Tomasz Adamek vs Steve Cunningham Preview Dec. 22
Polish heavyweight Tomasz Adamek will take on Steve Cunningham of Philadelphia at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania this Saturday December 22 in a 12-round bout that will be broadcast on the free NBC network at 4 pm EST. This will be a rematch of their exciting 2008 bout which Adamek won by a split decision and took Cunningham’s IBF Cruiserweight belt home with him.
Adamek, who is now recognized as the IBF North American Heavyweight Champion, will enter the ring with a record of 47-2, with 29 Kos while Cunningham will climb through the ring ropes with a mark of 25-4, with 12 Kos. Adamek said he’s in the best shape of his career and feels it will be a special occasion due to the TV exposure the fight will receive across the nation.
Adamek has the advantage since he’s been fighting as a heavyweight for quite some time now and has already beaten Cunningham. This will make him the betting favourite, but he still has to earn his victory in the ring. Neither of them are spring chickens anymore as they’re both 36 years old. Cunningham fought his first bout as a heavyweight in September and tipped the scales at just 207 lbs. However, he didn’t have any problem disposing of Jason Gavern.
This will be Adamek’s 11th heavyweight contest and fourth this year. The former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion has been in several wars over the course of his career since turning pro in 1999. These include bouts against Paul Briggs, Andrew Golota, Travis Walker, Chris Arreola, Jonathon Banks, Michael Grant, and Eddie Chambers. His two losses came at the hands of Chad Dawson and Vitali Klitschko. Dawson took a 12-round unanimous decision over him while Klitschko stopped him in the 10th round in September of 2011.
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There’s no doubt that Adamek has passed his peak at this moment in time, but so has Cunningham. Adamek dropped him in their first meeting and he’s now carrying more power as a heavyweight. Cunningham could find his power hard to handle. The American boxer turned pro back in 2000 and has faced the likes of Troy Ross, Wayne Braithwaite, Marco Huck, Kelvin Davis, and Guillermo Jones. His losses came to Yoan Pablo Hernandez (twice) Adamek, and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. He’s just 6-4 in his last 10 bouts.
Prediction
Cunningham stands 6-foot-3 with an 82-inch reach while Adamek is just over 6-foot 1 with a 75-inch reach. But at this stage of their careers all of the other advantages go to Adamek; however a well-timed and placed shot by Cunningham could turn things his way. He’s not known as a big hitter though and Adamek has a solid chin. Even if he’s dropped, it’s unlikely the Polish fighter will stay down for the count of 10. Adamek is the more powerful puncher and he can adapt pretty well in the ring if things aren’t going his way. Cunningham has the skills to win a few rounds on the scorecards, but Adamek’s big shots will be the equalizer. Look for Adamek to take another decision or earn a late stoppage.
Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.eu has the latest odds of an Adamek win at -350 and a Cunningham victory at +290. Visit 5Dimes.eu to see up to date odds and to bet on this fight. You should also check out our recent boxing betting predictions to see how we’ve done of late capping the fights.
Steve Cunningham betting • Tomasz Adamek betting