Cunningham: Jennings Can't Go For KO of Wlad, Must Box

By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Steve Cunningham and Bryant Jennings have talked about fighting one day in an all-Philadelphia heavyweight showdown.

They’re friends, though, and they have agreed that the money must be worthwhile if they’re ever to fight. There would be much more money in that fight if Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs) were able to pull off a huge upset April 25 at Madison Square Garden, where he’ll challenge Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53 KOs) for the IBF, WBA & WBO titles in an HBO “World Championship Boxing” main event.

Handicappers have installed Klitschko as a 16-1 favorite over Jennings. Cunningham (28-6, 13 KOs) will root for his friend that night and offered some advice on how Jennings should approach his 6-foot-6, 245-pound opponent.

“He’s got to be smart and not go for the knockout,” Cunningham said. “You see everybody try and go for the knockout with Wladimir. Don’t go for the knockout. Box. Be smart and box.

“Wladimir has got a scary defense that works for him. It’s a Lennox Lewis-type thing, to an extent. And it works for him. But other than all that, Wladimir is an awesome athlete. Dude is in shape, he’s strong, he’s smart, he’s a veteran – he’s dominant. It’s not an easy night.”

Cunningham could become the mandatory challenge for the Klitschko-Jennings winner if the former cruiserweight champ beats Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Glazkov (19-0-1, 12 KOs) in their IBF elimination match March 14 at Bell Centre in Montreal (HBO).

The No. 1 spot in the IBF’s heavyweight rankings is vacant. Glazkov is rated No. 2 and Cunningham is No. 4, two spots ahead of Jennings.

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.