By Jake Donovan

It was supposed to be the start of something new for Eddie Chambers upon dropping down to the cruiserweight division a year ago. A win over then-unknown Thabiso Mchunu would’ve announced his arrival at a weight class more befitting his frame, for once coming in as the big man after years of contending with heavyweights who regularly outweighed him by 20 pounds or more.

The night turned out to be a starting point - but for Mchunu, who announced his U.S. arrival with an upset win last August, in a bout that ultimately sent Chambers back up the scale to heavyweight.

“My goal was to make my name in the boxing world,” Mchunu said of the opportunity he received last year to face Chambers on NBC Sports Network. “After beating Eddie, this is where I always wanted to be.”

Mchunu is now further along than even he expected. The squat cruiserweight from South Africa headlines a Saturday matinee edition of boxing on regular NBC, as he faces durable Garrett Wilson in a 10-round regional bout at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

The fight is just Mchunu’s third outside of his native South Africa, all coming on promoter Main Events’ ‘Fight Night’ series. The 5’11” southpaw was brought back this past January, scoring a 10-round decision over transplanted Nigerian knockout artist Olanrewaju Durodola in Atlantic City.

In Wilson, Mchunu (16-1, 11KOs) is met with yet another stiff challenge, which is what he prefers. With aspirations of becoming a cruiserweight champion, the desire is to put in the hard work now, to make it look that much easier once he faces the division’s best.

“The thing I love about Thabiso Mchunu is that he’s willing to take on all comers,” notes promoter Kathy Duva, who signed the southpaw last year. “When we called his team last year, and asked if they’d be willing to fight Eddie Chambers, their quick answer was, ‘Sure.’ He went on to shock the world, and now here we are again in another tough fight.”

Wilson (13-7-1, 7KOs) gained his fame going a different route. The American journeyman won over the boxing industry with a valiant-in-defeat effort versus Vyacheslav Glazkov last November, in the last card to have aired on regular NBC. The slot was originally meant as a showdown between Glazkov and former two-division champ Tomasz Adamek, who abruptly pulled out of the bout during fight week, citing a sudden bout with the flu.

In came Wilson on two days notice, giving Glazkov the fight of his life only to come up just short. Mchunu, while admittedly not very aware of his challenger, expects a similar test this weekend.

“I know that (Wilson) likes to come forward and apply pressure,” Mchunu says of his opponent. “I know he will give me a tough fight, but I’m not worried about what he brings. I am going to be sharp and plan to outbox him all night.”

Unlike most fighters in the heavier weight classes, Mchunu is comfortable in his own skin. Whereas the expectations at crusierweight and heavyweight are for fights to end in thrilling knockouts or where one punch can alter the course of the night, Mchunu has never been shy about boxing his way to victory.

It’s those very ring smarts that allowed him to shock Chambers, himself a talented boxer but who didn’t always use his (lack of) size to his advantage. His realistic outlook on how he can win and where he belongs, Mchunu believes, is what will ultimately propel him to the top.

“Boxing is the game of art. Two people in there, trying to hit and not get hit,” Mchunu says of what the sweet science is supposed to represent. “MMA fighters, they go toe-to-toe. Boxing, you get hit and don’t get to hit. It’s a game of art. You have to learn to not waste your punches. Blocking punches, and coming back - that’s how you win fights.”

Mchunu has done just that, with two straight decision wins over his toughest opponents to date highlighting a current six-fight win streak. In each of his past six starts, the rising contender has weighed right at or around the 200 lb. cruiserweight limit, in fact with just one career fight taking place at heavyweight.

The plan for most cruiserweights always seems to be the same - win a title in the weight class, and then move up the scale in pursuit of bigger paydays against bigger fighters.

Mchunu didn’t particularly care for his frame carried heavyweight in his fight at the weight, an eight-round majority decision win over Danie Venter more than three years ago. All that he really remembered from the fight is that he missed being a cruiserweight.

“This is my fighting weight. I don’t want to go to heavyweight,” Mchunu insists. “I feel fluid in the cruiserweight division, and I’m confident I can beat any cruiserweight in the world.”

His fight this weekend comes at a perfect time from an audition standpoint. Lineal cruiserweight king Yoan Pablo Hernandez barely held on to his reign in a split decision win over former beltholderFirat Arslan last month in Germany, two weeks prior to long reigning titlist Marco Huck tying the divisional record for most alphabet title defenses with a points win over Marco Larghetti.

Next weekend in Russia features another longtime cruiserweight titlist, Krzystof Wlodarczyk taking on Gregory Drozd on a show that also features Denis Lebedev facing unbeaten Pawel Kolodziej.

Mchunu’s showdown on free network TV lands in the middle of an active stretch for the top level of the division. With a win, the expectation for next steps is a shot at anyone holding a title.

“After this fight, I want to go for my first world championship,” Mchunu suggests. “I know I’m ready for that level. I know that none of them can beat me.”

Chambers had the same mindset when he decided to tip the scales at 200 lb. or less. Most fans had the same hunch of the Philly-based boxer heading into last summer’s showdown, but it’s Mchunu who remains a player. Prior to the career-changing win, he was just another fighter in a division forever overshadowed by the heavyweights. Now, he stands for everything that’s right with the sport, reaping the benefits that come with the willingness to take risks on the way up.

“It gave me a lot of respect from boxing fans,” Mchunu says of the breakout performance. “Now, I have fans throughout the world, a lot of whom will be tuning in to watch me fight (on NBC). This is an opportunity to once again show how good I can be.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of krikya360.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox