Robert Helenius Upsets Adam Kownacki in the 4th
A fight that was generally thought of as a showcase fight for rising heavyweight contender Adam “Babyface” Kownacki (20-1, 15 KO’s) turned into a stunning upset loss. In the fourth round of the main-event bout, Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius (30-3, 19 KO’s) was able to twice drop Kownacki and force referee David Fields to jump in and halt the action.
When the fight began, the notably taller Helenius used his height and reach to great effect. The trouble was he could not sustain the keep-away tactics. In the second round, Kownacki began landing on Helenius with increasing frequency.
By the third round, it appeared that the writing was on the wall. Babyface repeatedly drove Helenius to the ropes and pelted his arms and head with maliciously persistent punches. At the conclusion of the round, it did not seem as if the Nordic Nightmare had any answers for his many problems.
Then, in the first minute of the fourth round, Helenius caught a punching Kownacki with a solid right that put him down. Despite heavily spilling into the ropes, it was ruled a slip. Yet, even though the knock down was deemed a slip, Babyface had been hit and hurt. When he rose to his feet, he was still buzzed and Helenius knew.
As soon as the action resumed, the Nordic Nightmare jumped on Kownacki and connected with hard thudding blows until Babyface went down again. This time, it was properly ruled a knock down. To his credit, Kownacki beat the count and soldiered on. However, Helenius just kept hammering his beleaguered foe until referee David Fields was compelled to stop the fight.
The unexpected win is a shocker in the division and a crushing setback for Adam Kownacki.
By: Bakari Simpson
