The 2020 TSS Award Season Continues with the Upset of the Year

History repeated itself on March 7 in Brooklyn. Twelve years earlier, on August 6, 2008, Albert “The Dragon” Sosnowski, a Polish heavyweight with a 43-1 record, was the victim of a stunning upset when he was totally dominated by feather-fisted Zuri Lawrence who won a unanimous decision. Lawrence brought a 23-14-4 record and had never stopped a professional opponent.

The house at Brooklyn’s Aviator Sports Complex was rocking that night with rabid Polish fans looking to celebrate an expected beatdown. On March 7 of this year, Barclays Center, also in Brooklyn, was again rocking with rabid Polish fans—you could almost smell the kielbasa—as Adam “Babyface” Kownacki (20-0) faced off against Robert Helenius (29-3), a Finnish veteran who was expected to be the Pole’s 21^st victim.

Helenius had fought stiffer opposition, which might have served as a warning, but he seemed past his prime at age 36 and had been KOd by one of Babyface’s victims– Gerald Washington. According to an article in Forbes, the odds favoring Kownacki climbed steadily in the week leading into the fight, cresting in the 30/1 range.

Things didn’t last long. The 6’6” Helenius, nicknamed the Nordic Nightmare, quickly solved The Pole’s take-two-to-give-one strategy, hurting and stopping him in the fourth round. The crowd and the boxing world were stunned and so was Babyface as he lamented, “Just got caught with something stupid. I’ll be back.”

Ted Sares can be reached at tedsares@roadrunner.com

Check out more boxing news on video at the Boxing Channel 

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE