Mariusz Kolodziej

Mariusz Kolodziej (born October 3, 1966) is a Polish-American entrepreneur and boxing promoter, living and working in the United States.

Early life and education Kolodziej was born on October 3, 1966, in Rzeszów, Poland, as a son of Adolf and Aleksandra. He spent his early childhood in the small town of Błażowa, Poland, where he attended elementary school. His mother Aleksandra, as a director of a local high school, always emphasized the importance of good education. His father Adolf, who ran several different businesses at that time, focused on teaching his son the value of hard work. After graduating high school, Kolodziej applied to the prestigious Naval Academy in Gdynia, Poland. He was accepted in 1985, and began his four-year adventure with the Navy that included studying both in Poland and in the former Soviet Union. After leaving the Naval Academy in 1989, he decided to continue his educational experience. He moved back to Rzeszów, and started his Master's program at the UMCS Law School.

Kolodziej has been a resident of Saddle River, New Jersey. Kolodziej created many of the recipes himself, finding inspirations during his world travels.

Hudson Bread is now also a café business. Hudson Bread Café is the brainchild of Mariusz and his wife Katarzyna Kolodziej who serve as president and owner of Hudson Bread Café, respectively.

Sports patronage Kolodziej has always supported various sports initiatives, including soccer teams, marathon runners and car racing. At some point, he decided to get involved with boxing. For several years he was sponsoring one of the most famous Polish professional boxers, Tomasz Adamek. In 2010 Kolodziej became a licensed boxing promoter, and opened his own Global Boxing Gym in North Bergen, New Jersey. North Bergen, New Jersey–based Global Boxing Promotions was established in 2010. Global Boxing has developed the Polish community into one of the fastest growing fan bases in boxing in the United States. In its first year of promoting, Global Boxing set a record by selling out the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut during the "November Reign" show. On September 29, 2012, Global Boxing Promotions continued its success by filling up the arena at the Resorts Hotel & Casino for the "Global Boxing Series". Within just two years, Kolodziej led one of his fighters, Mariusz Wach, to a world title bout against Wladimir Klitschko. The rest of the team, including four Polish prospects, is also on their way to the top. In December 2011, Kolodziej started a new project; he opened the Global Boxing Foundation, which aims to help young amateur boxers succeed in their professional careers. Since that time, many talented amateurs and professional boxers from all over the world have been offered help by Kolodziej and his team.

Awards and recognitions Outstanding Pole Abroad 2012 – awarded by the Consulate General of Poland in New York City. Promoter of The Year 2012 – awarded by the editors of bokser.org. Man of the Year 2012 – awarded by the Pulaski Association of Business and Professional Men, Inc. Gold Cross of Merit 2015 – awarded by the President of Poland for exemplary public service or humanitarian work that goes above and beyond the call of duty