Former Cruiserweight King Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham took a huge leap towards regaining his coveted IBF championship belt when he convincingly outboxed former WBC Champ Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite to take a well deserved victory. By doing so ‘USS’ Cunningham returned to the top of the IBF rankings earning him the right, as mandatory challenger, for the long overdue rematch with current champion Tomasz ‘Goral’ Adamek, who took his crown by a close split decision victory last December in what has gone down in the annals of boxing history as the greatest Cruiserweight fight of all time.
The, surprisingly, off-TV battle between two of the Cruiserweight division’s finest former champions, fighting for the right to face the current champion, lived up to all expectations and, although not quite up to the standards of last year’s Cunningham-Adamek, could rightly be described as the the best Cruiserweight fight of 2009 so far..
Philadelphia’s ‘USS’ Cunningham controlled the early proceedings with fast hands, slick combinations and superior boxing technique. Guyanan born Braithwaite, now based in Florida, kept coming forward but rarely had any real impact on his far quicker opponent, round three being the only exception.
As the fight progressed into the final quarter ‘Big Truck’ shifted gear and had done more than enough enough in the ninth to win that round. However that was not to last and the juggernaut that is ‘USS’ Cunningham stepped up things again to finish the contest off in convincing style and justifiably being declared the victor. The judges scorecards read 119-109, 118-110 & 117-111.
After some well deserved rest Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham talked briefly about the excellent result and the positive implications for his career. “It was a great night for me, I was in there with a tough opponent, Wayne came to the fight in good shape and prepared, but it was my night. Brother Naazim and I had a great camp and I believe we showcased a new and improved Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham.
Now, I am rated IBF number one and mandatory challenger to Tomasz Adamek, he has too see me, or give up the belt, so we’ll see if he’s ready for the rematch like I am, as well as our fans.
The fight should have been televised, two former champions, fighting for position, it’s really too bad that the networks consistently overlook the Cruisers, but we are the division to watch.”
If all goes well later this year, should Adamek decide to defend his IBF crown and not move to Heavyweight as he has implied, boxing fans around the world could finally get to see the all American boy, Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham, in battle once again against the Polish Warrior, complete with the raucous red and white barmy army, in the rematch of the century… Adamek-Cunningham II