Tag: Joey Dawejko

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].”

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.

Adam Kownacki to face Robert Helenius on March 7 in Brooklyn

Polish heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki is set to face Robert Helenius on March 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Polish heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki will headline a trio of heavyweight fights March 7 on Fox at Barclays Center in his hometown of Brooklyn, it was announced yesterday by Premier Boxing Champions.

Kownacki, who has been a decent draw in recent years, will face Robert Helenius in a matchup that will not likely titillate boxing’s hardcore fan base. But should Kownacki defeat Helenius as expected, he said he will pursue the winner of the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch on Feb. 22. Kownacki is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Chris Arreola last August. 

“It’s great to be fighting in Barclays Center for the 10th time,” Kownacki said. “The last nine bouts ended in victory for me, and March 7 won’t be any different.… I know Helenius will be looking to pull an upset and take my place in the rankings, but I won’t let that happen. I’m already in camp with my trainers Keith Trimble and Chris Carlsen getting ready. After this fight, I want the winner of Wilder vs. Fury II.”

Initially, there was speculation that Kownacki would face Dominic Breazeale, but that fight never materialized.

The 36-year-old Helenius (29-3, 18 KOs) is 2-1 in his last three fights, including a stoppage loss to Gerald Washington in July 2019. The Finn also lost to contenders Dillian Whyte and Johann Duhaupas.

“This is the fight I have been waiting for,” Helenius said. “All of the years of training and fighting will pay off when we fight on March 7. Kownacki is about to feel the strength of Thor’s hammer. I respect him for taking this fight, but he chose the wrong opponent. This is not going to be a fight; it’s going to be a war. I will be the last man standing.”

On the undercard, hard hitting Nigerian heavyweight Efe Ajagba (12-0, 10 KOs) will fight in a 10-round bout. His opponent hasn’t been selected. The 25-year-old is coming off a thrilling donnybrook against Iago Kiladze in which both fighters tasted the canvas before Ajagba earned a fifth-round stoppage.

Also, undefeated Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez (14-0, 11 KOs) will take on Philadelphia’s Joey Dawejko (29-7-4, 11 KOs) in a 10-round bout.