Heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki suffered a shocking loss to Robert Helenius on Saturday night in his hometown of Brooklyn.
Kownacki, 30, entered the fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn undefeated at 20-0. He was in line for a possible fight against Andy Ruiz Jr., but those plans were derailed by Helenius.
Helenius dropped Kownacki in the fourth round in what the referee treated as a slip.
WHAT A SHOT!
Robert Helenius drops @AKbabyface in Round 4. #KownackiHelenius pic.twitter.com/a8rmQKYf9S
— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) March 8, 2020
Kownacki was wobbly after that and could barely defend himself, leading to a stoppage a minute later.
TKO an undefeated fighter
Get 30th winIt’s safe to say Robert Helenius had an amazing night! #KownackiHelenius pic.twitter.com/BuOkEdfeq7
— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) March 8, 2020
“It wasn’t my night,” Kownacki said after the fight. “It’s boxing. It’s a tough sport and things just didn’t go my way tonight. It was a learning experience and I’m going to go back to the drawing board and get back to work.
“He hit me with a good shot. I knew what was going on, but I’m just upset with myself. It is what it is.”
Kownacki is now 20-1 (15 KOs), while Helenius improves to 30-3 (19 KOs). Kownacki was a heavy favorite and still went down. This, along with Ruiz Jr.’s upset over Anthony Joshua, is another reminder of how unpredictable heavyweight boxing can be.
