Name: James John (Jimmy)Adamcik/Adamick
Born: 23 January 1915
Died: 5 April 1992 aged 77
Career: 1933 to 1938
Record: 58 fights, 51 wins (44 by KO/TKO) 4 losses (1 by KO/TKO), 2 draws, 1 No Decision
Division: Heavyweight
Stance: Orthodox
Titles: None
Major Contests
Scored wins over: Buddy McArthur, Johnny Erjavec (twice), Maxie Rosenbloom**, Al Ettore (twice),
Lost against: Maxie Rosenbloom**, John Henry Lewis**, Roscoe Toles
No Decision: Jack Trammell
**Past/ future holder of a version of a world title
* Unsuccessful challenger for a version of a world title
Jimmy Adamcik’s Story
Adamcik’s parents were Slovakian and they emigrated to the USA initially residing in Ohio and then Midland, Michigan (he was known as The Midland Mauler as a professional). He took up boxing and was runner-up in the Detroit Golden Gloves in 1933. He had his first professional fight in October 1933 fighting a draw with fellow-debutant Oscar Cook. He then went back to working on his father’s farm and did not return to the ring until July 1934 when he knocked out Reuben Saunders. He then went 8-1-1 in his next 10 fights including drawing and losing on points in January 1936 against Saunders.
After that January loss a very busy schedule saw him win the next 16 fights he had in 1936 with 15 wins by KO/TKO including 6 in the first round. The fights were not without incident. In both of his fights against Chauncey Bernhardt Adamick was down three times and Bernhardt four times and he progressed to ten round level.
In winning the last 16 of those 1936 fights by KO/TKO Adamcik had set the scene for an amazing 1937. He crammed in 16 more inside the distance wins in eight months before his 32-bout run of consecutive inside the distance wins was broken in a loss against former light heavyweight champion Maxie Rosenbloom. Adamcik floored Rosenbloom for a nine count in the second round but the referee scored the fight 6-4 to Rosenbloom (each individual round scored as a win or loss so no points, no 10-8 for a knockdown and only a scoring referee with no judges). Two months later Adamcik knocked Rosenbloom out in two rounds, only the second time in Rosenbloom’s 274-bout career that he lost inside the distance. Adamcik’s record for 1937 was 19-1 with all 19 wins inside the distance and he climbed as high as No 6 in the Ring Magazine heavyweight ratings.
He was still only 22 and had a 44-2-2 record but 1938 would see the end of his career. He had a busy start with seven wins including heading a show in February at Madison Square Garden for the first time. In April he scored one of his best wins flooring and outpointing 60-12-3 Al Ettore who had won his first 39 fights before losing to Abe Feeldman. He fought Ettore again in May and knocked him out in the second round. In June he fought 46-7-2 Jack Trammell in Illinois in a fight that was mired in scandal. Adamcik handed out heavy punishment to Trammell in the first round but was sent sprawling with a right in the second. Instead of following up Trammell backed off and later went down from what looked only a glancing punch and the crowd booed loudly as he was counted out. One month later the Illinois Commission changed the result to No Decision. The Commission slapped a five year ban on Trammell, a one year ban on Adamcik and three of Trammell’s team and the promoter were also handed five year bans.
The ban only applied to fighting in Illinois and in September in Philadelphia Adamcik lost a majority decision to former light heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis. Adamcik’s team were hoping a win in that fight might have led to a shot at Joe Louis. After the loss to Lewis they wanted to keep Adamcik busy and in September they brought Roscoe Toles to Detroit to face Adamcik. Toles was 14-1-2 in his last 17 fights with the loss to Rosenbloom and had beaten and drawn with Arturo Godoy who would go on to lose a split decision against Joe Louis for the heavyweight title. Toles was a dangerman and he floored Adamcik four times and knocked him out in the second round. Adamcik fell into a coma and was out for 11 hours suffering severe concussion and partial paralysis. The brain surgeon who treated Adamcik said that Adamcik had been suffering from headaches after a fight with Harry Thomas in Madison Square Garden in February 1938. They had worsened after his fight with John Henry Lewis and x-rays seemed to indicate a problem with Adamcik’s sinuses. In fact Adamski had suffered damage to his optical nerves and in the Toles fight would have been unable to see punches coming from the right.
The great Slavic inventor Dr Nicola Tesla took an interest in Adamcik’s rehabilitation saying that Adamcik, a fellow-Slav would recover and win the world title. After such serious injuries that would never be the case and when in 1939 Adamcik talked about resuming his career his family and friends talked him out of it but whether he would have been relicensed is very questionable.
Too often such stories have tragic endings but Adamcik recovered sufficiently enough to work as an inspector with Ford Mator Company and became a father for the seventh time at the age of 59. He died of natural causes on 5 April 1992 at the age of 77.