Brooklyn local Adam Kownacki (20-0) & Robert Helenius (29-3) are in different stages of their career, and there’s a lot riding on both men putting forth a strong performance Saturday at Barclays Center.
Ahead of their public workouts each fighter moved through Gleason’s Gym with a calm and laid back demeanor. Internally the story is different, Kownacki hears the outside noise. Not only is “babyface” well aware of how overwhelming a favorite he is, he’s also cognizant of the potential appetizing heavyweight opponents on the other side of the rainbow. Despite being overheard saying that he expects to end the bout by knockout within the first three rounds, he said all the right things when he addressed the media.
Adam Kownacki won’t bite when asked if Ruiz in the summertime is on deck. He deflects with a playful smirk and says “Saturday first” #KownackiHelenius pic.twitter.com/GnOWmKJjKe
— Stephen Florival (@StephenFlorival) March 4, 2020
Ranked top 5 by the WBA, IBF, WBO and coming in the 6th spot in the WBC, Kownacki will have the home arena advantage having already fought in Barclays nine times. “Of course there’s pressure on me fighting at home.” Said the undefeated Polish contender. “But if you want to be great, you have to perform in those situations. It’s going to keep getting bigger and bigger and I’m going to keep putting the work in get better and better.”
His opponent, Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius is 36-years old with a wealth of experience having competed in over 200 amateur fights and having fought overseas for more than half a decade. The key to his success Saturday will be utilizing the jab and keeping his distance from Kownacki’s massive power.
“I can’t let him get too close to me. I’m going to try to control the distance. I’ve done everything I needed to in training so that I’m at my best on Saturday.” Helenius told BSO. “The jab will be my biggest weapon. I have to use it to setup the hard right behind it. I’ve had so many rounds in sparring working on everything, I don’t even know how many rounds it is.”
Anthony Joshua & Andy Ruiz Jr. are the two names most consistently linked to the winner of the heavyweight eliminator bout. Kownacki and his camp expect a title shot within the next year and a half if they can take care of business in the first half of 2020.
Flip the page for more sights and sounds from Wednesday’s workout day in Brooklyn.