Noah Hurowitz: The solidarity rally for George Floyd (and Breonna Taylor) has basically filled up the plaza in front of the Barclays Center
Tag: Barclays Center
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].”
James Dolan – The Madison Square Garden …
James Dolan – The Madison Square Garden chairman, who has tested positive for coronavirus, but is said to have mild symptoms, is paying arena workers in his many venues through at least May 3 and has established a $2.3 million relief fund for them. Joe Tsai – With help from the Nets’ owner, China is donating 2,000 much-needed ventilators to New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday. Cuomo singled out Tsai, his wife Clara Wu Tsai and Jack Ma, co-founder, with Tsai, of Alibaba, for helping to make it happen. Tsai has also pledged to pay Nets and Barclays Center workers through the end of May if games and events are canceled, as is expected.
Robert Helenius on Anthony Joshua: ‘I think I would beat him’
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: ‘A lot of great fighters lost and came back’
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.”
Robert Helenius reminds us that perseverance can pay off
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
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
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 open to fighting Adam Kownacki again but in Finland
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.
Chicago Bulls at Brooklyn Nets odds, picks and best bets
Previewing Sunday’s Chicago Bulls at Brooklyn Nets sports betting odds, picks and best bets
The Chicago Bulls (21-42) and Brooklyn Nets (28-34) will do battle at Barclays Center at 3 p.m. ET Sunday to kick off the day’s NBA slate. We analyze the Bulls-Nets odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Bulls at Nets: Key injuries
Bulls
- PG Ryan Arcidiacono (Achilles) questionable
- PG Kris Dunn (knee) out
- SF Chandler Hutchison (shoulder) out
- PG Zach LaVine (quadriceps) questionable
- PF Luke Kornet (ankle) out
- PG Max Strus (knee) out
Nets
- SF Kevin Durant (Achilles) out
- PG Kyrie Irving (shoulder) out
- SG Garrett Temple (knee) out
Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.
Bulls at Nets: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 11:35 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Nets 118, Bulls 109
Moneyline (ML)
The Nets (-239) are a bit too expensive on the moneyline. While they’re fully expected to win, you can’t risk so much for such little return. AVOID, and look to the spread.
Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The NETS (-6.5, even) have dominated this series, covering seven of the past nine meetings against the Bulls (+6.5, -121). Look for the good times to continue to roll for Brooklyn. They steamrolled San Antonio by a 139-120 count last time out, and they have covered three of the past four overall. The Nets hammered the Bulls 133-118 in this building on Jan. 31, covering a 5 1/2-point number, too.
Over/Under (O/U)
The OVER 221.5 (even) is worth a small-unit play, although it might not be until the final ticks before it limps across the finish line. The over is 4-1 in Brooklyn’s past five outings, and the over has hit in each of the past five meetings in this series, including the past four battles at Barclays Center.
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Robert Helenius scores stunning knockout of Adam Kownacki
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.
That’s the heavyweight division.
Efe Ajagba dominates Razvan Cojanu en route to ninth-round KO
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.