By Lyle Fitzsimmons - Someday, it’ll happen.
There’ll be a fighter. He’ll have an adversary. And together they’ll engage in a fight ?or a series of fights ?that’ll galvanize the boxing public and draw in the casual sports fan.
It might even be lead-story material on SportsCenter.
And the kicker?both the principals will weigh no more than 200 pounds.
See, I had you there until that last part, right?
While the idea of a sport-altering rivalry is hardly transcendent, somehow the idea of it happening in the division between heavyweight and 175 seems as far-fetched as, well, a similar scenario unfolding at 147 between a certain needle-averse Filipino and a certain jail-bound American.
That notwithstanding, German-based Cuban export Yoan Pablo Hernandez and underappreciated U.S. Navy veteran Steve Cunningham are going to give it another try this weekend in Frankfurt for the IBF’s share of the forgotten division’s top honors.
And no?no one in the American mainstream will see it.
But that won’t be because it’s not worth seeing.
When they got together some 420 miles north in Neubrandenburg, Cunningham was making the second defense of his second title reign and taking on a once-beaten ex-Olympian on a 10-fight win streak. [Click Here To Read More]
There’ll be a fighter. He’ll have an adversary. And together they’ll engage in a fight ?or a series of fights ?that’ll galvanize the boxing public and draw in the casual sports fan.
It might even be lead-story material on SportsCenter.
And the kicker?both the principals will weigh no more than 200 pounds.
See, I had you there until that last part, right?
While the idea of a sport-altering rivalry is hardly transcendent, somehow the idea of it happening in the division between heavyweight and 175 seems as far-fetched as, well, a similar scenario unfolding at 147 between a certain needle-averse Filipino and a certain jail-bound American.
That notwithstanding, German-based Cuban export Yoan Pablo Hernandez and underappreciated U.S. Navy veteran Steve Cunningham are going to give it another try this weekend in Frankfurt for the IBF’s share of the forgotten division’s top honors.
And no?no one in the American mainstream will see it.
But that won’t be because it’s not worth seeing.
When they got together some 420 miles north in Neubrandenburg, Cunningham was making the second defense of his second title reign and taking on a once-beaten ex-Olympian on a 10-fight win streak. [Click Here To Read More]
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