Robert Helenius knocked out Adam Kownacki in the 4th round at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Kownacki (20-1, 15 KOs) fought the wrong fight and paid dearly for it. The Polish previously undefeated prospect was shocked by strong performance by “Nordic Nightmare”.
Helenius (30-3, 19 KOs) is now the mandatory to the WBA heavyweight champion of the world – Anthony Joshua.
“I wanted to keep fighting, of course. I wanted to go down swinging,” said Kownacki after his loss. “He caught me with a good shot, and I was in trouble. He did what was best for me. It’s boxing. You’ve got to protect yourself at all times.”
“One moment you’re not being cautious and you get caught with a big shot, and the fight changed, especially in the heavyweight division,” said Kownacki. “But it was a learning lesson. I’m still young, and I’m still beautiful. So I’ll be back. There’s no rematch clause, but hopefully, we can make it again. I don’t want to go out like this,” said Kownacki.
