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

6 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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Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Haney-Garcia-Redux-with-the-Focus-on-Harvey-Dock

Saturday’s skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated – the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort – but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.

Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.

The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadn’t previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haney’s second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter – watching at home – as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.

In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. “At the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,” said Garcia. “He could have stopped that fight.”

Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the “under,” undoubtedly felt the same way.

The internet lit up with comments assailing Dock’s competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.

Stephen A. Smith, reputedly America’s highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: “This referee is absolutely terrible….Unreal! Horrible officiating,” tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.

Harvey Dock

Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jersey’s Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.

A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.

Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dock’s 364^th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they weren’t even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.

On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.

Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few “premature stoppages” were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.

With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dock’s Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)

Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

The Haney-Garcia fight wasn’t Harvey Dock’s best hour, I’ll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.

—

While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on “X” that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.

Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.

FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie “Blazing Saddles,” described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.

Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaiman’s rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.

Haney’s mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.

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In a Shocker, Ryan Garcia Confounds the Experts and Upsets Devin Haney

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

David A. Avila

In-a-Shocker-Ryan-Garcia-Confounds-the-Experts-and-Upsets-Devin-Haney

Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia knocked down WBC super lightweight titlist Devin Haney three times to remind everyone of his fighting abilities in winning by majority decision on Saturday.

“I just knew what I could do,” Garcia said.

Fans will not forget the lanky kid from Victorville, California now.

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) fooled everyone in playing crazy weeks before the fight, then showed shocking power to hand Haney (30-1, 15 KOs) his first loss as a professional at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Haney’s WBC super lightweight title was not at stake for Garcia because he weighed three pounds over the limit.

After Garcia seemingly acting out of control on social media, Haney’s guard must have slipped in the first round during the first few seconds as Garcia connected with that hellish left hook and Haney, with a look of shock in his eyes, almost went down. He barely survived the first round.

“He caught me with it,” said Haney.

During the next few rounds, Haney proceeded to advance toward Garcia seemingly fully aware of the lethal left hook. He used feints and rights to score with a busier approach as Garcia seemed cocked and ready to counter with a left hook.

In the fourth round it seemed Haney was confident he had regained control of the fight, but every time he opened up with more than a two-punch combination Garcia reminded him whose hands were faster and more dangerous.

Though Garcia seldom jabbed he seemed bent on looking for the right moment to unleash his deadly left hook. And every time the Southern California fighter opened up with a combination he scored and Haney dare not exchange.

A few times Haney smiled as if signifying he escaped.

In the seventh round Haney looked to punish Garcia’s body and instead was met with a three-punch combination included a left hook to the chin and down went Haney slumped on the ground. He managed to beat the count and as soon as Garcia came within reach Haney wrapped his arms around him with a python grip. Despite the warnings by referee Harvey Dock, the fallen fighter would not release and Garcia impatiently fired a weak punch during the break. The referee deducted a point from Garcia though he could have deducted a point from Haney for not obeying his instructions to release his hold. Haney actually went down three times in the round but only one was counted by the referee.

From that point on Haney was very cautious but still looking to win by decision.

Though Garcia kept using a shoulder-roll defense that left his body exposed, he would retaliate with three and four punch combinations that usually Haney could defend against other fighters.. But Garcia’s blazing combinations were too fast to defend.

In the 10^th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garcia’s right and a blinding left hook to the chin and another two blows that sent the former undisputed lightweight champion to the floor again.

It didn’t look good for Haney to survive.

Garcia walked into the 11^th round still composed and never out-of-control He dared Haney to exchange and when within striking distance Garcia unleashed another lightning combination and down went Haney again with a defeated look.

Both fighters had fought each other as amateurs six times so there were no surprises between them. But Garcia’s power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.

In the final round both were cautious with Garcia’s combination punching proving too dangerous for Haney to open up. Garcia celebrated early as the round ended confident of victory.

After 12 rounds Garcia was seen the victor by majority decision 112-112, 114-110, 115-109.

“You really thought I was crazy,” Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. “You guys hated on me.”

Other Bouts

Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdom’s Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McComb’s long reach and busy southpaw style gave Barboza trouble. But he managed to win the fight though the crowd was not pleased.

Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1) by technical decision after eight rounds due to a cut on his eye from an accidental head butt. It was a very competitive super middleweight fight.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John “Scrappy Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round scrap to upset the Los Angeles based fighter. After a few close rounds Jimenez simply bullied his way inside and forced Ramirez against the ropes and unloaded his guns.

After 12 rounds two judges saw it 117-111 and 116-114 all for Jimenez.

“I’m a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,” said Jimenez. “My corner told me I had to work inside.”

Charles Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) stepped on the gas early with vicious body shots and uppercuts and blasted through the resilient Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) for several rounds. After a brutal fifth and sixth round the referee halted the one-side beating in favor of Conwell who was fighting for the first time under the Golden Boy banner.

Another winner was Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5) by decision over Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1) in a super middleweight match.

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Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

Published

4 days ago

April 20, 2024

TSS Press

Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

One young man flew halfway around the world to take on a world champion in his own living room; not once, but twice. The other young man quit prior to one fight, and then again during another one.

The first guy mentioned is an obedient son of an ultra-streetwise father. The type of parent where, if he doesn’t know the answer (and more times than not he most likely does), he will know where to find it. The second guy doesn’t appear to have that quality guidance scenario going on for him, which is probably for the best, because he believes he has all the answers.

The first guy is on record as saying he wants to go down in boxing history as an all-time great. The other guy? He decided not to continue in a fight while he was still sporting an undefeated record. You may think to yourself if there was ever a time to soldier through, right?

Then yesterday, that same guy missed making weight by 3.2 pounds, and seemed to be more than fine with it, to the point where he actually appeared to be quite pleased with himself.

If you haven’t heard, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia are going to share a boxing ring in a twelve round go for God knows what will be at stake by the time they actually punch off. The fact that no one from Garcia’s team has stepped in and rescued him from these unfolding events, his own personal well-being, and/or not to mention Devin Haney is, well, troubling in and of itself.

Back in the amateur days, the record shows they split six fights. They were boys back then, so it means zero. If anything, you’d want to be the older of the two, and Ryan had over a three-month age advantage. If you’ve only been on the planet for a total of 120 months or so, every extra month could be a big enough difference in strength and development. Now as world class professionals in their prime? That’s different. Younger is always better. Devin is that guy.

Haney and Garcia fought six times for free but will fight only once as professionals. Then one of them will continue with their march for historic greatness, while the other will head back to Kamp Krazy, where he’s the current Mayor.

It’s never smart to lay 8-1, 9-1 in boxing. And if you see taking Garcia as a value bet with +500 to +600 and beyond, you don’t understand value and you evidently don’t like money.

There is, however, a wagering opportunity here.

Total Rounds: Fight doesn’t go 10.5 rounds.

Take anything over +125. It’s worth a unit on a scale of 5. Logically, there are a lot of ways to cash this ticket: legitimate victory, meltdown, catching lightning in a bottle, etc. Or simply the exiting stage left of a guy who may be already plotting his next career move.

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