New York Boxing: Adam Kownacki and Polish Boxers

In a country that is made up of so many ethnic groups it is understandable that some fighters, although American, feel that they are fighting for their ethnic country’s pride. For example, there are many stories of the “Pride of Irish” fighters as exemplified by the blockbuster movie “The Fighter” starring Mark Wahlberg. The backstory here chronicles a life of “Irish” Mickey Ward from Lowell Massachusettes. However, in the boxing world not every ethnic group appears to get their moment in the spotlight or their just due. Here, I would like to say a word about Polish fighters. Like many other groups Polish fighters have a long and proud history in the fight game and have produced many champions and contenders in America and abroad.

Some historians have argued that Polish fighters have not had their due because of Poland’s history. The rise of communism and Poland’s subjugation by the Soviet Union blunted the nation’s success in many areas of life. However, in the 1960s the Polish teams began to gain success in the Olympics. By contrast, in the 2000s Polish boxers have not been as successful.

In my opinion what has affected Polish fighters success is their visibility, crossover appeal, and support. In general Polish fighters have not been as successful or visibile of as some other ethnic groups. There are many Polish fighters who the American public may not know are even Polish. To name a few there are Bobby Czyz, Dave Zyglewicz, Jean Walzack, Ben Jeby, Johnny Buff, Dariusz Michalczewski, Eddie Risko , Teddy Yarosz, Tony Zale (lost to Marcel Cerdan), Joe Choynski (beat a young Jack Johnson), and the great Stanley Ketchel.

This list also reminded me of many of the great Polish boxers of our recent era. This list includes Mariusz Wach, Pawel Wolak, Andrzej Fonfara, Andrew Golata, Tomaz Adamek, Grzegorz Proksa, Mateauz Masternak, and Pawel Kolodziel just to name a few.

Recently another Polish fighter made headlines with back-to-back exciting performances. On August 14, 2015, Krzystof “The Head” Glowacki (born in Walcz, Poland) shocked the world by knocking out Marko Huck in a Cruiserweight contest which was supposed to be a tune up fight for Marco Huck in preparation for a big payday against former P4P champion Roy Jones Jr.  Jones was seeking another title at Cruiserweight at the time because he skipped this weight to fight Andy Ruiz for the Heavyweight title in 2003.

Huck is a German fighter whose only losses came to Steve “USS” Cunningham (at Cruiserweight) and Alexandre Povetkin (at an attempt at Heavyweight). Huck was the undisputed favorite, but Glowacki denied Huc his victory in their meeting at the New Jersey Prudential Center. The knockout came at what many consider to be a “fight of the year” candidate.

Even more recently, on April 16, 201,6 Krzystof Glowacki again surprised many by out-pointing Steve Cunningham in a contest where Cunningham saw the canvas four times.

But the New York Boxing Scene has its own Polish representative in Polish heavyweight contender and up and coming star Adam Kownacki.
Kownacki plans to follow in the footsteps of his ethnic brethren. Adam is a 6’3″ heavyweight from Brooklyn. He was originally born in Lomza, Poland, and he fights throughout the Tristate area although many of his fights are in Brooklyn, NY. He lives in the Polish district of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and is a two-time golden glove winner in the amateurs who turned professional in 2009.

With a knockout record of 77%, Adam (now 13-0) can be considered a ‘Baby Face” killer. New York Fighting got a chance to catch up with the contender who is promoted by none other than the secret wrapped in the enigma named Al Haymon.

AA – How long have you been boxing?
AK – Since 15 years old.
AA – What made you choose boxing?
AK – I wanted to learn how to fight.
AA – What gym or gyms do you work out of?
AK – Gleason to Bellmore
AA – Where did you start training in boxing and have you changed trainers?
AK – I started in Queens (NY), then moved up to Gleason’s Gym and did all my amateurs there, with Taylor. As pro I moved to Bellmore with Keith Trimble.
AA – And you moved because of?
AK – I had injuries and wanted fresh start
AA – Have you always been in NY?
AK – I was born in Poland and moved to states when I was seven.
AA – So you should have good following.
AK – I usually get 500 fans for a fight.
AA – What particular situation or fighter got you into boxing?
AK – Golata!
AA – Excuse me?
AK – Andrew Golata
AA – Really?
AK – People used to come to my house to watch his fights.
AA – I must say that with my background in combat sports, my opinion is Golata is an enigma. Boxing has given him a bad wrap. To me he was a full package boxer. In terms of his punching power, boxing skills and adaptability. With all the low blow nonsense tarnished his rep. I think Riddick Bowe recognized that he was a better boxer than Riddick anticipated and Golata got a bad rap. You usually don’t have fighters who are tough, have boxing skills and can punch. He could do it all
AK – Yes but he was a bit of a mental case (laugh).
AA – I don’t know what it was. He seemed to me to have something. But who are you favorite boxers? Who do you tike today?
AK – I like Glowacki, Golovkin… to name a few.

To be continued……

* Stay tuned for Part Two when when we reintroduce Adam and his next scheduled fight.

Interview/Article: Adrian Anthony

Editor: Kyle Antonelli

Photos: Matt Culley