Helenius Defeats Kownacki Again, Pole Disqualified for Low Blow

Adam Kownacki (20-2, 15 KOs) had spent a long time moving through the professional ranks without any major obstacles. However, he was stopped by Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs), who once again found a way to beat the Pole in their rematch.

The opening was very difficult for Kownacki. After just 30 seconds, the powerful Finn caught him with a left hook to the head and briefly rocked his opponent. Adam quickly regained his balance and responded with body shots, but half a minute before the end of the round he absorbed a very hard straight right. After the opening three minutes, he returned to his corner with his left eye badly swollen.

In Kownacki’s case, the best defense had always been offense. The Pole therefore moved forward, applied pressure and closed the distance. He won the second round, although he could barely see out of his left eye by then. The third round followed a similar pattern, but this time Helenius tipped it in his favor with a strong right-left counter combination in the closing seconds.

The fourth round was split into two parts. Adam was better in the first, landing two left counterpunches and a long straight right. The Finn responded, however, with a left uppercut and a powerful right hook.

The fifth round was a poor one for the Pole. At the beginning of the round, Kownacki was penalized one point for low blows. Helenius then, fighting more loosely, punished him with punches from both hands. “Show me something, Adam,” the referee told the Pole while the doctor examined his face and the swelling.

Everything came to an end in the sixth round. There was no knockout or barrage of heavy punches, however. During an exchange at close range, Adam again landed below the belt. He had received only one warning, but referee Celestino Ruiz disqualified the Pole. The announcer later read the result as a TKO, but the referee clearly said: “I am disqualifying you.”

Source: bokser.org