Polish heavyweight star and Brooklyn fan-favorite Adam Kownacki 20-2 (15) will return to action when he takes on Turkish Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen 16-1 (12) in a 10-rounder on Showtime from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on July 30.
The bout will be the co-feature to Danny Garcia-Jose Benavidez Jr.
The 33-year-old Kownacki will be looking to get back in the win column following back-to-back knockout defeats to Robert Helenius in 2020 and 2021, with the last bout taking place nine months ago.
Both Kownacki and his longtime trainer Keith Trimble know how important it is to not only win, but to do so impressively in order to get back into world heavyweight championship contention.
“This is the biggest fight of my career. I have to win to stay relevant in the heavyweight division. I’m training hard and I’m ready to win,” Kownacki said.
“Having two kids these last few years has been life-changing for me, but I can’t have everything with a cherry on top. I had to make more sacrifices in my life for this training camp to make sure that I stayed focused.
“I never thought I was done after fighting Robert Helenius. My goal is just to always go out there and do my best. My first boxing goal was to win the New York Golden Gloves and I did that in my first year. My goal, now, is to win the world title, and that’s what I’m working toward.”
Kownacki is not currently rated by the four major sanctioning bodies. The 32-year-old Demirezen – whose lone loss was to Efe Ajagba on points over 10 rounds three tears ago – is currently ranked WBO number 10.
“I had a good 20 fights, I hit a bump in the road, but on July 30 I’m coming to get a win and then I’m back on the right track. I want to get a world title shot in the next year or two, and with my team, I know that I can get that done,” Kownacki continued.
“It’s going to be a red and white arena out there to support me. It’s going to be another great night. I can’t wait to be back in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.
“The footwork is really what we’re focused on. I remember being in camp with Wladimir Klitschko and being amazed by his footwork. I worked on it a lot back then but I got a little bit away from it.
“The fans are going to get what they always see with me. It’s fireworks. I can’t wait to be back in Brooklyn. Fight night can’t come soon enough.
“For a while, I could go blow for blow and come out on top. The past couple fights didn’t end that way, so we went back to some of our basics. That’s what I have to do to take the next steps.”
