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08/25/2008 Archived Entry: ""Steele Pole" Set to Conquer Heavyweight Division"
"Steele Pole" Set to Conquer Heavyweight Division
Press Release
TORONTO, ON - He's the best kept secret in all of Polish sport, but this 2000 Olympian is about to end his days of anonymity, and is promising a meteoric rise to the top of the heavyweight division.
Greg "The Steel Pole" Kielsa (6-0, 3 KO's), of Bialystok, Poland, makes his professional home in Brampton, Ontario, and has served notice on the rest of boxing's big men that his time will come.
"In three years I see a heavyweight world title around my waist," Kielsa (born Grzegorz Kielsa) said. "I'm comfortable here in Canada, and my career is about to gain some big momentum."
With his fast hands, and exceptional footwork already turning heads in the boxing world, Kielsa looks to extend his unbeaten record on Friday, August 29, at Casino Rama, as part of Rumble at Rama V, headlined by the fifth world title defense of IBF Junior Featherweight world champion "The Canadian Kid' Steve Molitor, as he puts his crown on the line against undefeated Ceferino Labarda (18-0, 7 KO's).
Tickets for Rumble at Rama V are $125, $75, $50 and $25, and are available in-person at the Casino Rama Box Office, and at all TicketMaster locations, by calling (416) 870-8000, or ordering on-line at www.casinorama.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable taxes or service charges.
Kielsa faces his toughest professional test to date that night, stepping in with hard hitting Bahamian heavyweight Jerry "Big Daddy" Butler (7-4, 7 KO's).
Kielsa knows scant little about Butler other than his record, but isn't phased whatsoever about taking on an unknown quantity.
"Right now I don't need to study my opponents. I'm an experienced guy. I've seen everything in the ring. I doubt Jerry Butler has got something unique up his sleeve. When it gets to the point when I'm fighting for a world title, then I'll be a little more concerned, and then maybe look at some tape."
Despite only six professional fights, Kielsa's experience in the ring is indeed as comprehensive as it gets, having gone 130-20 as an amateur, and earning an Olympic berth on the Polish team at the 2000 Sydney games. But despite carving out his own identity as a fighter, Kielsa is dogged by the inevitable comparisons to his enigmatic compatriot, Andrew Golota, a man with all the physical tools to be great, only to be detoured by a mind that has doomed him to mediocrity.
"It's tough to answer the Golota questions because he was the man who inspired me to box. I saw him fight Riddick Bowe in 1996, and knew right then that I wanted to be a fighter. But obviously he's disappointed everyone over the years. You can't find a way to lose that often, in so many weird ways without hurting your legacy."
"I want to pick up where Golota left off, but in a good way. He's a great fighter…I'm a great fighter. But I'm going to be a great champion." After a few years away from the sport, Kielsa decided to settle in Canada, where he has fought exclusively, before making his US debut this past June, scoring a unanimous decision over veteran Alvaro Morales at Las Vegas' Thomas and Mack Center.
Kielsa said the adjustment to life in Southern Ontario was difficult at the beginning, but under the auspices of his manager James Jardine, things are finally looking up.
"When I first came here to Canada three years ago, it was tough. But now I'm with James and everything has turned out so well. I know I'm on the road to great things."
That road winds its way through Casino Rama, and Jerry Butler, next Friday evening.
