EDGAR BERLANGA GETS A DECISION OVER JASON QUIGLEY & JOE CUSUMANO STOPS ADAM KOWNACKI IN NYC
By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media Correspondent
New York, NY (June 25th, 2023)– The once promising career of Adam Kownacki reached the end of the road, when he was upset at Madison Square Garden Theater by Virginia journeyman Joe Cusumano, a fighter who could not go one round with Daniel Dubois in August of 2021.
Nonetheless, on the undercard of a seven bout card, Cusumano, 22-4 with 20 knockouts, Danville, Virginia, dropped Kownacki in the first round and never looked back. Cusumano was in fine condition, trained hard for the bout and came in to win, and it showed. Kownacki, 20-4 with 15 knockouts, Brooklyn, New York via Lomza, Poland, who reached 20-0 when he outpunched Chris Arreola over 12 rounds in August 2019 in the CompuBox heavyweight punches thrown overall by two combatants record, lost his fourth consecutive bout.
Kownacki’s losses in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 to Robert Helenius (twice), Ali Eren Demirezen were highlighted by holding a low left hand which made his susceptible to the overhand straight power right hand, right hand counters, and right hook as his defense was lacking. Kownacki has power, but against better moving opponents with good footwork, with equal or superior power, Kownacki continues to get exposed. His 2020 first bout with Robert Helenius exposed his weakness to the overhand right which Helenius found, and since that point others have been quick to capitalize on the weakness. Cusomano found a place for his right hand over the top right away, and continued to head hunt for the opening until he got the forced stoppage. The ringside doctor and referee were concerned at the end of round seven. Trainer Sugar Hill threw in the towel in the eighth round when Cusomano battered Kownacki’s head with the right hand, who was done for the night. Kownacki s best to return to Poland now, and put his now rock bottom career to rest for good.
21-0 Edgar Berlanga of New York City retained the WBO NABO Super Middleweight title with a 12 round decision over 20-3 Jason Quigley of Ballybotey, Ireland. Berlanga knocked down Quigley four times, including twice in the twelfth round. However, for the fifth consecutive time, after starting his career 16-0, Berlanga was forced to go the distance with better opponents, coming off the canvas against Marcelo Coceres, with one scorecard in his bout with Steve Rolls one round from earning a draw. Berlanga went the distance with Rolls, an opponent knocked out easily by Gennady Golovkin in less than four rounds.
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