Robert Helenius has overcome injuries to regain his status as a player in the heavyweight division.
It’s amazing how one victory can change everything.
Robert Helenius was seen as a has-been when he stepped into the ring to face Adam Kownacki on March 7 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Finn walked out as a major player in the heavyweight division for the first time since the early 2010s.
Helenius, demonstrating that power is the last thing to go, stunned the boxing world by stopping the then-unbeaten Kownacki in only four rounds.
Now he could be only one more victory away from challenging for one of the belts owned by Anthony Joshua, who rebounded from his upset loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. to regain his titles last December.
“I think it would be a very interesting fight [against Joshua],” Helenius told Sky Sports. “I would like that very much. It would be fireworks and tactics, of course, but I think it would be a very, very interesting fight for me. I was very surprised that he got knocked [out by Andy Ruiz Jr]. He made mistakes, but he did well in the second fight.
“Ruiz and me are very different fighters. We are the same height, Anthony and me. I’ve been there in a sparring camp with him. I have nothing personal against him, he’s a very good guy. I think very highly of him and I like him a lot, but I think I would beat him.”
And he’d be happy to face Joshua in the U.K.
“Of course, the Vikings have been there many times before,” Helenius said. “Yes, that is exactly what I’m planning to do (a Viking invasion).”
Another possible opponent for Helenius? Tyson Fury. Helenius has sparred with both Joshua and Fury.
“It’s a whole different fight,” he said of a prospective meeting with Fury. “… I would not reveal … secrets, how I would go about the fight. It’s also a very interesting fight.”
Helenius (30-3, 19 KOs) said he’s in position to talk about such lucrative matchups because he’s healthy for the first time in a long time.
“I think it’s because I’ve been training injury-free for a couple of years now,” The 36-year-old said. “I had a lot of problems after my shoulder injury and shoulder operation. Dealing with a lot of problems with hand operations and stuff like that. I was sick, I had a lung disease, and I think I’m bouncing back.
“I hope I will get the biggest fight. I don’t really care who I’m fighting next, so I’m going to be ready for whoever comes in my way.”
Adam Kownacki says he learned from his loss to Robert Helenius on Saturday and is confident that he can come back.
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.”
Joe Goosen will train heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev for the latter’s title shot against Anthony Joshua, the trainer announced…
Joe Goossen isn’t the deliberating type. When you make him an offer, expect a response in three to five business days. One if he’s really sold on it.
In case you haven’t heard, Goossen is really sold on Kubrat Pulev. The veteran trainer is set to begin working with the Bulagrian heavyweight contender, who is looking to upset British kingpin Anthony Joshua on June 20 in London.
Goossen made the announcement while he was working the Fox broadcast of Robert Helenius’ shocking win over Adam Kownacki last Saturday night in Brooklyn. He said he’ll leave for Bulgaria this week to start training Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs), a decision one would imagine would have required some reflection. Leaving the sunny climes of Southern California, where Goossen is from, for the rust belt of Eastern Europe at this time of the year, after all, is generally a pretty big ask.
Of course, the chance to train one of the principals in a massive heavyweight title fight is a powerful incentive. Less than 24 hours after receiving the offer, Goossen was bugging Pulev’s handlers for YouTube links.
“I just found out about [the Pulev offer] yesterday (Friday) and I’ve been watching film,” Goossen told Boxing Junkie as he was leaving Barclays Center on Saturday.
And the verdict?
“I really like his style,” he said. “He fights like a middleweight.”
Goossen, who hails from one of the most storied boxing families in the business, has some history working with middleweights, most notably Michael Nunn. He has famously worked with the Ruelas brothers, Gabriel and Rafael, and the late Diego Corrales.
As for as heavyweights go, Goossen has helped mold the likes of Lance Whitaker, Dominick Guinn, Malik Scott and Lionel Butler. Most recently, he trained Chris Arreola for his fight against Kownacki last year. The point is he’s been around the block and seen a few things. He has experience. Pulev’s Bulgarian handler Ivaylo Gotzev – Pulev is also co-promoted by Top Rank – apparently wants some of that vast know-how to rub off on his client.
“I got a call from his promoter Ivalo out of the blue,” Goossen said. “I’ve known Ivaylo for 25 years, and he thought of me, and I’m glad he did, and I was more than happy to take the job.”
Of course, Goossen has yet to actually work with Pulev. So far, everything’s been based on the eye test. After a lifetime in the sport, Goossen, 66, has a pretty reliable set of eyes.
“I think we’re going to make a good fit,” Goossen said. “His style is good, and I think he’s going to make a good fit for me. That’s about it.”
One hopes it will be as good a fit as one of those natty denim jackets Goossen likes to wear.
Robert Helenius reminded us with his dramatic knockout of Adam Kownacki that perseverance can pay off.
GOOD
Robert Helenius?
The “Nordic Nightmare” hadn’t been a relevant heavyweight for close to a decade. The tall, lean Finn was taken seriously around the time he beat in succession Samuel Peter, Sergey Liakhovic and Derek Chisora, but that was in 2011.
Since then, injuries and promotional issues ended whatever momentum he had built and periodic losses – to Johann Duhaupas, Dillian Whyte and, only eight months ago, Gerald Washington (by knockout) – prevented him from regaining it.
Indeed, how he ended up in a title eliminator against Adam Kownacki on Saturday in Brooklyn is anybody’s guess.
Well, it doesn’t matter how opportunities arise. The idea is to take advantage of them when they do. And he certainly did.
Helenius, who never gave up on himself, used guile and toughness to withstand the blanket of punches with which Kownacki smothers his opponents to score one of the biggest upsets in recent months, a fourth-round knockout before thousands of stunned Kownacki fans at the Polish-American’s home arena, Barclays Center.
Helenius, 36, said beforehand that he was as healthy as he had been in years and that he his training was going well. He said in so many words that he was embarrassed by the loss to Washington, which only made him more determined to succeed in what is probably the last stage of his career.
And he reminded us that a heavyweight – almost any heavyweight – can turn a fight in an instant because of inherent strength. He hurt Kownacki with a right hand, which caused a “slip,” and it was all downhill from there for Kownacki.
As a result, Helenius went from all-but-forgotten to a major player in the sport’s glamour division overnight. He’s the No. 1 contender for one of Anthony Joshua’s titles and in position for other lucrative matchups.
Only in boxing.
BAD
Adam Kownacki was as stunned as anyone after he was stopped by Robert Helenius on Saturday in Brooklyn. AP Photo / Frank Franklin II
Live by the sword, die by the sword. Kownacki learned this lesson the hard way.
Kownacki has been willing to take punches in order to give them because he generally outpunches you, both in terms of volume and power. That has been a winning formula. The problem is that, at some point, one or two of those punches you take are going to hurt you.
That’s what happened to him on Saturday. He fell victim to both a big, strong opponent and inevitability. Helenius hurt him with that first right hand and he simply couldn’t recover.
The first loss is always hard for anyone to swallow. The fact it came by brutal knockout in Kownacki’s case will have been particularly painful emotionally.
The good news is that life and boxing careers go on. If Kownacki is smart, he will have learned a valuable lesson from the setback. He shouldn’t change who he is, a high-energy fighter who outworks his opponent almost every minute of every round. That plan of attack is what has made him effective and exciting.
At the same time, he can’t ignore defense entirely. Reckless aggression can lead to disaster, as we saw on Saturday. Dial it back just a bit. Put more emphasis on avoiding punches both in the gym and come fight time. That change could help Kownacki avoid another disaster and perhaps prolong his career.
It’s all part of the learning process. Kownacki could come back a better fighter.
WORSE
Canelo Alvarez still hasn’t announced who he will fight on May 2. Ethan Miller / Getty Images
OK, I’m ready for the incessant speculation over who Canelo Alvarez will fight on May 2 to end. I’m ready for that announcement, which is expected this week.
Don’t get me wrong. Such chatter has always been a part of boxing at its highest level. Who will fight whom? It can be fun. With Alvarez, though, it seems to go on and on … and on, with offers being made and rejected seemingly on a daily basis. Only those involved know what’s true and what’s merely rumor.
And it’s not as if the fans are going to get a payoff for the long wait.
I applauded Alvarez for moving up to light heavyweight in what turned out to be a successful attempt to take Sergey Kovalev’s title. I still think that was a bold move. The same goes for his previous fight, a real risk against Daniel Jacobs.
Unless I’m shocked, the opponent about to be announced will not have been worth the wait. Everyone seems to be convinced that Billy Joe Saunders will be lucky lottery winner. That fight makes sense in that Alvarez can add a genuine title in a fourth division with a victory. However, from a fan’s standpoint, it’s hard to get excited about Alvarez vs. Saunders.
Alvarez and Co. would’ve had to choose another top light heavyweight (Artur Beterbiev?) or a third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin to truly pique our interest. Saunders doesn’t do it.
I’ll get excited as Alvarez’s next fight approaches. I always do. He’s one of my favorite fighters. As for who he’ll fight? Let me know when the contracts are signed and the actual announcement is made. Until then, it’s just boring.
Robert Helenius was noncommittal about his immediate future but is open to fighting Adam Kownacki again in Finland.
Robert Helenius suddenly has some leverage.
The Finnish heavyweight, who scored a major upset when he stopped then-unbeaten Adam Kownacki in the fourth round Saturday in Brooklyn, hinted afterward at a rematch in Finland but he is not obligated to give Kownacki one.
There was no rematch clause in their contract, according to BoxingScene.com.
“You know, I have to think about it,” Helenius said. “Like I said, I have to take a couple days off and relax. I’ve been training like a crazy dog for many, many months now and I need a break. You know, just a couple weeks, be with the family and doing nothing.”
If they fight again, Helenius likes the idea of a home-field advantage. He joked about the fact Barclay’s Center was packed with fans of the Polish-born Kownacki on Saturday.
“I think the crowd treated me unfairly,” Helenius said, tongue in cheek. “That’s normal. If we take the fight back to Finland and make a rematch there, probably the crowd in Finland would treat him the same way.”
Helenius is the No. 1 contender for one of Anthony Joshua’s three titles but no one knows when the Englishman might get around to him.
Thus, Helenius will probably fight someone else in the meantime. Only one thing is certain: He’s in a better position today than he was when he woke up on the Saturday morning.
Kubrat Pulev will work with trainer Joe Goossen for his fight with heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua.
Kubrat Pulev is adding some experience to his corner in hopes of an upset of heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Veteran trainer Joe Goossen will begin working with Pulev this week in Bulgaria.
“I’ll be in the ring with Kubrat Pulev,’’ Goossen said Saturday while working as a ringside commentator for the telecast of Robert Helenius’ fourth-round stoppage of Adam Kownacki in Brooklyn. “I’m his new trainer. I’m going to take off for Bulgaria next week and then to London for the press conference.’’
Goossen will be in the underdog’s corner for Pulev’s mandatory shot at Joshua on June 20 at Tottenham in north London.
For Goossen, it’s a chance to train his first heavyweight champion. Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) has won eight straight since Wladmir Klitschko stopped him in five rounds in November, 2014 in Germany. Goossen’s resume includes several champions, but all in the lower weight classes. He worked with Diego Corrales, Michael Nunn, Gabe Ruelas and Rafael Ruelas.
At heavyweight, Goossen, 66, has been in the corner for Lance Whitaker, Dominick Guinn, Malik Scott, Lionel Butler and Chris Arreola. He was in Arreola’s corner for his loss to Kownacki by unanimous decision on August 3 in Brooklyn.
Robert Helenius scored a major upset by stopping Adam Kownacki in Round 4 of their title eliminator Saturday in Brooklyn.
Adam Kownacki dominated most of his opponents but he could be hit. That cost him dearly on Saturday.
Robert Helenius, a seemingly faded but still powerful fringe contender, put Kownacki down with a right-left combination and then followed with a hellacious flurry of hard shots that forced referee David Fields to end the title eliminator in the fourth round at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, Kownacki’s home town.
The result was shocking given Kownacki’s previous success, as he had overwhelmed one opponent after another with his relentless aggression en route to a perfect record coming into Saturday’s fight.
However, the native of Poland learned the hard way that such a style – combined with limited defensive skills – can lead to your demise.
Kownacki (20-1, 15 KOs) fought typically well for three-plus rounds, attacking Helenius (30-3, 19 KOs) with purpose and landing more punches than the taller (6-foot-6½) Finn. He seemed to be on track to another impressive victory.
We might’ve seen a clue of what was to come in Round 2, when Helenius, proving he wasn’t there to roll over, rocked Kownacki with a few punches in wildly entertaining exchanges. Kownacki actually took a step backward at one moment, which was a strange sight.
The end came swiftly in Round 4. Helenius landed a hard right hand during a violent exchange in one corner that knocked Kownacki to one knee. Fields ruled it a slip but replays showed that it was a knockdown. And Kownacki was hurt.
Moments later Helenius landed his big right-left and down went Kownacki onto his back. He got up fairly easily but couldn’t adequately defend himself as Helenius unloaded what seemed to be dozens of hard, accurate shots that gave Fields no choice but to end matters before thousands of Kownacki’s disappointed fans.
The official end came at 1:08 of Round 4.
Helenius, a former contender hoping to make a strong statement at 36 years old, thrust his arms in the air in triumph. He instantly became a significant player once again in the sport’s glamour division, meaning big paydays could lie ahead.
That’s remarkable given that he was stopped in two rounds by another fringe contender, Gerald Washington, only two fights earlier.
Kownacki, dazed and confused, was left to wonder what hit him. He’s still young, only 30, and determined. He’ll probably bounce back. But this one hurts. Gone is his perfect record. And gone is any chance of a major championship fight anytime soon.
Efe Ajagba dominated Razvan Cojanu en route to an 11th-round knockout on the Adam Kownacki-Robert Helenius card Saturday in Brooklyn.
Efe Ajagba looked every bit the heavyweight prospect on the Adam Kownacki-Robert Helenius card Saturday night in Brooklyn.
Ajagba’s fight against Razvan Cojanu looked largely the same from beginning to end, which Ajagba controlling almost every moment of every round. What looked different when the fight was stopped in the ninth round was Cojanu’s battered face.
Ajagba, fighting behind his steady jab, pounded Cojanu to both the head and body round after round until the Romanian began to break down in the middle rounds.
Cojanu took a knee after absorbing a straight round with about a minute remaining in Round 8. And Ajagba stayed on top of him until Cojanu did the same thing in the ninth, the fighter’s way of saying he had taken enough punishment.
Referee Ron Liption ended the fight at that point.
Ajagba (13-0, 11 KOs) was coming off a fifth-round stoppage of Iago Kiladze but the Nigerian went down in that fight. There were no slip-ups against Cojanu. It was complete domination.
Cojanu (17-7, 9 KOs) has now lost five of his last six fights.
In another heavyweight fight on the card, prospect Frank Sanchez, who reportedly had more than 200 amateur fights for his native Cuba, defeated Joey Dawejko by a near-shutout decision in a 10-round bout.
Sanchez, who is 6-foot-4 and athletic, easily outboxed the shorter Dawejko behind a long jab, landed more than enough power shots to win rounds and demonstrated the ability to use his feet to stay out of harm’s way from the opening bell.
Dawejko, only 5-10 and portly, simply couldn’t get close enough to Sanchez to land punches with any consistency.
Sanchez (15-0, 11 KOs) outlanded Dawejko (20-8-4, 11 KOs) by about a 2½-1 ratio to win 100-90, 100-90 and 98-92.
Adam Kownacki weighed in Friday at 265¼ pounds for his title eliminator against Robert Helenius on Saturday at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn.
Adam Kownacki remains as beefy as ever.
The Polish-born, Brooklyn-based heavyweight contender weighed in Friday at 265¼ pounds for his title eliminator against Robert Helenius on Saturday at Barclay’s Center in Kownacki’s hometown.
That’s three quarters of a pound less the career-high 266 Kownacki (20-0, 15 KOs) weighed for his last fight, a unanimous-decision victory over Chris Arreola in August.
Helenius (29-3, 18 KOs) weighed in at 238½ even though, at 6-foot-6½, he’s 3½ inches taller than Kownacki.
Kownacki’s weight doesn’t seem to slow him down. He threw an eye-popping 1,047 punches in the 12-round Arreola fight.
Helenius is coming of a second-round knockout of Mateus Roberto Osorio but was stopped himself by Gerald Washington in eight rounds in his most-recent meaningful fight.
Trainers Joe Goossen and Ronnie Shields are big fans of fast-rising heavyweight Adam Kownacki, who fights Robert Helenius on Saturday.
Adam Kownacki is accumulating fans worldwide as a result of his aggressive, heavy-handed style and ongoing success.
Among those fans are respected trainers Joe Goossen and Ronnie Shields, both of whom expressed their admiration for the Polish-born heavyweight on the most-recent The PBC Podcast. Goossen has had several up-close looks at Kownacki, in the opposite corner as trainer of Chris Arreola and as a Fox TV analyst. Shields has watched from afar.
Kownacki (20-0, 15 KOs) faces Robert Helenius (29-3, 18 KOs) in a title eliminator Saturday at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, Kownacki’s hometown, on Fox.
“I love this guy,” Shields said on the podcast. “He’s one of the most exciting heavyweights in the division right now. He brings it, man. Just looking from the outside looking in, he’s a very exciting guy and he can fight.
“So I look forward to seeing his fights all the time. He’s one of those guys you just want to keep looking at over and over because you know he’s going to bring it.”
Goossen feels the same way about Kownacki, who is 6-foot-3 and weighed in at a typically thick 265½ on Friday.
“Listen,” Goossen said and then chuckled. “He’s an unusual character in this game. He’s a real force in the ring. … When you see him up close and personal, he’s a very, very sturdy looking guy and I’m using the loosest of terms. Just his wrists, his calves, his thighs. Just everything about him is extra big, extra thick.
“Not only that but he’s very, very active in the ring. In other words, he throws an inordinate number of punches for a heavyweight. … And he takes a great punch. He’s very hard to dissuade from enforcing his will upon you and he normally succeeds at doing just that.”
Of course, Goossen said, Kownacki isn’t a perfect fighter.
For example, Kownacki landed an impressive 369 punches (of 1,047 thrown) but also took 298 (of a heavyweight record (1,125) in his 12-round, unanimous-decision victory over Arreola in August. In other words, Kownacki can be hit.
That’s something he should work on, Goossen said.
“He’s hard to hurt, I tell you that,” Goossen said. “But … defensively, yes, he makes some mistakes that could cost him dearly against extremely powerful punchers.”
And Goossen feels Kownacki was surprised by the resistance he met from Arreola, so much so that he learned a valuable lesson.
“Kownacki said something very interesting to me in his last fight, which was against Arreloa, in the ring after the fight. … He said, ‘I needed this fight,’” Goossen said. “… I think we kind of caught him off guard. I think he may have let his guard down in training just a bit. Being a professional he probably worked very hard but he might say to himself, ‘I can work harder,’ like every fighter. … I think that fight really woke him up.”
Still, Goossen believes Kownacki has been ready for a title shot for some time.
“A world title shot for him could’ve come several times just in the past year or so,” he said. “It’s not that he wasn’t ready to fight somebody for a world title. It’s just a matter of getting that business opportunity. I think that’s going to be coming up once the air clears soon with [titleholders Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua].
“With a big win Saturday night, I think he puts himself very close to getting an opportunity to fight for a world title. … I think it’ll eventually happen for Kownacki. And when it does, he’s got a great chance of becoming a world champion.”
