NEW YORK – Adam Kownacki had hoped he would’ve gotten the opportunity first to try the tactics that worked so well for Tyson Fury in his rematch against Deontay Wilder.
Kownacki always felt that his persistent pressure and right hand would’ve been difficult for Wilder to handle had they fought for the WBC heavyweight title Wilder lost to Fury on February 22 in Las Vegas. That’s why Kownacki felt some personal disappointment the night Fury floored Wilder twice and stopped him in the seventh round.
“That’s why I was always calling Wilder out,” Kownacki told BoxingScene.com prior to a press conference Thursday at The Tillary Hotel in Brooklyn. “I feel like styles make fights and I feel with the pressure, I would give Wilder a lot of problems. I guess Tyson Fury figured that out, too, and that’s what he decided to do. He came in a little heavier, too. I think he was his heaviest, 273, I think. So yeah, he definitely came with a good game plan.”
The unbeaten Kownacki will employ a similar strategy Saturday night, when he’ll face Finland’s Robert Helenius in a 12-round main event FOX will televise from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The 30-year-old contender will have to wait longer for the title shot he expected to come against Wilder either later this year or early in 2021, but he is interested to see how Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) responds to his first defeat when he fights Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) a third time, probably July 18 in Las Vegas.
“I was surprised at how one-sided it was,” Kownacki said. “I knew Fury could out-box him. I didn’t think he would hurt Wilder the way he did. That was a big shocker for me. I didn’t think he would knock him out, even though he said it, but he did it. I’m wondering how the third fight will be, what Wilder will bring and what he’ll change in his game. He still has that big right hand, though, and that’s a game-changer.”
The Polish-born, Brooklyn-bred Kownacki hopes Wilder wins their third bout because it’d at least create a clearer path toward a title shot.
Anthony Joshua already has two mandatory defenses due against Kubrat Pulev (IBF) and Oleksandr Usyk (WBO). The Fury-Wilder winner might have to make a mandatory defense versus Dillian Whyte by next February, but that’s contingent on Whyte winning his fight against Alexander Povetkin on May 2 in Manchester, England.
“We’re both with PBC, with Al Haymon, so I think it would be a fight that the fans would love, especially here in Brooklyn,” Kownacki said of the possibility of boxing Wilder at Barclays Center. “I think it would turn out Barclays Center. He has a big following here. He fought in Brooklyn a lot of times. This is my 10th fight here at Barclays, too. I think the crowd would be electric.”
Kownacki (20-0, 15 KOs) and Helenius (29-3, 18 KOs) will headline a FOX tripleheader set to start at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.