Kownacki Hopes to Land His Biggest Shots Inside the Fair Pole

As far as pugilistic heroes and role models go, the notorious heavyweight Andrew Golota, whose frequent in-ring indiscretions led to his being nicknamed

Published

5 years ago

September 3, 2018

Bernard Fernandez

As far as pugilistic heroes and role models go, the notorious heavyweight Andrew Golota, whose frequent in-ring indiscretions led to his being nicknamed the “Foul Pole,” might seem to be a curious choice. But Golota – a bronze medalist for Poland at the 1988 Seoul Olympics whose actual first name is Andrzej, Americanized for professional purposes after he moved from Warsaw to Chicago in 1990 – was successful and popular with his countrymen when he wasn’t mentally imploding. For a frightened, seven-year-old child recently arrived in Brooklyn, N.Y., from the old country, idolization of Golota seemed perfectly reasonable to Adam Kownacki. If Golota could appear on television in America before large, enthusiastic crowds of Polish emigres waving their birth nation’s flag, little Adam determined, why shouldn’t he be able to do the same when he grew up?

Adam Kownacki (the proper pronunciation of his family name is KOZ-NOSKI) is 29 now and not so little anymore at 6-foot-3 and, depending on how many kielbasas he had for lunch, usually somewhere between 250 and 260 pounds on fight night. Ranked No. 10 by the WBC and 12^th by the IBF, Kownacki (17-0, 14 KOs) hopes to take another step toward the heavyweight championship of the world, or at least an alphabetized version of it — something never achieved by Golota, or by anyone else with similarly deep Polish roots – when he takes on former IBF titlist Charles Martin (25-1-1, 23 KOs) Saturday night in the co-featured 10-rounder on Showtime at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, in support of the main event which pits former 147-pound champions Danny Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) and Shawn Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) for the vacant WBC welterweight title.

“I’m ready to make a statement on Sept. 8,” Kownacki said of a hazy, long-held dream that is beginning to come into somewhat clearer focus, and likely more so should he take care of business against Martin. “I hope after this fight, when I get the `W,’ I’ll be in line for a title shot.”

Those jostling for position behind the current best of the big men, WBA/IBF/WBO champ Anthony Joshua of England and WBC ruler Deontay Wilder from the college football capital of Tuscaloosa, Ala., are many, diverse of nationality and mostly impatient. In addition to Kownacki, the list of heavyweights-in-waiting include New Zealand’s Joseph Parker (24-2, 18 KOs), England’s (by way of his native Jamaica) Dillian Whyte (24-1, 17 KOs), Cuba’s Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (29-1, 25 KOs), Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs) and Americans Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (20-0-1, 18 KOs), Bryant Jennings (24-2, 14 KOs) and Dominic Breazeale (19-1, 17 KOs). But it is largely a recycled group; Parker is a former WBO champ who lost on points in a unification matchup with Joshua, while Ortiz, Breazeale, Jennings and Kubrat all had previous shots at the title and came up short. Whyte still hasn’t fought for the big prize yet, but he was stopped in seven rounds by a pre-championship Joshua in a competitive and entertaining scrap on Dec. 12, 2015.

That leaves only Kownacki and Miller as truly fresh meat, which might make either or both more attractive to the survivors of the Sept. 22 pairing of Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs) and Russia’s Alexander Povetkin (34-1, 24 KOs) in London and that of Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) and comebacking, still-lineal champ Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KOs), which is expected to take place in November or December in Las Vegas, although no date has been announced.

So, exactly how good is Kownacki, or, perhaps more to the point, how good can he be if his progression proceeds as rapidly as his supporters believe?

Although Lou DiBella is not technically Kownacki’s promoter (the fighter is part of Al Haymon’s deep Premier Boxing Champions stable), he has staged many of Kownacki’s bouts, as will be the case on Saturday night, and he is firm in his belief that the kid who was first drawn to boxing through his fascination with Golota has a reasonable chance to go where no Polish or Polish-American heavyweight has gone before. And so what if Kownacki doesn’t have six-pack abs or a withering scowl that suggests he is always ready to rip an opponent’s lungs out?

“Adam’s not ripped, he doesn’t have the physique of an Adonis,” DiBella said. “He’s always had a little bit of baby fat on him. He has a baby face. He’s also not 6’7”. He looks less athletic than he really is, so people tend to sleep on him. But if I was another heavyweight contender, I wouldn’t want to fight Adam Kownacki. In my mind, he’s a legit heavyweight championship contender.”

Already a drawing card at the Barclays Center – the Martin fight will mark his seventh appearance there, where he is beginning to be greeted as enthusiastically as was Golota whenever and wherever he carried Poland’s boxing banner into action — the main knock on Kownacki to date is that his resume is a bit thin. The most recognizable opponent he has defeated is another Pole, Artur Szpilka, whom he stopped in four rounds on July 14, 2017, also at Barclays. Kownacki is quick to point out that he disposed of Szpilka quicker than did Wilder, who needed nine rounds to get Szpilka out there in their title bout on Jan. 16, 2016 at Barclays.

Now another litmus test of sorts presented by the 32-year-old Martin, a 6’5” southpaw who has the six-pack abs Kownacki doesn’t and, lest we forget, had brief possession of the IBF title, a vacant championship he won in somewhat dubious fashion on the undercard of Wilder-Szpilka when Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Glazkov badly injured his right ankle in the third round and was unable to continue. Martin’s reign lasted only 84 days, the second shortest in heavyweight championship history to Tony Tucker’s 64 days as IBF titlist in 1987. Nor was the way Martin relinquished his title pretty; he was blasted out in two rounds by Joshua in London, and he landed only three of 58 attempted punches before the finish. More than a few observers have called Martin’s feeble effort that night arguably the worst performance ever in a heavyweight title bout.

Martin has since won two fights in emphatic fashion against journeymen Byron Polley and Michael Marrone, and he insists he is not showing up to serve as anyone’s steppingstone on the way to bigger and better things. “My goal is to become a two-time world champion, man,” Martin, clearly miffed as being portrayed as a has-been or, worse, a never-really-was, said when asked how he viewed his role in this crossroads contest. “I’m here to show people I’m legit. I’m real. I got to prove all the haters wrong.”

And therein is the crux of a fight that might not really settle much, no matter what the outcome. Although Martin wants to prove all the haters wrong, Kownacki might not do much to prove all his supporters right even if he tunes up Martin, whose stock couldn’t have fallen any lower than it did after he served as a heavy bag to the vastly superior Joshua. It will probably take one, and possibly two or three, victories over a higher level of competition for Kownacki to snag the shot at the world title belt he dares to believe is his destiny.

If he someday makes it all the way to the top, it likely will establish him as the most iconic of Polish boxing icons. Although Krzysztof Wlodarczyk is a two-time former cruiserweight champion, Darius Michalczewski was a long-reigning super middleweight champ and Tomasz Adamek won titles as both a light heavyweight and cruiser, Polish fighters are 0-7 in bids to become king of the heavyweight hill. Golota lost all four of his title shots, coming up short against Lamon Brewster, John Ruiz, Chris Byrd and Lennox Lewis, but he is probably better known for his meltdowns in two non-title disqualification losses in fights he was winning against Riddick Bowe, as well as for quitting against Mike Tyson and Michael Grant, biting Samson Po’uha’s neck and flagrantly head-butting Danell Nicholson. That crazy-quilt career of highs and lows sets Golota apart from other Polish fighters who have lost heavyweight title bouts, a list that includes Szpilka, Adamek and Albert Sosnowski.

“Andrew is remembered, but for the wrong reasons,” Sam Colonna, one of the trainers who futilely tried to fit together the jumble of puzzle pieces in Golota’s mind, once said. “Nobody remembers the good, only the bad, and with Andrew there was a lot of bad. The rap on Andrew never has been that he couldn’t fight or didn’t have talent. It’s always been that he couldn’t handle pressure.”

Now along comes the nice-guy, even-keeled Kownacki, a veritable “Fair Pole” who would appear to be everything that the now-49-year-old Golota was not. Maybe, just maybe, the biggest difference of all could be Kownacki’s possible ascendance to ultimate heavyweight glory.

Bernard Fernandez is the retired boxing writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is a five-term former president of the Boxing Writers Association of America, an inductee into the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Atlantic City Boxing Halls of Fame and the recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism and the Barney Nagler Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing.

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Bernard Fernandez

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Undercard Results from the Canelo-Charlo Card in Las Vegas

Published

3 hours ago

September 30, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Undercard-Results-from-the-Canelo-Charlo-Card-on-Las vegas

Undercard Results from the Canelo-Charlo Card in Las Vegas

In a heavyweight battle slated for 10, Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs) stopped LA trial horse Scott Alexander (17-6-2) after four frames. Alexander’s corner attempted to stop it in the waning seconds of the fourth, but the referee did not see it and the bell rang before the fight was waived off.

Alexander had one big moment. In the opening round, he rocked Sanchez with a short right hand. But from there, it was all Sanchez in a rather messy fight.

A Miami-based Cuban defector, Frank Sanchez came in ranked #3 by the WBO, #4 by the WBC, and #5 by the IBF. His best win came in this building, a comfortable decision over Efe Ajagba in October of 2021. Alexander also fought here. In his previous visit to the T-Mobile, he was knocked out in the opening round by Zhilei Zhang.

Former WBO light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, in his third fight back since ending his retirement, improved to 20-0 (16) with a second-round stoppage of 38-year-old Brazilian Isaac Rodrigues (28-5). Gvozdyk, 36, left the sport after getting beat up by Artur Beterbiev, but got the itch and is pursuing a fight with Dmitry Bivol.

In an 8-round middleweight fight, 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (24-3-1) won a majority decision over Keandre Leatherwood (23-9-1). The judges had it 76-76 and 78-74 twice. Once a highly regarded prospect, Gausha is spinning his wheels. Leatherwood, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had been stopped four times.

Guadalajara super lightweight Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela advanced to 28-3-1 (17 KOs) with a sixth-round stoppage of overmatched Colombia import Yves Gabriel Solano (15-3). This was redemption of sorts for Valenzuela who lost an unpopular 12-round decision to Montana Love in his last outing inside these walls.

Kazakh super middleweight Bek Nuramaganbat (11-0) continued his fast ascent of the 168-pound ladder with a third-round stoppage of Bola Osundairo. A 30-year-old Chicago-based Nigerian, Osundairo was a 2021 USA National Champion at 178 pounds.

A four-round middleweight contest between Abilikhan Amankul (4-0-1, 4 KOs) and Joeshon James (7-0-2, 4 KOs) ended in a draw. Although he didn’t win, Sacramento’s James continued to exceed expectations. In previous contests he KOed previously undefeated Richard Brewart and fought to a draw with Top Rank signee Javier Martinez. Amankul, a 26-year-old Kazakh, lost a split decision to eventual gold medal winner Hebert Conceicao in the Tokyo Olympics.

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David Avila is ringside. Check back later for his report of the Canelo-Charlo fight and the main supporting bouts.

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Opetaia Demolishes Thompson in London; Wallin Upsets Gassiev in Turkey

Published

6 hours ago

September 30, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Opetaia-Demolished-Thompson-on-London-Wallin-Upsets-Gassiev-in-Turkey

In his first defense of his IBF cruiserweight title, Australian southpaw Jai Opetaia demolished overmatched Jordan Thompson in the featured bout of a Matchroom card at London’s Wembley Arena. Opetaia (23-0, 18 KOs) overwhelmed Thompson (15-1) from the opening gun and had the six-foot-six Mancunian on the canvas twice before the match was waived off at the 20-second mark of round four.

An Olympian at the age of 16, Opetaia won the title 15 months ago with a unanimous decision over longtime title-holder Mairis Briedis. Noting that Opetaia broke his jaw in two places early in that contest, prominent Australian sporting journalist Simon Smale called it “one of the bravest, gutsiest, victories in Australian boxing history.”

Following that fight, Opetaia had to eat through a straw for several months. Hence, there were questions about whether his jaw would hold up and whether he would show ring rust in his first title defense. But the towering Thompson, whose nickname is Troublesome, although game, proved to be no trouble whatsoever for Opetaia who would be favored to beat any cruiserweight in the world, no matter the locale.

Opetaia may return to England for his next fight which would be a unification match with Bournemouth’s 18-1 Chris Billam-Smith who captured the WBO version of the 200-pound title in May with a surprisingly one-sided decision over favored Lawrence Okolie. The other cruiserweight title-holders are the well-traveled Badou Jack (WBC) and the French-Armenian boxer Arsen Goulamirian (WBA).

Four female fights were on the undercard including two 10-rounders, both of which were won by the “A side” Englishwomen.

In her first title defense, Ellie Scotney, a 25-year-old Londoner, retained her IBF world super bantamweight title and improved to 8-0 at the expense of 37-year-old Argentine veteran Laura Soledad Griffa (20-9). In a rather monotonous fight, Scotney won every round on two of the scorecards and nine rounds on the other.

Rhiannon Dixon, a 29-year-old southpaw, had a surprisingly easy time with Norwegian veteran Katharina Thanderz, a former world title challenger. Dixon (9-0) won every round on all three cards. Thanderz, who trains in Spain, declined to 16-2.

Wallin-Gassiev

In a 12-round heavyweight fight in Antalya, Turkey, Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs) won a split decision over Murat Gassiev (30-2). This was a dull fight. Owing to various issues, Gassiev had answered the bell for only eight rounds in the previous seven years and his vaunted power had deserted him. True, he landed the harder punches, but Wallin, who kept pecking away with his jab, was far busier and won the fight on volume alone. Two of the judges had it 115-113 for the Swede who is 6-0 since going 12 rounds with Tyson Fury. The other judge scored it for Gassiev by a bizarre 117-111.

Opetaia-Thompson photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 254: Canelo vs Jermell Charlo in a Battle of Undisputed Champions

Published

1 day ago

September 29, 2023

David A. Avila

Avils-Perspective-Chap-254-Canelo-vs-Jermell-Charlo-in-a-Battle-of-Undisputed-Champions

LAS VEGAS-Less than the usual massive crowd gathered for boxing kingpin Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Jermell Charlo in the desert heat outside of the T-Mobile Arena on Friday afternoon. Usually the weigh-ins are slightly bigger for Mexico’s idol.

Is the declining crowd an indicator of Alvarez fans ebbing belief in his abilities?

Still, on Saturday night, two undisputed world champions from differing divisions will collide as Guadalajara, Mexico’s Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) meets Houston’s Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena for the super middleweight world championship. PPV.Com will stream the clash of champions.

This year has seen a hyper-speed uptick in champions fighting other champions, perhaps the result of watching their female counterparts Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor produce the biggest fight of 2022. This year several marquee collisions were spawned from lightweights to heavyweights.

Or maybe the pandemic lull created a twitch panic among the elite.

Charlo was one of those who had been sidelined while others like Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Naoya “Monster” Inoue and Canelo Alvarez filled their pockets with cash. And others like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez gained undisputed glory.

Instead of watching on the sidelines, Charlo decided to make his move for greater glory by attempting to dethrone one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, if not the kingpin of boxing when it comes to money.

“If I accomplish this massive goal, it will be hard to top,” Charlo said a few weeks ago during his media workout. “I’ll be in the record book with the greats of boxing for a long time.”

Risks brings rewards.

Canelo, long a member of the boxing elite, has held his position as the box office king for many years now by taking the daunting risks throughout his boxing life.

“Jermell is right, I have nothing to prove. But this time I have something to prove to him,” said Alvarez while in Las Vegas on Wednesday. “He never believed in my skills. He’s been calling me out. Now I have an opportunity to show him my skills.”

Undisputed super welterweight will challenge undisputed super middleweight in a two-division jump not often seen, except for Henry Armstrong, Roberto Duran and Sugar Shane Mosley. It’s the road taken by those who seek to be great.

Both are 33 but the redhead Alvarez has been fighting professionally since he was 15. That’s a lot of bullets in the chamber he has already used. Charlo has height, speed and the ability to adapt to different styles. Stylistically, it’s a battle that makes even the skeptics take pause.

It all depends on Alvarez’s resiliency. Charlo has ring rust, while Alvarez seemingly has lost the hunger. Whose weakness will prove the greater?

“Now is the time for this fight. We’re in our primes and at our best,” said Charlo. “I wanna shake the doubters off and prove to the world why I”m in this position. There’s a reason I made it this far.”

Alvarez remembers being as hungry as Charlo.

“I never overlook any fighter,” Alvarez said. “I know what he’s going to bring and I’m ready.”

Undercard

Several other notable bouts are included on the pay-per-view card.

Former world titlists and current welterweight contenders Yordenis Ugas (27-5) and Mario Barrios (27-2) battle for an interim title set for 12 rounds.

Super welterweights Jesus Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) and Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs) match skills in a match that pits a southpaw veteran against an undefeated southpaw from Arizona. For the past three years Ramos has been moving up the ladder and was last seen pounding out highly-touted Joey Spencer. Can he survive Lubin who nearly toppled Sebastian Fundora?

Doors open at T-Mobile Arena at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

Lampley is back

Legendary HBO announcer Jim Lampley was hired along with ace reporter Lance Pugmire who will co-host the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez versus Jermell Charlo showdown via viewer chat live on PPV.com.

It’s the same concept used by Monday Night Football that features former quarterback greats Peyton Manning and Eli Manning in alternative programming.

Lampley returns to boxing after a five-year absence following HBO’s yanking of the popular program that vaulted elite boxing to the top behind the likes of George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.

The veteran announcer will be live streaming all the action on media platforms before and during the fight action. He was sorely missed by all who follow the sweet science.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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