Artur Szpilka vs. Steve Cunningham

In talks. :bbb

Szpilka issued the challenge and Cunningham expressed willingness if the money is right.

Szpilka takes on 39 year old Ty Cobb next month, in his first outing under Ronnie Shields (and new manager Al Haymon), on April 24th.

 

:good

I love Cunningham and thought he was robbed versus Adamek (putting him on even footing with Szpilka in terms of their common opposition) but Glazkov edged him out, with Steve pretty much blowing his load early.

 

This, by the way, is part of the PBC on Spike card (the undercard of Dirrell vs. Bika & Jacobs vs. Truax) but I'm not sure it will even be televised.

So by this summer the last impression American TV audiences will have of Artur will be his loss to Jennings, eighteen or so months earlier.

I can imagine this will lead many to look favorably upon Steve's chances, especially coming off a close match with a top contender.

I feel, however, that people might be selling The Pin a bit short based on some faulty ABC logic. He was already showing improvements steadily under his old coach Fiodor Lapin, and linking up with Ronnie Shields can only help (especially with a practice run with a soft touch like Cobb to smooth out the kinks & work through growing pains in the new relationship)

While both Glazkov & Cunningham fared better with Adamek than did Szpilka (and both with fresher versions of Adamek), I can't help but wonder if the Jennings to whom Szpilka lost a close match wasn't a much better fighter on the night than was the Glazkov to whom Cunningham lost a close match. :think

That is all to say nothing of the fact that Szpilka is a big, strong, tall southpaw. The last few times Cunningham fought guys matching that description were Mansour and Hernandez I & II. Steve was dropped in all those fights. Szpilka is also, unlike Hernandez, a natural heavyweight and certainly harder-hitting than YPH. He is also bigger, younger, faster and more skilled than Mansour (though maybe with less raw power).

 

Cunningham is officially 1-3 against Poles, but Cunningham (and some fans) believe he ought to be 4-0 with pairs of victories over Krzysztof Wlodarczyk and Tomasz Adamek.