By Cliff Rold (photo by David Martin-Warr/DKP)

Should he win Thursday night’s battle with Poland’s 32-year old Tomasz Adamek (35-1, 24 KO), the also 32-year old Steve Cunningham (21-1, 11 KO) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will leave the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey with his second IBF title defense, a new Ring Magazine belt, and pretty much undisputable right to call himself the Cruiserweight champion of the world. 

Who could argue it?

Reigning WBA titlist Guillermo Jones (36-3-2, 28 KO) lost to Cunningham before picking up a strap; matters are settled with former IBF titlist Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (41-2, 31 KO) for whom he traveled to Poland twice for one official victory and one disputed loss.  The only active names of today’s importance not present on the Cunningham ledger, former World Champions David Haye and O’Neil Bell, are recently gone to Heavyweight and stopped by Adamek respectively.

In other words, this could be Cunningham’s moment to shine and on the best stage he could ask for, nationally televised basic U.S. Cable network Versus on U.S. soil.  Cunningham hasn’t been seen in a ring on U.S. TV, or on its soil, since at least January 2006.   Already at an age where some fighters are thinking about retirement (i.e. only a few years younger than Oscar de La Hoya), this is instead a coming out party befitting a younger man.

Cunningham to his credit still fights young.  So too does the former WBC Light Heavyweight titlist Adamek, proving it in April of this year by forcing a quit from Bell.  Added together, it should mean a fight on fight night.  And if Cunningham wins…

…then what?

Cunningham won’t worry about it until this win is secure and shouldn’t.  Victory is not ensured.  It’s never too early for speculation though, and what fate could await Cunningham is fairly obvious.  Recognized as the best Cruiserweight in the world, Cunningham will likely hear the call of bigger men and purses at Heavyweight.  With only eleven stoppages to his credit, even at 6’3 and with a muscular frame, the division’s giants could be a tall order.

There is another option, one which would require perhaps a tad more patience for a fighter whose eight year career has been marked by the virtue.  Cunningham could take a peek below and seek a Marvelous fate.

As in the fate of Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

The 1980s Middleweight kingpin found himself once in a situation Cunningham could be in on Friday.  By the time he’d reached acclaim as champion, most of the division’s best were already gone or Hagler had already beaten them.  His hopes for increased stature and dollars relied on the men in the divisions below him taking risk for the rewards he offered.

For Cunningham, that would mean any of the World’s three current best Light Heavyweights.

27-year old IBF titlist Chad Dawson (27-0, 17 KO) is probably at least two years away from a move to Cruiserweight so he’s not the most likely candidate.  It narrows the field to two.

36-year old reigning Ring beltholder and popular choice for 175 lb. champion Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KO) seems to be hinting at retirement more and more, but a chance at a third World championship might intrigue him enough to stick around.  It’s a fight that, were it to happen, would be of the sooner than later variety. 

There is one other name.

To quote some farmer chick, there’s no place like home.  Being a native of Philly, Cunningham could look down the scale before up in the hopes for a turf battle.  After defeating reigning Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in October, 43-year old Philly-ite Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KO) put to rest any rumors of a demise, instead concocting a Lazarus moment on the Atlantic City shore.

Could the resurrection elevate Hopkins to a whole new division?  Like Calzaghe, the chance at a third World title would be tantalizing.  The chance to do it against a fellow native son, under the shadow of the Liberty Bell, could be as well. 

Such are the issues Cunningham will have before him with a win on Thursday night.  If the answer to the men below is “none of the above” and Cunningham chooses not to make the Heavyweight leap, there are good fights within his 200 lb. domain.  A rematch with Jones would be entertaining and, particularly with another Cunningham passport stamp, a bout with former WBO titlist Enzo Maccarinelli (29-2, 22 KO) could move some tickets.

None would bring the glory his smaller ring brethren do.  All he has now to do is the winning to make these too-early questions immediate concerns.  Getting to ask them would be a marvelous fate indeed.

Mini-Report Card

Win or lose, fans should expect a solid fate on Thursday because, as noted, this looks like a serious fight.  Timing precludes the typical long-form report card from yours truly, but here’s the abridged version of how one pair of eyes sees Cunningham-Adamek.

Speed: Cunningham A-; Adamek B
Power: Cunningham B; Adamek B+
Defense: Cunningham B+; Adamek B
Intangibles: Both A

Some fans might lean reflexively to Cunningham based on the one-sided decision Adamek lost in 2007 to Dawson.  It could be a mistake.  Cunningham, while possessing many of the size and athletic advantages of Dawson, does not possess the same southpaw variable.  He is the quicker man, a fundamentally solid boxer-puncher with a varied offense and a consistent jab.  Adamek could offset a bit of those edges with his own heavier hands and straight punches.  Neither man is unhittable, but Adamek catches more in keeping with his more aggressive style.  Both Cunningham and Adamek have shown chin and character in their careers to date, a bonus for fans hoping for some lengthy give and take.  Adamek survived two wars with Paul Briggs at Light Heavyweight while Cunningham’s most recent bout with Marco Huck featured quality exchanges and a late stoppage for the American.  Add in the professionalism Cunningham has shown in slowly building to this point, and Adamek has shown in getting back from his first defeat, and Boxing ends up with two character guys in the ring for this one.

The Pick:   Ultimately, character shouldn’t be enough for Adamek.  Cunningham’s greater speed and natural size should make him the stronger man in the ring.  At the weigh-in Wednesday, they weighed in a pound apart with Cunningham at 197 and Adamek at 198, but Cunningham is much more used to the weight.  An Adamek win would not be a shock, but a close, competitive decision win for Cunningham seems the safest bet.  

Tune In on Time

After last weekend, fight fans may not be willing to believe it, but Cunningham-Adamek comes with a solid undercard bout.  IBF bantamweight titlist Joseph Agbeko (25-1, 22 KO) finally, fourteen months after winning his belt, gets to make a first defense against power-punching Williams Gonzalez (21-2, 19 KO).  Agbeko’s only loss is a debatable decision to the excellent former WBA titlist Wladimir Sidorenko; Gonzalez has been stopped twice by titlist-types Jhonny Gonzalez and Ricardo Cordoba.  Those results favor Agbeko, but the numbers suggest someone hears ten regardless. 

The show starts at 8 PM EST and it will be worth it to flip channels on time.
 
The Weekly Ledger

But wait, there’s more…

Cliff’s Notes…

Got an interesting e-mail concerning this weekend’s Kendall Holt-Demetrius Hopkins bout.  Reportedly, Hopkins is 3-0 against Holt in the amateurs.  This is as good a late replacement fight as seen in a while…For those who missed it, the sensational Super Middleweight battle between Carl Froch and Jean Pascal can be found on YouTube and even at Froch’s official web page.  It is well worth a look…Speaking of Froch, a showdown with Jermain Taylor just became must-see TV in 2009 and it’s good both sides sound willing…Congratulations to Lennox Lewis, Brian Mitchell and Orlando Canizales.  All do justice to the Hall of Fame…If Shane Mosley can be close to what he was for the 2007 Cotto fight, his bout with Antonio Margarito could end up being the sort of war Robinson used to have with Fullmer and Basilio…Boise State got screwed.  So did Texas.  Gotta’ love the BCS…Still to come this week, James Toney: Measured Against All-Time. 

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com