03-09-2020, 11:20 PM
Breaking down Robert Helenius' major upset of Adam Kownacki
Mar 8, 2020
In a fight that was presumed to be an afterthought for Adam Kownacki, Robert Helenius earned a TKO victory in Saturday night's heavyweight title eliminator at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and likely set himself up for at least a few significant fights to come.
To put this fight into perspective, sportsbook William Hill had Kownacki as a -2500 favorite as betting closed, as compared to +900 odds for Helenius. This was not supposed to happen.
So how did we get another major upset in the heavyweight division? Let's break down the biggest questions of the night.
What happened to Kownacki? Did he overlook Helenius?
While it's impossible to get inside the mind of Kownacki, who like every other fighter will give you the cliché about taking every opponent seriously and focusing on one fight at a time, I find it hard to believe he wasn't caught looking ahead just a bit. There's a reason Helenius was selected: He's 36 years old, and just two fights ago, he was stopped in eight rounds by the limited Gerald Washington. Helenius was thought of as a relatively safe opponent with a bit of name recognition.
A right hand in the fourth round sent Kownacki down near the blue corner (which was incorrectly ruled a slip by referee David Fields) and that started his downfall. While Helenius didn't get credit for the knockdown, the physical damage was done. Helenius was potentially aided by the missed call, in fact, as Kownacki wasn't given the customary mandatory eight count. Kownacki was quickly sent down to the canvas for the first official knockdown, and once he got up, he faced a barrage by Helenius. Fields waved off the fight at 1:08 of the round to cement the shock result.
Premier Boxing Champions, which only recently had all four major heavyweight titles back at the start of December with Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr., was lining up Kownacki for the WBA belt, as this was billed as an elimination bout, despite the logjam of fights already in place. Given the fact that he has become a significant draw at Barclays Center with his sizable contingent of Polish fans in Brooklyn, the Kownacki Express was supposed to keep on rolling.
Instead, we had a train wreck. You wonder if Kownacki and his team regret turning down that incredibly lucrative offer to face unified titleholder Anthony Joshua on short notice as a late replacement for Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller in June 2019.
Where do these two fighters go, considering the current landscape of the heavyweight division?
Helenius celebrates after defeating Kownacki by KO during their WBA title eliminator Saturday night. Michael Owens/Getty Images
For Helenius, you try to go for the biggest money fight possible. With his victory over Kownacki, he now puts himself in position with the WBA (whose belt is held by Joshua), but chances are Helenius will have to wait in line for that opportunity, behind Kubrat Pulev -- and potentially behind the winner of Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III and Oleksandr Usyk. But suddenly "The Nordic Nightmare" is a wanted man who has punched his ticket to a few more paydays in the heavyweight division.
How about Ruiz? Ruiz-Kownacki had been bandied about before this weekend, and, well, why not reward the guy who just upset the apple cart? How would Ruiz deal with the height and right hand of Helenius? It would be an intriguing fight, given the respective styles of both fighters.
As for Kownacki, who felt as though he was just a step or two from a heavyweight title shot, he'll have to move further back in line. But he is still a marketable fighter. Given his association with PBC, a fight against Charles Martin, who recently knocked out Washington on the Wilder-Fury II undercard, is a very makeable fight and one that could get Kownacki back on track -- if he wins. There's also Dominic Breazeale, who is still a recognizable name and would give Kownacki a chance to deal with another tall fighter with a long reach -- something that, given his size and stature, Kownacki must learn how to deal with if he wants to succeed at heavyweight.
Something else to consider for Kownacki: For Saturday night's fight, he weighed in just a touch over 265 pounds, at 6-foot-3. Just a few years ago, when Kownacki stopped Artur Szpilka in four rounds, he was 242. No matter who he faces in the near future, less is more.
Mar 8, 2020
In a fight that was presumed to be an afterthought for Adam Kownacki, Robert Helenius earned a TKO victory in Saturday night's heavyweight title eliminator at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and likely set himself up for at least a few significant fights to come.
To put this fight into perspective, sportsbook William Hill had Kownacki as a -2500 favorite as betting closed, as compared to +900 odds for Helenius. This was not supposed to happen.
So how did we get another major upset in the heavyweight division? Let's break down the biggest questions of the night.
What happened to Kownacki? Did he overlook Helenius?
While it's impossible to get inside the mind of Kownacki, who like every other fighter will give you the cliché about taking every opponent seriously and focusing on one fight at a time, I find it hard to believe he wasn't caught looking ahead just a bit. There's a reason Helenius was selected: He's 36 years old, and just two fights ago, he was stopped in eight rounds by the limited Gerald Washington. Helenius was thought of as a relatively safe opponent with a bit of name recognition.
A right hand in the fourth round sent Kownacki down near the blue corner (which was incorrectly ruled a slip by referee David Fields) and that started his downfall. While Helenius didn't get credit for the knockdown, the physical damage was done. Helenius was potentially aided by the missed call, in fact, as Kownacki wasn't given the customary mandatory eight count. Kownacki was quickly sent down to the canvas for the first official knockdown, and once he got up, he faced a barrage by Helenius. Fields waved off the fight at 1:08 of the round to cement the shock result.
Premier Boxing Champions, which only recently had all four major heavyweight titles back at the start of December with Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr., was lining up Kownacki for the WBA belt, as this was billed as an elimination bout, despite the logjam of fights already in place. Given the fact that he has become a significant draw at Barclays Center with his sizable contingent of Polish fans in Brooklyn, the Kownacki Express was supposed to keep on rolling.
Instead, we had a train wreck. You wonder if Kownacki and his team regret turning down that incredibly lucrative offer to face unified titleholder Anthony Joshua on short notice as a late replacement for Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller in June 2019.
Where do these two fighters go, considering the current landscape of the heavyweight division?
Helenius celebrates after defeating Kownacki by KO during their WBA title eliminator Saturday night. Michael Owens/Getty Images
For Helenius, you try to go for the biggest money fight possible. With his victory over Kownacki, he now puts himself in position with the WBA (whose belt is held by Joshua), but chances are Helenius will have to wait in line for that opportunity, behind Kubrat Pulev -- and potentially behind the winner of Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III and Oleksandr Usyk. But suddenly "The Nordic Nightmare" is a wanted man who has punched his ticket to a few more paydays in the heavyweight division.
How about Ruiz? Ruiz-Kownacki had been bandied about before this weekend, and, well, why not reward the guy who just upset the apple cart? How would Ruiz deal with the height and right hand of Helenius? It would be an intriguing fight, given the respective styles of both fighters.
As for Kownacki, who felt as though he was just a step or two from a heavyweight title shot, he'll have to move further back in line. But he is still a marketable fighter. Given his association with PBC, a fight against Charles Martin, who recently knocked out Washington on the Wilder-Fury II undercard, is a very makeable fight and one that could get Kownacki back on track -- if he wins. There's also Dominic Breazeale, who is still a recognizable name and would give Kownacki a chance to deal with another tall fighter with a long reach -- something that, given his size and stature, Kownacki must learn how to deal with if he wants to succeed at heavyweight.
Something else to consider for Kownacki: For Saturday night's fight, he weighed in just a touch over 265 pounds, at 6-foot-3. Just a few years ago, when Kownacki stopped Artur Szpilka in four rounds, he was 242. No matter who he faces in the near future, less is more.