BoxRec

Twelve long years after making his professional boxing debut on domestic soil, Andrzej "The Polish Prince" Fonfara (29-5, 17 KOs) will once again try to entertain his local fans.

WBC #8 and former two-time world title challenger Fonfara, 30, will face the ever dangerous opponent in fragile but hard-hitting Ukrainian Ismayl Sillakh (25-5, 19 KOs).

The bout will take place on June 16 at the Torwar in Warsaw, Poland. The bout is said to take place at the cruiserweight limit.

Both fighters are coming back from some rather bitter experiences as of late.

Fonfara's recent career has been a roller-coaster, as he was stopped in one round by upset specialist Joe Smith Jr. in June 2016, then he came back with a TKO 10 over former light heavyweight king Chad Dawson, and then was stopped in a rematch by WBC 175-pound champion Adonis Stevenson a year ago.

Meanwhile, Sillakh is just 1-3 in his most recent fights and was brutally knocked out in seconds by Russian rising gun Alexey Papin. He gave a hell of a fight to Mateusz Masternak before that defeat, but came short on a narrow decision.

Sillakh's chin can't take anything, Fonfara by KO.

DrDuke wrote: ↑24 Apr 2018, 06:31 Sillakh's chin can't take anything, Fonfara by KO.

Wonder who's going to train Fonfara.. with Virgil not well.

DrDuke wrote: ↑24 Apr 2018, 06:31 Sillakh's chin can't take anything, Fonfara by KO.

he lasted the distance with Masternak though

dagilechia wrote: ↑24 Apr 2018, 13:14

DrDuke wrote: ↑24 Apr 2018, 06:31 Sillakh's chin can't take anything, Fonfara by KO.

he lasted the distance with Masternak though

Masternak did mistake trying to box him rather than fight him. Sillakh can box, but he crumbles under pressure. It's comparable to Bowe vs Golota situation - Bowe tried to box him in both fights, and Golota beat him up (although only to be disqualified later), Lewis, Tyson and Brewster came to take his head off from the opening seconds and Golota couldn't withstand their pressure.

Is Silakh a hard hitter? Fonfara has been quite fragile recently.

Recent Q&A Session with Fightnews.com®

“I want to give my fans a real fight, not some make-believe BS. It was always my dream to fight in Warszawa and anyway, better fighters make me better.”

You’re returning to the ring on June 16 as a cruiserweight in Warszawa, Poland. This will be your third weight class – should we expect a different Fonfara from the fighter who challenged for the light heavyweight title? Or the same all-action fighter, who established boxing records vs. Nathan Cleverly?

"We will see on June 16, won’t we? I will still base my boxing on speed, a lot of punches. Not something cruiserweights necessarily expect. There’s a lot of work right at my training camp in Oakland: with my new trainer Eddie Croft working on my head movement, counterpunching, moving from defense to offense. I want to use all my light heavyweight experience when fighting as a cruiser. Up tempo training, pads are lightning quick, constant movement, no stationary punches. I will be ready."

Sillakh is a not an easy job for the first fight when changing weight class. Unpredictable, quick, technically sound – that’s for sure.

"Quick hands. He fought a great fight against Masternak, it was a close bout to the last seconds of last round. Both were down. I wanted to give my fans a real fight, not some make-believe BS. It was always my dream to fight in Warszawa and anyway, better fighters make me better."

Additional pressure?

"A positive, for sure. I hope for a full house in Torwar Arena, just across the street from the soccer stadium of my always favorite team, Polish champion Legia Warszawa. In a couple of days, I’ll start sparring, and then move my camp to Poland. There’s only option: win. I give myself two, maybe three fights before challenging the best."

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑24 Apr 2018, 07:26

DrDuke wrote: ↑24 Apr 2018, 06:31 Sillakh's chin can't take anything, Fonfara by KO.

Wonder who's going to train Fonfara.. with Virgil not well.

Eddie Croft

Fonfara got this

gilgamesh wrote: ↑14 May 2018, 14:13 Fonfara got this

But what's after this?

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑14 May 2018, 14:46

gilgamesh wrote: ↑14 May 2018, 14:13 Fonfara got this

But what's after this?

Who knows

50-50. Not sure who's chin will go first.