The Hauser Report: Adam Kownacki and a Sad Night at Madison Square Garden

Published

2 years ago

June 25, 2023

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Sometimes a fight seems like a wake with the body in the ring. That was the feeling I had at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night when Adam Kownacki fought Joe Cusumano in the chief support bout for Edgar Berlanga vs. Jason Quigley.

Kownacki (now 20-4, 15 KOs, 3 KOs by) was once groomed as an opponent for Deontay Wilder. But Robert Helenius stopped him twice. Then Adam lost his third fight in a row (by decision against Ali Eren Demirezen).

Cusumano (22-4, 20 KOs, 1 KO by) had been knocked out in the first round by Daniel Dubois in his only outing against a world-class opponent and was as “safe” an opponent for Kownacki as promoter Eddie Hearn could get past the New York State Athletic Commission.

There was talk that Hearn was considering Kownacki as an opponent for Anthony Joshua’s next outing in August. But first, Adam had to get by Cusumano.

Kownacki was a heavy betting favorite, in large measure because of Cusumano’s shortcomings. It was a “must-win” fight for Adam. But his last three outings had also been must-win fights. And Adam had lost all of them.

Against Cusumano, things went wrong for Kownacki from the start. Cusumano shook him with right hands in round one and dropped him face first with fifteen seconds left in the stanza. Adam struggled to his feet, not just because he was supposed to but because he’s a fighter at heart and was still trying to win the fight. The bell saved him.

Kownacki rallied to win rounds two and three. There was no quit in him. But there wasn’t much else either except his heart. He’d come into the fight with a gas tank that was close to empty, and now the engine was running on fumes.

Both fighters were slow, lumbering, and easy to hit. Both men threw punches in bunches. And very few of those punches missed. The main question regarding the outcome was how Cusumano’s chin would hold up if Kownacki hit him flush. But Adam doesn’t hit as hard as he once did. In the ring, he’s now a shell of his former self.

The end came two minutes into round eight with Kownacki being battered around the ring, woozy but still on his feet, and his corner throwing in the towel. The fight was too sad to be entertaining but it was dramatic.

I’ve known Adam for a long time. I like him. He shouldn’t fight anymore. I don’t want to hear, “Oh, I hope Adam doesn’t fight again but he’s going to fight anyway, so I’ll do the best I can to protect him.”

Adam shouldn’t get hit in the head anymore. Not in sparring and not in a fight. Shame on anyone who, in any way, facilitates his fighting again.

* * * *

Saturday night marked a return to the scene of an ongoing problem that has long plagued the New York State Athletic Commission. Too often, the judging in New York is atrocious.

Two weeks ago, Teofimo Lopez fought Josh Taylor at Madison Square Garden. Lopez outlanded Taylor by a two-to-one margin and also landed the heavier blows. It was hard to find more than three rounds that could be credibly scored for Taylor. But two judges (Joe Pasquale and Steve Gray) gave him five. Indeed, had Taylor won the last round, the fight would have been declared a draw. And if Taylor had scored a flash knockdown, he would have won the fight. But since (according to CompuBox), Taylor was outlanded 20-to-2 in the final stanza, not even Pasquale and Gray could score that round for him.

Steve Weisfeld had Joe Cusumano ahead of Adam Kownacki by a 68-64 margin when that fight was stopped (which, in the eyes of this observer, was the correct score). Ken Ezzo’s scorecard was even, which was beyond the pale.

That brings us to Berlanga-Quigley.

Berlanga began his career with a gaudy streak of sixteen consecutive first-round knockouts. Then the competition got tougher. He’d been taken the distance in his last four fights. Quigley had never beaten a world-class fighter, was knocked out by Tureano Johnson and Demetrius Andrade, and had fought only once since 2021. That fight, in Dublin, was a ten-round decision over a Hungarian fighter named Gabor Gorbics who has now lost forty times and is winless in his last 31 outings.

Hearn was hoping to groom Berlanga as an opponent for Canelo Alvarez. Indeed, in the build-up to Berlanga-Quigley, Edgar posted on social media, “If me and Canelo fought, easily we’ll do over 1.5 million in PPV buys.” That was a silly assertion, but indicative of the path that he and Hearn hoped to follow. Then, hours after the final pre-fight press conference for Berlanga-Quigley, Canelo announced that his next fight would be in September with Premier Boxing Champions on Showtime PPV. That fight, it was later reported, would be the first under a three-bout contract.

Berlanga talks the talk. But so far, he hasn’t stepped into the ring against a world-class opponent to walk the walk. Against Quigley, he looked one-dimensional. Jason had faster hands and better footwork but lacked the power to hurt Edgar. Berlanga dropped him in round three. And the normally-reliable Harvey Dock mistakenly called a knockdown in round five when Quigley slipped and hit the canvas. But Jason fought his way back into the fight, finding a home for some sharp right hands. Then Edgar finished strong, dropping Quigley twice in the twelfth round.

I gave Quigley five rounds. Two of the judges gave him four. Judge Nicolas Esnault gave him two, which wasn’t a credible scorecard.

The New York State Athletic Commission might say, “Well, Lopez-Taylor was a WBO title fight, so we didn’t appoint the judges.” But the NYSAC had jurisdiction over the fight and final approval of the judges. The Commission might also say with regard to all three fights, “The right guy won, so what’s the problem?”

The problem is that, too often, the wrong guy (or woman) wins in New York. And the New York State Athletic Commission doesn’t correct the situation. It doesn’t even acknowledge that the problem exists.

The day after Taylor-Lopez, I emailed the public relations officer for the NYSAC asking for comment from executive director Kim Sumbler regarding the judges’ scoring of that fight. There was no response. Nine days later, I followed up with a second email. Again, there was no response.

Judges are entrusted with the livelihood and legacy of every fighter who participates in a bout that they watch over. That’s a huge responsibility. Too often, it’s placed in the hands of men and women who aren’t up to the task.

Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – In the Inner Sanctum: Behind the Scenes at Big Fights – was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland / Matchroom

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Thomas Hauser

Thomas Hauser is the author of 52 books. In 2005, he was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America, which bestowed the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism upon him. He was the first Internet writer ever to receive that award. In 2019, Hauser was chosen for boxing's highest honor: induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Lennox Lewis has observed, “A hundred years from now, if people want to learn about boxing in this era, they’ll read Thomas Hauser.”

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

6 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his least three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, delivered the coup-de-gras, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

16 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

Published

22 hours ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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