Adam Kownacki – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Adam Kownacki expects to get it right against Ali Eren Demirezen

Adam Kownacki promises he’ll get it right when he faces Ali Eren Demirezen on July 30.

Adam Kownacki hopes to get back to winning on July 30.

That’s when the former heavyweight contender faces Ali Eren Demirezen at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, where the Polish-born fighter grew up (Showtime).

Kownacki (20-2, 15 KOs) was undefeated and apparently heading toward a shot at a world title when he ran into a 6-foot-6 brick wall named Robert Helenius, who stopped Kownacki in back-to-back fights in 2020 and last year.

Kownacki’s aggressive style, which had served him well, exposed him to undue risks that the big-punching Helenius took advantage of. He said fans will see a better fighter in a few weeks.

“I just have had to work on my footwork and keeping my hands up,” he said. “I have to be smart. One shot can change everything. It was some bad luck getting caught in each fight. I tried to make the best out of it and leave everything in the ring. It was a life lesson.

“I’m coming back stronger. I’ve been sparring with no issues to the broken orbital bone. I’m feeling great and I can’t wait to return.”

Kownacki, 33, is still young enough to rebuild. And his name still carries some weight, which could help him get another big fight soon.

However, the last thing he can afford is another setback. That’s why his focus is on Demirezen (16-1, 12 KOs), a 2016 Turkish-German Olympian with some power and good size. He’s 6-foot-3, around 260 pounds.

He stopped Gerald Washington in January and followed that by outpointing Kevin Johnson in May.

“I want to be active again,” Kownacki said. “I’m focused on this win, and then we can talk about getting back in the ring early next year. It’s tunnel-vision on July 30. Right now I’m just focused on Demirezen. That’s the man in front of me. I have to tear down that wall that’s in front of me. That’s all I’m focused on.

“I’m facing a strong Olympian who’s got good size, so I’m expecting a great fight. It’s going to be a good test for me, but I’m looking to ace it and move on to better things.”

[lawrence-related id=24618]

Robert Helenius pummels Adam Kownacki again, wins by DQ

Robert Helenius pummeled Adam Kownacki in their rematch and won by disqualification on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Widler card Saturday.

Robert Helenius proved his first victory over Adam Kownacki was anything but a fluke.

The Finnish heavyweight, who stopped his American counterpart in the fourth round in March of last year, delivered a terrible beating before Kownacki was disqualified for low blows on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Helenius (31-3, 19 KOs) set the tone early, hurting Kownacki (20-2, 15 KOs) with a straight right and closing his left eye with about 30 seconds left in the opening round.

The fight didn’t change much after that, with Helenius landed punishing blows either from range or when his aggressive opponent charged at him.

Kownacki never stopped trying but couldn’t land with any consistency or avoid Helenius’ punches, which did more and more damage as the fight progressed.

Kownacki seemed desperate by the third round, when he was warned for landing a low blow. He lost a point for the same foul in Round 5. Then, seemingly on the verge of getting knocked out in Round 6, he landed one more shot below the belt and was disqualified.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:38.

Helenius was asked how he felt about the disqualification.

“Either way, it would’ve been a stoppage,” he said. “I had very hard hits on him, he didn’t have any on me.”

Helenius has now won three consecutive fights since he was stopped in eight rounds by Gerald Washington in July 2019.

Kownacki, who seemed to be nearing a title shot before his first meeting with Helenius, will have to fight simply to regain relevance in a competitive division.

[lawrence-related id=24615,24610,24606]

Robert Helenius pummels Adam Kownacki again, wins by DQ

Robert Helenius pummeled Adam Kownacki in their rematch and won by disqualification on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Widler card Saturday.

Robert Helenius proved his first victory over Adam Kownacki was anything but a fluke.

Helenius (31-3, 19 KOs) set the tone early, hurting Kownacki (20-2, 15 KOs) with a straight right and closing his left eye with about 30 seconds left in the opening round.

The fight didn’t change much after that, with Helenius landed punishing blows either from range or when his aggressive opponent charged at him.

Kownacki never stopped trying but couldn’t land with any consistency or avoid Helenius’ punches, which did more and more damage as the fight progressed.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:38.

Helenius was asked how he felt about the disqualification.

“Either way, it would’ve been a stoppage,” he said. “I had very hard hits on him, he didn’t have any on me.”

Helenius has now won three consecutive fights since he was stopped in eight rounds by Gerald Washington in July 2019.

Kownacki, who seemed to be nearing a title shot before his first meeting with Helenius, will have to fight simply to regain relevance in a competitive division.

[lawrence-related id=24615,24610,24606]

Andy Ruiz Jr., Chris Arreola to meet before end of year: report

Former heavyweight champ Andy Ruiz Jr. and longtime contender Chris Arreola have reportedly agreed to fight before the end of the year.

Andy Ruiz Jr. reportedly will return before the end of the year.

The former heavyweight champ and longtime contender Chris Arreola have agreed to fight in late 2020, although contracts haven’t been signed, according to The Athletic.

The all-Mexiacn-American matchup would be Ruiz’s first fight since his two-fight series with Anthony Joshua last year, in which he stunned the boxing world by stopping Joshua to win three titles in June only to lose a wide decision and his belts in December.

Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) was criticized for weighing in at a flabby 283.5 pounds for the rematch, 15.5 more than in the first fight.

The Imperial, Calif., fighter has vowed to take his training more seriously. He has posted numerous workout videos purportedly showing that he’s putting in the work.

View this post on Instagram

Good session this morning 🥊🏆🇲🇽 #teamdestroyer

A post shared by Andy Ruiz Jr (@andy_destroyer13) on Aug 13, 2020 at 2:07pm PDT

He also left longtime trainer Manny Robles and brought in Eddy Reynoso, who also trains Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia.

Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) had the same issues as Ruiz but the 39-year-old from the Los Angeles area, working with trainer Joe Goossen, finally saw the light. He’s coming off one of his best performances in years, a close decision loss to then-unbeaten Adam Kownacki in August of last year.

Arreola threw a heavyweight record 1,125 punches (94 per round) against Kownacki, which is remarkable for a man his size. Their combined punches of 2,172 also was a division record.

Then-titleholder Deontay Wilder stopped Arreola in eight rounds in 2016. Arreola defeated two journeymen leading into the Kownacki fight.

[lawrence-related id=12244,10319,8981,8855]

Andy Ruiz Jr., Chris Arreola to meet before end of year: report

Former heavyweight champ Andy Ruiz Jr. and longtime contender Chris Arreola have reportedly agreed to fight before the end of the year.

Andy Ruiz Jr. reportedly will return before the end of the year.

The former heavyweight champ and longtime contender Chris Arreola have agreed to fight in late 2020, although contracts haven’t been signed, according to The Athletic.

Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) was criticized for weighing in at a flabby 283.5 pounds for the rematch, 15.5 more than in the first fight.

The Imperial, Calif., fighter has vowed to take his training more seriously. He has posted numerous workout videos purportedly showing that he’s putting in the work.

View this post on Instagram

Good session this morning 🥊🏆🇲🇽 #teamdestroyer

A post shared by Andy Ruiz Jr (@andy_destroyer13) on Aug 13, 2020 at 2:07pm PDT

He also left longtime trainer Manny Robles and brought in Eddy Reynoso, who also trains Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia.

Arreola threw a heavyweight record 1,125 punches (94 per round) against Kownacki, which is remarkable for a man his size. Their combined punches of 2,172 also was a division record.

Then-titleholder Deontay Wilder stopped Arreola in eight rounds in 2016. Arreola defeated two journeymen leading into the Kownacki fight.

[lawrence-related id=12244,10319,8981,8855]

Boxing Junkie Mid-year Awards: Tyson Fury is the man

Boxing Junkie presents its mid-year awards in six categories.

A most unusual year is half over. The coronavirus pandemic brought the boxing world to a halt in March and it has only begun to return in the past few weeks.

Still, some fighters have had enough time – particularly in the first few months of the year – to turn in performances worthy of recognition.

With that in mind, Boxing Junkie presents its mid-year awards in six categories. Here they are.

FIGHTER

Tyson Fury

Slam dunk. Fury and Deontay Wilder fought to a controversial draw in December 2018. The rematch, on Feb. 22 in Las Vegas, wasn’t even competitive. A bulked up Fury, employing a more-aggressive strategy, dominated the then-titleholder from beginning to end. He put Wilder down in Rounds 3 and 5 and finally stopped him in Round 7. Fury just never gave Wilder and chance to unload his big right hand. It was a virtuoso performance in a super fight, which made the accomplishment all the more spectacular.

Runner up: Jeison Rosario

FIGHT

Robert Helenius (right) took a giant step forward with his KO of Adam Kownacki. AP Photo / Frank Franklin II

Robert Helenius TKO 4 Adam Kownacki, March 7

Helenius vs. Kownacki was nuts from the opening bell, as most Kownacki fights are. The Polish-American came out firing away, as usual. The thought at that moment: “OK, here we go. How long is Helenius going to be able to survive?” Then, as the fight progressed: “Wait a second, Helenius doesn’t seem to be going anywhere and he’s fighting back.” In Round 4, the Finn put Kownacki down with a right-left combination and then followed with a flurry of hard shots and the fight was stopped. Whew. Crazy. Really fun to watch.

Runner up: Jeison Rosario vs. Julian Williams, Jan. 18

KNOCKOUT

Ryan Garcia KO 1 Francisco Fonseca, Feb. 4

Tyson Fury’s stoppage of Deontay Wilder was the most important knockout so far. Garcia gave us the most spectacular KO. Garcia, the charismatic 21-year-old lightweight contender, had already generated a great deal of intrigue with two early knockouts in 2019. He simply added to the excitement against the veteran Fonseca. A single left hook relieved the Nicaraguan from his senses and took our breath away only 80 seconds into the fight.

Runner up: Fury KO 7 Wilder

UPSET

Jeison Rosario was overwhelmed when his new championship belts were placed over his shoulders. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions

Jeison Rosario TKO 5 Julian Williams

Williams’ stature going into the Jan. 18 fight was what made Rosario’s thorough victory special. Remember, Williams, the then-junior middleweight titleholder, was coming off a career-defining victory over Jarrett Hurd eight months earlier. He had climbed onto some pound-for-pound lists. And Rosario beat the you-know-what out of him. Rosario hurt Williams about two minutes into Round 5 and followed with a brutal barrage of hard shots that forced the referee to end the fight and give Rosario the title.

Runner up: Robert Helenius TKO 4 Adam Kownacki

COMEBACK

Roman Gonzalez

The former No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound had already won back-to-back fights since he lost consecutive bouts to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2017, the second loss being a brutal knockout. Still, many had doubts about whether the 32-year-old Nicaraguan remained an elite fighter. He proved against then-unbeaten junior bantamweight titleholder Kal Yafai on Feb. 29 that he has plenty more to give. He gave Yafai a boxing lesson for eight-plus rounds and then stopped him in Round 9. Vintage Gonzalez.

Runner up: Mikey Garcia UD 12 Jessie Vargas, Feb. 29

BREAKOUT

Joseph Diaz Jr.

Diaz, the former U.S. Olympian, had failed in attempts to win a major title and a secondary one, losing a decision to Gary Russell Jr. and then failing to make weight before outpointing Jesus Rojas, which precluded him from winning the belt. Some wondered whether Diaz would ever get over the hump. And then he did. Then-junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer was one of the hottest fighters around yet an inspired Diaz took him to school, winning a decision that wasn’t as close as the cards indicate to finally claim a belt.

Runner up: Jeison Rosario TKO 5 Julian Williams

Heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez ‘ready to beat Anthony Joshua’

One-time Cuba amateur star Frank Sanchez said he’s ready to take on Anthony Joshua even though he’s had only 15 pro fights.

Frank Sanchez is one of the more intriguing up-and-coming heavyweights in the world.

The one-time Cuban amateur star, who reportedly won more than 200 amateur fights, might be as skillful and fluid as any big man in the world. He also has good size (6-foot-4, 222.25 in his last fight), although he’ll probably add some bulk. And he’s only 27, which is young for a heavyweight.

Sanchez (15-0, 11 KOs) has only 15 pro fights but already is ranked No. 10 by one sanctioning body. And he believes he’s ready to fight that organization’s champion, Anthon Joshua.

“I’m ready to beat Anthony Joshua one thousand percent, right now,” Sanchez told BoxingScene.com. “I’ve seen the way he fights and I know of my capabilities,” Sanchez told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “I have the base and amateur background, and that’s helpful. Being with trainer Eddy Reynoso and using new techniques that are used in the pro ranks. It’s really helped and added to my professional career.

“Because of my style, and that I beat a guy that beat him, I feel confident that I can beat Joshua.”

Sanchez missed out on the chance to represent his native country in the 2016 Olympics when the powers that be selected rival Erislandy Savon instead. Soon afterward, he defected through Mexico to the U.S. to began a new life.

“The Cuban Flash” hit the ground running in terms of boxing, rolling over everyone placed in front of him. He’s coming off a near-shutout 10-round decision over durable veteran Joey Dawejko on the Adam Kownacki-Robert Helenius card on March 7 in Brooklyn, which gave him national exposure. That was Sanchez’s first fight with Reynoso.

Guadalupe Valenica, Sanchez’s advisor, believes his fighter is ready for anyone.

“If we received a call from any fighter of the highest level to fight Frank, we would undoubtedly put him in there and feel confident that he would beat them,” Valencia told BoxingScene.com. “With Frank’s amateur experience and the newfound component of Eddy Reynoso, Frank has the tools to fight anybody and compete at the highest levels.

“I have not seen him lose a round ever since he became a professional fighter. He’s one of those guys that doesn’t need a lot of professional fights to [become world champion].”

Fox Sports, PBC personalities thank coronavirus warriors

Fox Sports and Premier Boxing Champions put together a video featuring their biggest personalities to thank the coronavirus warriors.

Our health care workers and first responders have emerged as heroes in the ongoing fight against the coronavirus.

And that fact isn’t lost on those in the boxing world.

Fox Sports and Premier Boxing Champions took the time to put together a video (see below) featuring many of their biggest stars and personalities to thank those risking their lives.

Here are those who took part:

PBC Fighters

Manny Pacquiao, Errol Spence, Deontay Wilder, Leo Santa Cruz, Andy Ruiz Jr, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, David Benavidez, Caleb Plant, Abner Mares, Erislandy Lara, Julian Williams, Tony Harrison, Anthony Dirrell, Andre Dirrell, Chris Eubank Jr, Andre Berto and Adam Kownacki.

PBC on FOX Personalities

Brian Kenny, Chris Myers, Joe Goossen, Kate Abdo, Jimmy Lennon Jr, Marcos Villegas, Heidi Androl, Jordan Plant, Steve Cunningham and Ray Flores.

Many of the boxers and personalities of @PBConFOX have a message for the doctors, nurses, health officials and others battling to keep us safe. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/xIDYps1gTH

— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) April 23, 2020

Chris Arreola, 39 years young, finds new life as his career winds down

Longtime heavyweight contender Chris Arreola feels re-energized at 39 under new trainer Joe Goossen.

Long time heavyweight contender Chris Arreola said before his fight with Adam Kownacki in August that he might retire if he lost. Well, he came up on the wrong end of a unanimous decision. And there isn’t a chance that he’s walking away now.

What changed his mind? His performance.

Arreola, 39, threw 1,125 punches in the fight (to Kownacki’s 1,047), according to CompuBox. That’s a record for a heavyweight. More important, in spite of the result, he felt he gave a strong showing against one of the hottest big men in the world.

“It wasn’t disappointing because I felt like I put in a great performance,” Arreola said on The PBC Podcast. “I felt like I did my job that day. I did exactly what I came in there to do and what I said I was going to do. … I put in the work. The proof was in the pudding. It showed in the ring.

Retirement?

“Honestly,” he said, “I do feel like it’s out the window. I feel like my performance not only … brought me to a different position as a boxer but I also feel it was a blueprint to beat Kownacki (who lost in his next fight to Robert Helenius).

“I felt like I beat Kownacki that day. And I don’t think he recovered like I would’ve after a win.”

Perhaps even more impressive, Arreola delivered the record-setting number of punches even though he had a handicap: He said he injured his left hand in Round 4.

“Every time I threw with my left hand, I babied it,” he said. “I hurt it at the end of the fourth round. I fought around seven rounds with a messed up left hand. I messed up the ligaments and tendons in my left hand.”

Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) has always been known as a solid, spirited boxer but not a disciplined one even though he has fought for a major heavyweight title three times, losing each time. That apparently has changed late in the game.

He has been working with a new trainer, Joe Goossen, who has helped him see the value of consistently hard work.

“In all honesty, no disrespect to my old trainer Henry Ramirez because we had a great run, but working with Joe is just night and day,” he said. “… Even when I was resting Joe was constantly in my ear, telling me how to do something, how to work, how to just be the best professional I could be in the ring and outside the ring and while I was training.

“… I feel my career was reinvigorated. I feel like I was just in a different zone.”

Arreola, a good amateur with a solid fundamental foundation and plenty of punching power, thinks about what could’ve been had he developed a better work ethic earlier in his career but he doesn’t dwell on it, saying more than once, “I should’ve, I could’ve, but I didn’t.”

Instead, he’s looking forward.

“I feel there’s still time to change a little bit of my future,” he said. “I’m not saying I will be a world champion [although] I still want to be world champion. I’m saying … people could look at me differently how I end my career instead of the middle part of my career.”

The 2020 year-end award leaders as of today

These are the fighters to beat in selected year-end categories so far in 2020.

The year in boxing has been limited to two-plus months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, not many elite boxers have had the opportunity to fight in 2020. Some did, though. And a few of those made massive statements in the ring before the sport was shut down completely last month.

Of course, it’s too early to determine who will win year-end awards. After all, the sport almost certainly will resume sometime in the next several months.

That said, these are the fighters to beat in selected categories so far.

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

Tyson Fury

Slam dunk. Fury and Deontay Wilder fought to a controversial draw in December 2018. The rematch, on Feb. 22 in Las Vegas, wasn’t even competitive. Fury, employing a more-aggressive strategy, dominated the then-titleholder from beginning to end. He put Wilder down in Rounds 3 and 5 and finally stopped him in Round 7. Fury just never gave Wilder and chance to unload his big right hand. It was a virtuoso performance in a super fight, which made the accomplishment all the more spectacular.

Runner up: Jeison Rosario

***

KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR

Ryan Garcia KO 1 Francisco Fonseca

Tyson Fury’s stoppage of Deontay Wilder was the most important knockout so far. Garcia gave us the most spectacular. Some background: Garcia, the charismatic 21-year-old lightweight contender, had already generated a great deal of intrigue with two early knockouts in 2019. He simply added to the excitement against the veteran Fonseca on Feb. 4. A single left hook relieved the Nicaraguan from his senses and took out breath away only 80 seconds into the fight.

Runner up: Fury KO 7 Wilder

***

UPSET OF THE YEAR

Jeison Rosario TKO 5 Julian Williams

Williams’ stature going into the Jan. 18 fight was what made Rosario’s thorough victory special. Remember, Williams, the then-junior middleweight titleholder, was coming off a career-defining victory over Jarrett Hurd eight months earlier. He had climbed onto some pound-for-pound lists. And Rosario, a Dominican, beat the you-know-what out of him. Rosario hurt Williams about two minutes into Round 5 and followed with a brutal barrage of hard shots the forced the referee to end the fight and give Rosario the title.

Runner up: Robert Helenius TKO 4 Adam Kownacki

***

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

Roman Gonzalez

The former No. 1 fighter pound for pound had already won back-to-back fights since he lost consecutive bouts to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2017, the second loss being a brutal knockout. Still, many had doubts about whether the 32-year-old Nicaraguan was still an elite fighter. He proved against then-unbeaten junior bantamweight titleholder Kal Yafai on Feb. 29 that he has plenty more to give. He gave Yafai a boxing lesson for eight-plus rounds and then stopped him in Round 9. Vintage Gonzalez.

Runner up: Mikey Garcia UD 12 Jessie Vargas

***

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

Joseph Diaz Jr.

Diaz, the former U.S. Olympian, had failed in attempts to win a major title and a secondary one, losing on the cards to Gary Russell Jr. and failing to make weight before outpointing Jesus Rojas, which precluded him from winning the belt. Some wondered whether Diaz would ever get over the hump. And then he did. Then-junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer was one of the hottest fighters around yet an inspired Diaz took him to school, winning a decision that wasn’t as close as the cards indicate to finally claim a belt.

Runner up: Jeison Rosario TKO 5 Julian Williams