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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, 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 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 off-TV battle between two of the cruiserweight divisions finest former champions, fighting for the right to face Adamek, lived up to all expectations and could rightly be described as the the best cruiserweight fight of 2009 so far.
Philadelphia’s Cunningham controlled the early proceedings with ast hands, slick combinations and superior boxing technique. Guyana 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 gears 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 to justifiably be declared the victor.
The judge’s scorecards read 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111.
After some well deserved rest, 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 vs.Cunningham II
Watch this space!
