to concerns about local judges since the Seoul Olympics incident. The fight between Jones Jr. and Michalczewski never materialized due to these differing conditions.

Final Fights and Retirement

In December 2001, Michalczewski scored an 11th-round knockout victory over Richard Hall. He then faced Hall again in September 2002, defeating him by a 10th-round knockout. In March 2003, Michalczewski secured a 9th-round knockout win against Derrick Harmon.

Loss to Fabrice Tiozzo and Retirement

In October 2003, Michalczewski fought against Julio Cesar Gonzalez in Altona, Hamburg, USA. Gonzalez dominated the fight, and the judges awarded him the victory by a split decision after 12 rounds. In February 2005, Michalczewski faced Fabrice Tiozzo in Germany. Tiozzo outperformed Michalczewski in terms of quantity and accuracy of punches, and in the 6th round, he delivered a series of blows that knocked Michalczewski down. The referee stopped the fight as Michalczewski was unable to continue.

After this loss, Michalczewski retired from professional boxing, ending his career with an impressive record of 48 wins (38 by knockout) and 2 losses.