Adam Kownacki’s goal now? Follow the lead of fighters who have come back from knockout losses to accomplish great things.
Robert Helenius stunned the then-unbeaten Kownacki and the boxing world by stopping the Polish-American in the fourth round Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Kownacki’s hometown.
Helenius (30-3, 19 KOs) became the mandatory challenger to one of Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight titles. Kownacki (20-1, 15 KOs) must rebuild.
“I wanna be the best,” Kownacki said after the fight, according to BoxingScene.com. “That’s my goal, to prove I’m the best fighter. But we have great fighters, like Lennox Lewis, who came back. A lot of great fighters lost and came back, so I’m about to do the same.”
Helenius withstood the typical pressure applied by Kownacki for three-plus rounds. Then, in the fourth, the Finn hurt Kownacki with a right that put him down. It was ruled a slip but it was also the beginning of the end for the favorite.
Moments later Helenius put Kownacki down again and then followed with a barrage of hard shots that prompted the referee to stop the fight.
One thing that Kownacki has going for him in his coming attempt to rebound is his youth: He’s only 30.
“It’s boxing,” Kownacki said. “You’ve gotta be careful at all times. One moment of not being cautious, you get caught with a good shot and the fight changes, especially in the heavyweight division. But it was a learning lesson. I’m still young, still beautiful, so I’ll be back.”