A Brutal Knockout for Szpilka, Convincing Victories for Kownacki and Sulęcki

Artur Szpilka (20-2, 15 KO) fought courageously and put the champion under serious pressure several times. Ultimately, however, Deontay Wilder (36-0, 35 KO) brutally knocked out the Pole and defended his WBC title for the third time.

The challenger, our countryman, was the first to enter the ring at Barclays Center. A moment later, the “Bronze Bomber” appeared between the ropes. Both looked very confident. The crowd greeted “Szpila” more loudly, while Jimmy Lennon Jr., as usual excellent in his role, further heated up the atmosphere.

After the opening bell, Artur came out aggressively, just as expected. However, his left hook landed twice on his opponent’s guard. Wilder hit the Pole with his jab twice, but when he tried to attack himself, Szpilka drew him into an ill-prepared right hand. In the second round, both patiently waited for the other to make a mistake. Toward the end, Artur twice initiated attacks with a double right hand. He missed with the left, but his jab was working well.

Szpilka also looked good in the third round. He was mobile, balanced his torso superbly and lowered his stance. After landing to the body, he tried to hunt for the left hook. He did not land it cleanly, but remained active. Wilder continued waiting for the right moment to counter.

After the break, the American used his jab more often, effectively controlling the challenger. Thirty seconds before the end of the round, he landed a powerful right cross. Fortunately, Szpilka absorbed the punch without showing any visible effect. After a weaker fourth round, the Pole returned to the fight in the fifth. Both took greater risks, several fierce exchanges followed, and a knockout seemed imminent. Heavy punches cut through the air.

The next three minutes looked much the same. Even when Wilder landed cleanly, Artur showed that he could take it. Everything remained open. The champion dominated the seventh round. He caught Szpilka with a left-right straight combination as many as three times. The Pole’s head snapped back, but he bravely absorbed the shots. In the final seconds, he tried to respond himself.

Wilder still held a slight advantage in the eighth round, but Artur seemed to have regained his strength. He began the ninth with a bleeding nose and a cut eyelid. Despite that, he continued attacking. He even landed with the base of his glove near Wilder’s ear, but the illegal blow could not change the course of the fight.

With 45 seconds remaining, two fighters hunting for a knockout faced off. Szpilka was looking for the left hook, while Wilder was preparing his right hand. The American was a fraction of a second faster and landed perfectly on the chin. Artur dropped as if struck by lightning. A brutal knockout.

Adam Kownacki (13-0, 10 KO), whose opponent was the experienced former amateur boxer Danny Kelly (9-2-1, 8 KO), gave a good account of himself and won convincingly.

The Pole began the fight in his usual style. He came forward very aggressively, put his punches together in combinations and forced his opponent onto the defensive. Early in the second round, he hurt the American and launched a 30-second assault, but could not finish the fight. He remained the initiator of most of the action, however.

In the third round, Kelly engaged in exchanges and answered with bombs at close range. Kownacki was still landing more punches. He varied their power well and ended almost every attack with a shot to the body. The fourth round followed a similar pattern, although the pace dropped slightly.

Adam boxed the fifth round very well. He unleashed his right uppercut and hooks to the jaw. Kelly was helpless, but impressed with his durability. The former USA Championships silver medalist unexpectedly came back into the fight in the sixth round. He held a slight advantage for two and a half minutes, but the finish belonged to the surging Pole.

In the next round, Kownacki was already somewhat tired, but still looked better than his opponent. Kelly appeared resigned to defeat and was essentially hunting for just one big punch. In the final round, spurred on by the crowd, Adam picked up the pace again and put a strong exclamation point on his victory.

After the final bell, the judges scored it 80:72, 79:73 and 80:72 – naturally, all in the Pole’s favor.

Maciej Sulęcki (22-0, 7 KO) once again proved that he could become a leading middleweight. In New York, he defeated the dangerous Derrick Findley (22-18-1, 14 KO) in impressive fashion.

The Pole controlled the shorter opponent from the start. He won round after round with straight punches. The American looked for one shot that could turn the fight around, but the popular “Striczu” did not allow himself to be hurt. He gradually increased the pace and ended the fight in the seventh round.

The only regret is that one of the most interesting middleweights still cannot fully spread his wings and show all of his talent across the Atlantic. Hopefully, he will be presented to a wider audience at his next appearance.

Source: bokser.org