Comebacking Polish heavyweight and Brooklyn fan-favorite Adam Kownacki spoke at a virtual press conference on Thursday in advance of his return the ring on Saturday, July 30th live on Showtime from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Kownacki will take on Turkish Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen in a ten-round bout while Gary Antuanne Russell and Rances Barthelemy will meet in a 140-pound showdown. The event is headlined by two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia making his debut in the 154-pound division against Jose Benavidez Jr. Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DSG Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through seatgeek.com and barclayscenter.com.
[Winless since 2019,] the 33 year-old Kownacki will return to his home arena of Barclays Center, where he has previously fought ten times, compiling a 9-1 record in front of the area’s raucous Polish fans. Kownacki, and his longtime trainer Keith Trimble, seek an emphatic victory after back-to-back defeats and a chance to get back into contention for the heavyweight title.
Here is what Kownacki had to say Thursday:
ADAM KOWNACKI
“This is the biggest fight of my career. I have to win to stay relevant in the heavyweight division. I’m training hard and I’m ready to win.
“Having two kids these last few years has been life changing for me, but I can’t have everything with a cherry on top. I had to make more sacrifices in my life for this training camp to make sure that I stayed focused.
“I never thought I was done after fighting Robert Helenius. My goal is just to always go out there and do my best. My first boxing goal was to win the New York Golden Gloves, and I did that in my first year. My goal, now, is to win the world title, and that’s what I’m working toward.
“I had a good 20 fights, I hit a bump in the road, but on July 30 I’m coming to get a win and then I’m back on the right track. I want to get a world title shot in the next year or two, and with my team, I know that I can get that done.
“It’s going to be a red and white arena out there to support me. It’s going to be another great night. I can’t wait to be back in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.
“The footwork is really what we’re focused on. I remember being in camp with Wladimir Klitschko and being amazed by his footwork. I worked on it a lot back then but I got a little bit away from it.
“The fans are going to get what they always see with me. It’s fireworks. I can’t wait to be back in Brooklyn. Fight night can’t come soon enough.
“For a while, I could go blow for blow and come out on top. The past couple fights didn’t end that way, so we went back to some of our basics. That’s what I have to do to take the next steps.”
KEITH TRIMBLE, Kownacki’s Trainer
“We just have to get back to working behind the jab and working on the head movement. We can't get lackadaisical. You’re going to see better footwork, better movement and Adam working behind that jab.
“Adam truly wants to be that first Polish heavyweight world champion. He’s not just doing this for the money, he’s serious about boxing and about his legacy.
“In this sport, you're only as good as your last fight. Everyone wants to dump on you when you take a loss, but we’re just focused on what is in front of us.”
