Robert Helenius: I Told You What Would Happen
In fight a where he was supposed to be a sacrificial lamb being led to slaughter, Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius (30-3, 19 KO’s) upset the odds and knocked out the favorite Adam “Babyface’ Kownacki (20-1, 15 KO’s).
After surviving a bit of a rough patch in the opening rounds Helenius clipped Kownacki with a stiff right-hand that put him on the floor and began spelling the beginning of the end. Shortly later, referee David Fields was jumping between the two combatants to halt the prizefight. And just like that, an upset victory had been staged.
CUSTOM-FIT FIGHT
While the win came as a surprise to most viewers, let him tell it, Helenius never had any doubt that he was going to be victorious. This was because in his estimation, Kownacki’s style was essentially tailor-made for him.
“He was too open, he was coming and we knew he was coming. My strength was to counter-punch him, so that’s always been my strength in boxing, counter punching…of course he is a tough man.”
On the subject of a rematch, while Helenius was not against it, he certainly did not promise to face Babyface Kownacki in his next performance.
“You know, I have to think about it! Like I said, I’ll have to take a few days off and just like relax. I’ve been training like a crazy dog for many, many months now and I need break for a couple of weeks just to be with the family and doing nothing.”
SLIP UP LEADS TO COME UP
When Helenius initially dropped Kownacki, it was ruled to be a slip and as far as scoring points goes, that was beneficial for Babyface. Yet, by the logic that Helenius was using, the missed call greatly helped him obtain the ultimate knockout.
“The ‘slip’ was a good benefit for me because he didn’t get the count and I knew he was wobbly. I was there! I saw him hurt, I felt him hurt so of course, if he would have gotten ten count maybe he would have recovered better.”
“…I told you what was going to happen. I’m going to stand like this [raises arms above head] at the end of the match. There was no possible way it was going to go any other way.”
After Robert Helenius has a chance to relax with his family, it will be interesting to see who he opts to tangle with next.
By: Bakari Simpson
