Adam Kownacki Groomed Tough By His Brooklyn Roots

By Thomas Gerbasi

There are bigger places for a boxer to come from, but few are better than Brooklyn, New York.

Just ask Greenpoint heavyweight Adam Kownacki, who left an immediate impression in, of all places, a May 2015 walkout bout at Barclays Center against Ytalo Perea.

Taking to the ring after Amir Khan’s win over Chris Algieri, Kownacki was in a position no fighter wants to be in. The main event was over, the crowd was leaving and the press was busy filing their stories or heading to the post-fight press conference.

But out of nowhere, a roar went up as Kownacki stepped between the ropes, and a crowd of fans wearing red “Baby Face” shirts had stuck around to cheer on the Polish prospect.

“It was awesome,” Kownacki said. “It’s a great feeling knowing that I have such a strong support system that has my back. It’s what motivates me every day to get better and just keep on improving.”

Kownacki’s fans had a late night, but they went home happy, as he improved to 10-0, going the distance for the first time as he nearly shut Perea out. He’s since added two more wins, and the fan base keeps on growing with his win tally.

“It’s mostly friends and family, but then there’s friends of friends, friends of family, and it’s just a whole big community,” he said. “I grew up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, so anybody over there usually comes out to support me. New York has a pretty big Polish community, so people from there come out. It’s a great feeling.”

For the 26-year-old, the secret to his appeal is simple.

“I always try to put on exciting fights – I throw a lot of punches and try to get a knockout,” he said. “I’m 12-0 with 10 knockouts and I always try to make the show exciting.”

He laughs.

“I know I’ve gotta work more on my appearance, get rid of the belly fat, because right now the competition’s getting much tougher, and I have to improve that. That’s my New Year’s resolution, to make sure that in a couple months that stomach is flat and abs are showing.”

Abs never won a fight, but that hasn’t stopped Kownacki from putting in the long hours in the gym to prepare for his third Barclays appearance against 9-1-1 Danny Kelly on January 16. When this interview was conducted, it was New Year’s Eve and Kownacki was heading to the gym for his last workout of 2015, eager to get 2016 off to a big start. And he’s got big plans.

“This fight with Dan Kelly is my last eight-rounder and then I want to get a couple 10-rounders,” he said. “The plan is to win those in good fashion, and hopefully get into the rankings. And hopefully late 2016, early 2017, get a title shot.”

It’s an ambitious schedule, but why not shoot for the stars? It’s the beauty of being young, unbeaten and in a division where the right breaks can change your life’s path forever. Kownacki knows this better than most, as the breaks can go the other way too, and they did for him when injuries to his left hand and bicep turned him from a 4-0 prospect to a 4-0 question mark that was left on the sidelines for nearly three years.

During those dark times, Brooklyn intervened.

“I used to be walking around the neighborhood and people would go ‘yo, when are you fighting again, when’s the next fight? Come on, get into shape. We’re waiting for you to come back.’ That really motivated me and kept me driving. It’s a real pleasure to show these people that I’m able to do something for them, that a kid from Greenpoint can make something of himself.”

Since returning in 2013, Kownacki has won eight fights, reunited with former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko for some sparring, and in the course of his work with coach Keith Trimble, he got a November trip to Melbourne, Australia for something few, if any, prospects get to experience.

“That was awesome,” Kownacki said of his visit to UFC 193, where he helped corner UFC light heavyweight Gian Villante, who competed in front of 56,214 fans at Etihad Stadium. “I went there for a mini-camp and also to support Gian, so that was great. But the walk out, that was ridiculous. It was something I never experienced. It was a stadium with over 55,000 people, and I even got goosebumps. Imagine fighting somewhere like that. I know that day is coming for me soon, so it was a great experience to experience something like that beforehand.”

The way he sees it, it’s a precursor to the day when he headlines an arena with a heavyweight championship on the line, and you can guess that his hometown will be well represented in that crowd. That’s the payoff for Kownacki, who believes he was built for this.

“As a kid in Brooklyn, you get into a scuffle or two growing up, so it’s something that was always a part of my life,” he said. “I tried karate when I was little, but it wasn’t too aggressive; It was more about self-discipline and stuff. And boxing was about fighting, and that’s human nature. Throughout history there’s been violence and war, and me being from a Polish background, we’ve been through a lot. So I guess that’s just in my DNA.”