Polish boxer Mariusz Wach, who once fought Wladimir Klitschko for a world heavyweight title, blasted through three opponents in three minutes during a bizarre MMA exhibition bout.
At the peak of his powers, Wach challenged Klitschko for the unified WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles in November 2012 – a fight after which he later tested positive for doping.
More recently, Wach has been involved with Prime Show MMA, the popular Polish ‘freak show’ promotion known for its wild and often controversial events featuring influencers, internet personalities and unconventional match-ups.
In footage from the event, the 46-year-old Wach is seen taking on three opponents at once in Dawid Baran, Mariusz Sobczak and Tomasz Olejnik. The latter two have previously competed in professional MMA.
Olejnik owns an unremarkable 1-4 record at welterweight (170lb), while Sobczak has an even 1-1 record at heavyweight. Baran, a Polish influencer, was making his octagon debut.
Standing 6ft 7in tall, Wach was overwhelmingly dominant, disposing of all three opponents in just over three minutes.
Polish boxer Mariusz Wach, who once fought Wladimir Klitschkofor a world heavyweight title, blasted through three opponents in three minutes during a bizarre MMA exhibition bout
Wach, who is 6ft 7in, managed to easily avoid his opposition’s attempts to take him down
Wach faced Dillian Whyte in 2019 but was beaten on a unanimous points decision
All three charged at Wach in an attempt to apply early pressure, but the Pole weathered the initial storm and dropped each man inside the opening 30 seconds.
Sobczak eventually quit after hitting the canvas twice, leaving the two smaller opponents to continue against Wach. A clubbing right hand then dispatched Olejnik at the end of the opening stanza.
Baran bravely emerged for the start of the second round but quickly pulled out after being dropped by a one-two combination, handing victory to Wach.
‘Believe me, fighting one on three is completely different,’ Wach said after the fight. ‘You have to keep your eyes open. There was no bad blood on my part, so I had to concentrate hard.’
Despite the one-sided nature of this strange encounter, it has long been clear that Wach’s best days in boxing are well behind him.
After failing a drugs test following his comprehensive defeat to Klitschko in 2012, Wach returned nearly two years later and has since faced the likes of Dillian Whyte, Hughie Fury and Moses Itauma, suffering defeat on each occasion.
He managed to take Whyte and Fury the distance, but against teenager Itauma, Wach was stopped inside two rounds in 2024.
The defeat seemed to trigger Wach’s decision to step down in opposition – but exactly what the future holds for Wach remains to be seen.
His professional record stands at 39 wins and 12 defeats from 51 fights, with 10 of those losses coming in his last 16 outings.
