Artur Szpilka vs Adam Kownacki Preview July 15th
There’s an all-Polish heavyweight clash this Saturday, July 15th as Artur Szpilka will be taking on Adam Kownacki at the Nassau Coliseum in Long, Island, New York. The 10-round bout can be seen live in North America on the Fox Network. Szpilka’s last outing was against WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder in January of 2016 and he was stopped in the ninth round. Kownacki last fought in January and beat Joshua Tufte by a second-round TKO. Szpilka hasn’t fought in about 18 months and will have to fight through some ring rust early on.
Szpilka vs Kownacki Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Adam Kownacki +350
- Artur Szpilka -450
My Pick
The 28-year-old Szpilka will enter the ring with a pretty good mark of 20-2 with 16 Kos to his name and he has some power in his punches as his knockout percentage is currently 68 per cent. He’s a southpaw who stands 6-feet-3-inches tall and has a reach of 77 inches. He’s fought 94 rounds since turning pro in 2008. His biggest wins have been against Ty Cobb, Tomasz Adamek, Brian Minto, Jameel McCline, Owen Beck and Mike Mollo twice. His other loss was a 10th-round TKO at the hands of Bryant Jennings back in 2014.
Szpilka’s chin may be questioned since he’s been stopped in both of his losses. He’s a tough customer though who likes to come forward and bang away on the inside. He’s going to need to land something hard and heavy early on in the fight though before Kownacki does as he needs to regain some of the confidence he lost in the Wilder fight. This is a huge fight for Szpilka if he hopes to regain his stature as a legitimate heavyweight contender as he’s expected to beat Kownacki.
The 26-year-old Kownacki is unbeaten at 15-0 and has 12 big Kos under his belt. He’s basically the same size as Szpilka as he’s 6-foot-3 and has a 76-inch reach. Kownacki turned pro back in 2009 and has boxed just 54 rounds since then. He’s just as powerful as Szpilka as his current knockout ratio stands at an impressive 80 per cent. He fights out of Brooklyn and was a pretty good Golden Gloves boxer back in his amateur days.
Kownacki has displayed a solid chin up to now, but his lack of experience against upper grade boxers is evident. His biggest wins have been against opponents such as Tufte, Jesse Barboza and Danny Kelly. In fact, just seven of his 15 opponents have had winning records. Kownacki will be stepping up in class Saturday night when he takes on his fellow countryman, but I suppose it may not really matter if his power is that good and he’s not planning on leaving it in the judges’ hands.
Prediction…
Szpilka’s long layoff wasn’t a good idea and this is now a must-win for the former soccer hooligan and mixed martial artist. If he’s at his best he should be able to take care of Kownacki, but if his chin betrays him then he’s in trouble. This could be a fan-friendly fight and Szpilka should do enough to win it.
This is a must-win for Szpilka.
Play: Szpilka -450 @ BetOnline.ag
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Adam Kownacki betting • Artur Szpilka betting