It’s so often the same story for Steve Cunningham: He will fight so well, and then something pivotal doesn’t go his way. Sometimes it’s been dubious decisions. Usually, it’s that he gets dropped just as his momentum is chugging along. Saturday on NBC, Krzysztof Glowacki put him on the ground a whopping four times en route to a decision victory.
Glowacki (above right) was the favorite coming off his eye-opening knockout of longtime #1 cruiserweight Marco Huck. But it was pretty clear early on that he wasn’t ready for Cunningham’s length, smarts and speed, faded though the last of those is at age 39.
Of course, Glowacki having power and Cunningham (above left) being chinny worked out for Glowacki, who decked Cunningham with two right hands in the 2nd round. Cunningham, naturally, got up and brawled, but as the rounds went on, he was starting to figure things out. A 6th round accidental head butt that raised a hematoma over his right eye didn’t seem to slow him down, either. Nor did Glowacki’s frequent rabbit punches, which ended more or less after a hard warning in the 9th.
Just as Cunningham was almost out of the points hole he dug with those early knockdowns, Glowacki’s right put him on his seat. A better 11th for Cunningham was quickly neutralized in the 12th by, of course, another knockdown. What was a good performance and potential win for Cunningham was reduced to only the former. The cards read 116-108, 115-109 and 115-109 again.
Cunningham still has some fight in him at 39, and considering that he’s often in good smash-ups, he deserves another fight on a big stage. Glowacki might have lost a little shine, but he took out a difficult guy and will probably be better for the experience of having faced someone so tricky. May we suggest the #2 man at cruiser, Denis Lebedev, next for Glowacki? It’d fill a long-vacant cruiserweight championship, and would be damn fun to boot.
(photo via)
