Adam Kownacki & his desires to become HW champion

Adam Kownacki looks to bounce back against Ali Even Demirezen after suffering two consecutive losses.

This Saturday on Showtime, the theme going into the event will be “redemption.” Why redemption because the main event features former two-division champion Danny Garcia (36-3), who is coming off a 19-month layoff and losing to unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. (28-0). Serving as the co-main event, heavyweight Adam Kownacki (20-2) looks to bounce back from two straight losses by fighting Ali Eren Demirezen (16-1).

Kownacki is hard not to like, and it’s probably why so many of his fans fill the arena when he fights. The 33-year-old Polish fighter has a magnetic personality and is as tough as they come in the squared circle. Kownacki was on quite a roll since turning Pro in 2009, and after defeating Chris Arreola by unanimous decision in 2019, things seemed like they were pointing towards a title shot. That path seemed realistic until he met veteran heavyweight Robert Helenius(31-3) in March 2020. Kownacki was knocked out in the fourth round in what was considered a huge upset, and those plans for a heavyweight title shot disappeared.

The rematch was set for October 2021, and Kownacki was saying all the right things about being focused for the rematch. During the leadup to the fight, Kownacki’s wife was pregnant with their second child, but that was said not to be a distraction, and that victory would soon follow. Although that sounded good, Kownacki suffered the same fate in the rematch, but this time stopped in the sixth round. Although he didn’t want to admit it, his wife was due at any moment during fight week, so that had to weigh heavy on his mind.

Adam Kownacki vs Ali Eren Demirezen will be streamed live on Showtime this Saturday.

https://twitter.com/premierboxing/status/1550986619485708288?s=20&t=bTYqwMyHuKULJfpTd0J46Q

Kownacki told FanSided, “It was a new experience for me; being a father and my wife was due any day leading up to the fight. The fight was on the 9th, and she gave birth on the 15th. Even though I thought my head was in the right place, having such a big thing in front of you definitely takes your mind into other places. You have to really be there for the fight, and if not, bad things tend to happen. My orbital bone was broken in the first fight, and I wasn’t 100% focused in the second fight. No excuses and I thought I prepared for that situation but didn’t. It’s a learning lesson.”

After suffering back-to-back losses and being 33, some may assume that career choices would have to be made at that point. Kownacki admitted to naturally thinking about his career but still desires to become a heavyweight champion one day. Kownacki said, “The first thing that I thought about (after the fight) was using more defense (laughs). I still have the goal of being the heavyweight champion, and the (July)30th will be a stepping stone in that direction.”

Steering the focus to Saturday night, the question came up about training camp and whether there were any tweaks this time, considering the results of the last two fights. “I kept it the same, training out of Bellmore (Kickboxing Academy). There were a lot of different things going on last time, but for this fight, you will see much different results. I’ve been sparring a lot more and doing more physical training for this fight,” said Kownacki to FanSided.

Kownacki knows that he doesn’t have an easy opponent in front of him and has to work hard to have his hand raised in victory. Kownacki said, “He is a tough guy. He has won his last couple of fights, so he has momentum. He fights like a train, moves forward, and throws a lot of shots. We are well aware of what he brings and have a good game plan for this fight. He is a former Olympian with a lot of amateur experience, so he will be game.”

The Barclays Center will undoubtedly display a sea of red shirts representing Poland and rooting for their guy Kownacki. Knowing this, he has a message for his fans who will be in attendance and those watching. Kownacki said, “Thank you for the support, as I know the last couple of years have been tough. I appreciate all of the warm messages, as it really means a lot knowing that I have a huge fan base that wants me to succeed. The goal is to become a heavyweight champion and bring the title back to New York and my Polish fans.”

Does Kownacki have any plans for the rest of the year, or better yet, who would he like to fight in the near future? Kownacki chuckled a bit and said, “I’m looking forward to July 30th and focused on that. Call me on August 1st, and I’ll tell you what I’m doing the rest of the year (laughs).”