Opening Bell: Tyson Fury vs Steve Cunningham April 20 At MSG
by Gautham Nagesh
Main Events emails today with exciting news: towering British heavyweight Tyson Fury will make his U.S. debut in New York on April 20 against former cruiserweight champion Steve “U.S.S.” Cunningham of Philadelphia at Madison Square Garden. The fight will be televised by NBC at 4 p.m. as part of the network’s renewed interest in the Sweet Science.
Fury is considered one of the top prospects in the heavyweight division, where “prospect” means anyone that hasn’t lost to the Klitschkos yet. Fury has a few things going for him, starting with his 6'9" frame, which makes even Wladimir and Vitali look average. He impressed us during his domination of Dereck Chisora (above) in July 2011and hasn’t done anything to disappoint since, winning four out of five fights early. One could argue Fury hasn’t stepped up in competition recently, but this fight represents a reasonable step up for the gigantic Traveler, against a fellow top-ten heavyweight.
As for U.S.S. Cunningham, this fight is small reward for coming out on the short end of a close decision against Tomasz Adamek in December. Cunningham has always struggled to get the attention his talent deserves, but that won’t be a problem for this fight. Out-boxing the dangerous Traveler over 12 rounds will be. A win could put either man in position to fight for a shot at division kingpin Wladimir Klitschko, but the fight represents a serious risk to both. Fury has never been in with a fighter as skilled or experienced as Cunningham, and risks being exposed. Cunningham will give up 9 inches and may find himself a sacrificial lamb, if Fury prove to be as explosive as everyone hopes he is.[[MORE]]
“Steve put on a fantastic performance against Adamek and deserves to be rewarded with this fight,” Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said. “We also get to introduce Tyson Fury, a young heavyweight contender, to the American public in a true crossroads match.”
Anyway you slice it, this is an intriguing fight. Throw in the fact it’s on terrestrial TV on a Saturday afternoon in April, and you’ve got all the ingredients for must-see TV. We may try to make the journey to MSG, depending on the scheduling situation, but we’re expecting to be in New York so we’ll bring you coverage regardless.
Senators Not Happy About Olympics Dropping Wrestling: My CQ Roll Call colleague Niels Lesniewski has the story on a bipartisan group of Senators pushing the International Olympic Committee to reverse its decision to drop wrestling from the Olympics starting in 2020. I would have never pegged Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., for a high school wrestler. Truly a renaissance man.
But in all seriousness, this is an important issue, and not just for fans of high school wrestling. Wrestling has become the leading breeding ground for top mixed martial arts fighters in the U.S., and the Olympics is the ultimate goal for those amateur fighters. Ending Olympic wrestling would likely diminish interest in the amateur sport, which in turn would reduce the quality of American mixed martial artists coming up. Plus, wrestling is one of the original Olympic sports, synonymous with the Olympic movement. The modern pentathlon is barely a thing. Only the corrupt, short-sighted IOC could possibly make such a bone-headed decision.