Boxing Update: Cunningham Praises Adamek’s Knockout Victory.
© Wojciech Kubik
Former IBF Champion Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham was ringside at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Friday night supporting his former foe, current champ, Tomasz ‘Goral’ Adamek, who faced Kronk fighter Johnathon Banks from Detroit in the first defense of the IBF title.
Adamek secured the IBF and Ring Magazine Cruiserweight World titles last December with a close split-decision win over the then champion Cunningham, in one of the greatest cruiserweight battles of all time. The fight had it all, spectacular non-stop action, drama and three knockdowns and was rightly nominated as “Fight of the Year†candidate.
Cunningham, who later this year faces former WBC title holder, Wayne Braithwaite in an IBF title eliminator to earn the rematch with Adamek he so eagerly desires, was just as fanatical in his support for the Champion as were the Polish fans that packed the arena.
After Adamek KO’s Banks in the eighth round, Cunningham, still clutching the Polish flag which he waved enthusiastically throughout the fight, said, “It was a very good win for Adamek. Banks was doing good the first four rounds, then he shut down in the fifth and Adamek stepped up and got him out of there.
“Polish fans are awesome, it was a great crowd. I want the rematch more than any other fight out there, so I’m going to do what I have to do to get it. And that is to fight and beat Braithwaite.”
On the subject of the desired rematch, it was recently announced that the Adamek-Cunningham II campaign website – www.wewantarematch.com – has broken the 250,000 visitors milestone since it’s inception just two months ago.
Don King Productions are expected to announce the date and venue for Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham vs. Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite in the very near future.
Watch this space.