More so than local support, the greatest joy felt by Adam Kownacki fighting at home is recalling how he first gravitated to the sport.
The unbeaten heavyweight contender returns to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for the 10th time in his career as he faces Finland’s Robert Helenius this Saturday atop a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox tripleheader. The bout will mark his fifth straight appearance at the venue and second in a row as a headlining act, and with every occasion drawing raucous support for the Polish slugger.
Barclays Center has developed as a boxing hotbed since opening its doors to the sport in 2012. Kownacki’s first appearance there came three years later, a dream come true for the aspiring contender from the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, a heavily Polish-populated community whose famed McGolrick Park served as his place of comfort even before he considered taking up the sport.
“I used to spend a lot of time at this playground as a kid,” Kownacki (20-0, 15KOs) revealed during a recent Fox Sports profile. “I was teased at. They made fun of my Polish accent. I was a little bit chubby so kids always found a reason to pick on me. It was kid stuff, but kids know how to get under your skin and make kids feel like they're nothing.
“So this is where I learned how to get tough, where I learned how to fight. This is where it all started for me.”
Kownacki was a 16-year old high school student by the time he first stepped foot in the iconic Gleason’s Gym. His first full year as an amateur boxer included his taking the top prize in the New York Golden Gloves tournament, repeating honors in 2009 while claiming top runner-up in the two years in between.
Following his second Golden Gloves championship, Kownacki made his way to the pro ranks. He’d largely served as undercard filler while on the rise, but his fan-friendly style and box-office appeal generated demand for televised appearances and more favorable placement on Brooklyn-based shows.
Each of his last four appearances at Barclays have generated favorable energy, including wins over Gerald Washington and Chris Arreola in his two ring appearances in 2019. The rabid support is a tribute to the tight-knit community he proudly serves—and one that always had his back at a time when he was exiled from other circles.
“I was born in (Poland), I came to USA when I was seven years old. My parents moved to Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Greenpoint, back then was Little Poland,” Kownacki says of the area which—like most of Brooklyn these days—has since fallen prey to gentrification. “Polish people are very proud. We've always been kicked down, but always united together and pick each other up.
“The community I grew up with is a great support system. You see all the red shirts, all the faces I seen growing up. It's something truly amazing knowing the whole community got my back.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox