Adam Kownacki picked the wrong guy, according to Ali Eren Demirezen, for a comeback bout in his hometown.

Kownacki will try to end his two-fight losing streak when he meets Demirezen in Showtime’s co-feature Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The popular Polish heavyweight will have the crowd’s support during their 10-round bout, but Demirezen realizes this is his opportunity to beat a well-known heavyweight contender in the United States.

Turkey’s Demirezen stopped Gerald Washington in the eighth round two fights ago. Kownacki, however, tore through Washington (20-5-1, 13 KOs) and stopped the former NFL defensive end in the second round almost three years before Demirezen defeated him.

“I said before the Gerald Washington fight that I’m here to stay,” Demirezen said during an open workout Wednesday at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn. “I want to achieve my dreams in the U.S. After this fight, the fans will know my name even better than before.”

Caesars Sportsbook lists Demirezen (16-1, 12 KOs) as almost a 2-1 favorite to beat Brooklyn’s Kownacki (20-2, 15 KOs) in the bout before a 12-round, 154-pound main event that’ll pit Philadelphia’s Danny Garcia (36-3, 21 KOs) against Phoenix’s Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-1-1, 18 KOs).

Demirezen, 32, represented Turkey at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He won his first 11 professional bouts before he lost a 10-round unanimous decision to then-unbeaten Efe Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs) in July 2019 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Demirezen gave Ajagba trouble at times, but judges Adalaide Byrd and John McKaie scored nine of the 10 rounds for the huge Nigerian, 99-91 apiece. Judge Steve Weisfeld scored it 97-93 for Ajagba.

The 6-foot-3, 262-pound Demirezen, who resides in Hamburg, Germany, has won each of his five fights since Ajagba beat him.

Kownacki, meanwhile, has been stopped by Finland’s Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) in back-to-back bouts, most recently in the sixth round of their rematch last October 9 on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder undercard at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 32-year-old veteran believes he can rejuvenate his career by beating Demirezen, who views this fight as his own showcase.

“I’m here to fight,” Demirezen said. “I’m not here to play around. I’m coming to win. This is a big moment in my career, but I’m going to do everything I can to have my hand raised. I know how important this fight is for my career. I’m here to be the next great heavyweight fighter. I want to be known worldwide and follow in the footsteps of those who came before me.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.