By Thomas Gerbasi

With just 15 pro bouts to his name, Adam Kownacki has some wondering if he’s ready for an opponent whose last fight was for the WBC heavyweight championship. Brooklyn’s Kownacki is not one of those skeptics.

“I’m 15-0 with 12 knockouts, so it’s time for a step up,” Kownacki said of his Saturday bout with Artur Szpilka, who was stopped by Deontay Wilder in January 2016.

“I had some tough opposition before, but obviously he fought a world champion, has been nine rounds with him, so I think if I can get him out in the same amount of time or even faster, that gives me some good options for the future.”

If you go by his resume, Kownacki’s confidence is well placed. He’s made a steady rise since his pro debut in 2009, and he’s largely dominated his competition. Add in his comfort on the big stage thanks to his appearance on several big local cards, and it’s clear that he won’t be intimidated by fighting Szpilka in the newly renovated Nassau Coliseum in Long Island.

“You grow up in New York, the limelight is always here,” he said. “I fought at Madison Square Garden in the Golden Gloves at 16 and I fought in a lot of big shows. That stuff stays with you and you have to do it to experience it, which luckily I have.”

Yet what may really separate Kownacki from his upcoming opponent and other heavyweight prospects is the experience he picked up working with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and a former Szpilka foe, Tomasz Adamek.

“It’s their work ethic,” he said. “And it’s mostly the little things they do on a constant basis, like the hard work in the gym, making sure their body gets rest, having the right people around them and training with the right team. The little stuff like that makes a really big difference.”

If it sounds like a perfect storm is brewing for the 28-year-old, he is well aware of it. He’s getting the biggest fight of his career in his backyard, it’s televised on FOX, and he’s fighting a fellow Poland native, setting the stage for him to take his popularity from Brooklyn back home to Europe.

“A lot of reporters are reaching out and the fight’s big in Poland,” Kownacki said. “When I was there, everybody knew about it and I had people recognizing me in the airport and taking pictures. It’s big there and my name is definitely growing in Poland because of this fight.”

So is this the one that puts him over the top?

“The boxing community knew me very well, but now the casual fans know of me,” he said.

That may go the same for U.S. fans as well this weekend, and Kownacki is determined not to let this moment slip away.

“Personally, I think styles make fights and I think this can be an easy fight for me,” he said. “I don’t see anything he can do that’s gonna hurt me, I don’t think he has that much punching power, and we’ve been working on cutting off the ring, so I think July 15 shouldn’t be a problem. I’m at the door and knocking. I just have to push that door down and go for it.”