Cruiserweight

It's been a little while since Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham have met in the squared circle but that doesn't mean the results will be any different.

Highlander earned his 36th career victory against Cunningham back in 2008, marking the first of three-straight victories at The Prudential Center in New Jersey.

The following year, Adamek would defeat both Johnathon Banks and Bobby Gunn at the same venue.

The '08 loss for Cunningham would turn out to be the first of three over the next four years, with the Philadelphia native losing two straight fights with Yoan Pablo Hernandez.

This time, the fight will take place in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which should be a friendly crowd for Cunningham. But crowds don't help you throw punches or protect you from body shots.

Aside from one loss against a much bigger, stronger Vitali Klitschko, Adamek has gone undefeated since his victory against Cunningham.

Considering the circumstances of his sole loss and the fact he's fighting an opponent he's already beaten, Adamek has a clear mental advantage in this one.

Highlander doesn't have the reach or height advantage statistically in this one, but what he does have is durability. Check out this highlight of his fight against a much bigger Chris Arreola.

It's obvious Adamek has to do a lot more than his opponent to make his punches count but his ability to pick his spot for combination blows helped him win this fight.

Against a much more equal-in-size opponent like Cunningham, Adamek can use similar tactics but can also take a more aggressive approach. Highlander can use all aspects of his game in his upcoming fight which will prove too much for his opponent.

It's not that Cunningham isn't a respected or experienced fighter, but he doesn't have a power advantage here and his lack of recent success isn't a positive.

Cunningham is not in a winning state of mind and has to figure out a way to beat Adamek for the first time. All Adamek has to do is update the game plan that helped him defeat Cunningham four years ago.

NBC will get to air a competitive fight here, but it's just not going to be one with a result the boxing world hasn't seen before.

Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham define class.

The two veteran boxers will fight for the second time on Saturday night. In their first meeting, judges gave Adamek the nod in a split decision.

The stereotypical boxer would’ve been bitter about the ruling, especially when it cost him the IBF title. But in the pre-fight press conference, neither could’ve answered questions any more professionally.

When they were asked which round the fight would end in, both of them deflected the question: Cunningham said that he doesn’t make predictions, while Adamek answered (via ProBoxing-Fans.com), “Only God knows what will happen on Saturday.”

How many fighters would’ve predicted a victory in their favor by knockout for the sake of their pride?

For crying out loud, Floyd Mayweather has talked so much pre-fight garbage to Manny Pacquiao,, and there’s never even been a fight scheduled. Is that just Mayweather’s swagger, or is it a lack of the same discipline that Adamek and Cunningham pride themselves on?

When Cunningham was asked if the fight was personal, he denied such a notion, stressing that Adamek won and said (via ProBoxing-Fans.com):

I don't have any hate or anger. Shoot, I was rooting for him in some of his fights. We have much respect for the man and his team, but we have to face each other again. No hard feelings. It's the business. It's what we do. We put on a show for America and hopefully they accept it, and enjoy it.

Compare and contrast that reaction to Juan Manuel Marquez’s after he went 0-2-1 against Pacquiao in their first three fights. Cunningham said (via ProBoxing-Fans.com), “The first fight he won fair and square. Two judges said he won, and one said I did. He gets the decision.” Marquez, on the other hand, vehemently claimed victory over PacMan.

In boxing, professionalism isn’t nearly as marketable as trash talk. But perhaps because of that, it’s always refreshing to see fighters hold themselves to a higher standard.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels

BJ Flores has an interesting story to tell. It's the story of a kid, born into a boxing home, who would go on to a successful amateur and professional career. 

It's a story of hard work and determination he hopes will pay off with a title shot sometime next year.

Flores (27-1-1 17 KO), currently rated No.1 by the WBO and No. 3 by the WBA at cruiserweight, will return to the ring this Saturday night in Missouri. He was originally scheduled to face undefeated Egyptian fighter Ahmed Samir.

But Samir pulled out with an injury less than a week before the fight, forcing Team Flores to scramble for a new opponent. Something that left the fighter undeterred.

"It’s part of being a professional. If you’re a professional boxer you need to be ready for whatever happens," Flores said.

His new opponent will be West Virginia tough guy David McNemar (13-1 10 KO), a late replacement and not the fight he was hoping for, but one he will gladly accept. The NABO and NABA cruiserweight titles will be on the line. 

"My focus is fighting for the world title and it’s not so much who I’m fighting. I can’t sit around and cry and complain about how it’s not fair and I can’t get ready for him now and it’s too difficult. There's no time for that."

Flores is not only expecting to win, he's expecting to do so in impressive fashion.

"For me it doesn’t matter who they put in front of me Saturday night he’s gonna get beat and knocked out late in the fight."

Flores understands that if he wants to pursue his dream of a world championship, he must first get by the rugged McNemar Saturday night in Springfield, Missouri. He is currently the mandatory challenger for WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck, a fight he hopes to make next.

"Marco Huck is the [WBO] champion there from Germany. And that’s the fight I’ll hopefully have next after this fight and that’s what I’m pushing for."

Unlike many American fighters who are reluctant to travel to Germany for big fights, Flores has no problems with taking on the champ in his backyard. He's confident in his abilities to win the fight either by knockout or, if necessary, decision.

"I’m definitely not opposed to going to Germany. I have no problem doing that. I feel like I can beat him regardless of whether it’s here or there but it’s obviously a little tougher there."

"I think I could outbox him enough to win a decision. I would obviously shoot for the knockout to make sure there’s no judges needed.  But Huck is a very, very good fighter. He’s never been knocked out before."

It is interesting that Flores, whose only loss came in another road game fight against Danny Green in Australia, is so willing to fight again on foreign soil. But when you're not the champion, sometimes you have to go out of your way to pursue your dreams.

The loss against Green, in which the contracted weight was 195 pounds—below the cruiserweight limit—remains a sore spot for Flores. He feels the extra five pounds, for a guy who naturally walks around at 215 pounds when not in training, left him at a huge disadvantage.

"I really don't consider that a loss," Flores said.

"I barely make 200 pounds. So to drop an extra five pounds off to where I can barely make the weight is a huge detriment. It was absolutely huge and it definitely cost me the fight. I was a just little slower."  

Despite the disadvantages, Flores feels the fight could've gone either way, with all the close rounds being scored for Green in his hometown.

Flores is now promoted by Don King. While he is aware of some of the baggage that King has associated with him, he has had nothing but a good relationship with the iconic, if at times controversial, promoter.

"You can't go off by what other people say," Flores said, addressing the issue of King's past. "He's done great for me and he's working on getting me a big fight after this one."

There will be no big fight after this one, however, if Flores isn't able to get by McNemar on Saturday night. And while he's not looking ahead, he is aware that he has to stay active to remain relevant in the tightly packed cruiserweight division.

"That’s what I’ve tried to do. Fight four times in 14 months, get better, improve, so when I get another shot at a world title that I’m absolutely ready to make the most of it."

Kevin McRae is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Krzysztof Wlodarczyk put to rest any controversy that may have existed from his first fight with Francisco Palacios with a decisive decision victory to retain his WBC cruiserweight title, so what's next for the champion?

For one, a step up in competition. Wlodarczyk has been undefeated since a loss in 2007 and has enjoyed 10 victories in that span but still remains relatively unknown to the casual fan.

His general anonymity can largely be chalked up to a lack of "big name" opponents that would attract the kind of audience that makes the casual fan sit up and take notice. Here are the opponents at cruiserweight that we would love to see Wlodarczyk take on in a perfect world to prove himself and gain more notoriety.

Antonio Tarver

Tarver may be getting a bit long in the tooth, but he's still one of the biggest names in the cruiserweight division.

A longtime light heavyweight, Tarver recently made a move down to the cruiserweight division and immediately made waves, finishing Danny Green in the ninth round and fighting Lateef Kayode to a draw.

Tarver has definitely lost a step but he's given some of the best in the division trouble and has more name recognition than just about anybody thanks to his battles with Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins and Glen Johnson.

A win over Tarver would not only be a good test for Wlodarczyk, it would make him a bigger draw.

Marco Huck

Everybody loves a champion vs. champion fight and this is one that would pit the WBC champion, Wlodarczyk, against the longtime WBO champion.

Huck has been as dominant a champion as Wlodarczyk so this would provide an intriguing matchup between two boxers that have enjoyed long title reigns. Huck would hold the advantage in power, he hold five knockout victories in the last three years, but Wlodarczyk holds the advantage in speed.

Huck would provide the greatest challenge of Wlodarczyk's career; he's big enough that he recently vied for Alexander Povetkin's WBA heavyweight title although he was unsuccessful.

If Wlodarczyk could find a way to beat Huck, he would have a very strong claim that he is the No. 1 cruserweight in the world.

Lateef Kayode

Kayode may not have the best name recognition, but this fight could be marketed well as he is undefeated and a fast-rising prospect in the division.

Kayode's 18-0-1 record is marked with a draw against the aforementioned Antonio Tarver, but he easily handled Tarver in the early rounds before fading late against the aging veteran. Kayode should learn from his lesson and would make a great challenger to Wlodarczyk for his WBC cruiserweight championship.

A win over the hard-charging Kayode would give Wlodarczyk a huge boost in popularity and set himself up for a bigger showdown down the road.

Yoan Pablo Hernandez was perhaps fortunate to retain his belt via 12-round unanimous decision over Troy Ross by scores of 114-113, 115-112 and 116-112 in Bamberg Germany. In a tactical yet thrilling battle, Ross (25-3, 16 KO) gave as good as he got, and the Canadian challenger nearly stopped Hernandez (27-1, 13 KO) in a wild fifth round.

Ross, a two-time Canadian Olympian and former winner of The Contender, was challenging for the IBF cruiserweight title for the second time, his first attempt having come against Steve Cunningham in a bout where Ross floored the then-champion, only to have the fight stopped in the fifth round when a Cunningham thumb opened up a nasty cut on Ross’ eye.

Against Hernandez, however, Ross will surely lament and contemplate what might have been. While the fight was not an outright robbery, Ross seemed to be the narrow winner despite being a massive underdog.

Hernandez, despite a massive height and reach advantage, was unable to keep the relentless Ross at bay for much of the fight, and the bout’s most telling aspect was that Ross consistently landed the more eye-catching and damaging punches.

Hernandez started well with good uppercuts and sweeping right hooks from his southpaw stance. Ross, who found a consistent home for his sledgehammer hooks, was content to counter and double his jab as he figured out a way to solve Hernandez’s reach and boxing skills.

The fight’s momentum ratcheted up as early as the second round, as both men ripped hooks from close range during heated exchanges. Hernandez started to find his range by going to Ross’ body, but the challenger responded well with counter hooks. This carried into the third round with massive exchanges on the ropes, and both men slipped to the canvas as they tried to load up on punches.

After a quiet fourth round, Ross asserted himself in the fifth. A massive overhand left obliterated Hernandez’s equilibrium, and Ross followed up by backing the Cuban champion up against the ropes to score a knockdown. Hernandez appeared on the verge of being stopped, and the referee did everything to help the hometown fighter by awkwardly breaking both fighters and consistently allowing Hernandez to turn his back to the action.

To Hernandez’s credit, he did recover well, and he boxed smoothly in the sixth, though Ross landed the round’s most damaging punch with a massive right hand at the end of the stanza. Ross’ moment for a stoppage, however, had passed, and Hernandez showed classy boxing skills in clearly outfoxing Ross during Rounds 7 and 8.

Round 9 was absolutely wild, as both men were staggered multiple times and seemed on the verge of collapsing due to exhaustion. Ross was able to end the round by hurting Hernandez, but the champion had recorded his most damaging round of the fight. That said, Ross never seemed in as much danger as Hernandez was during the fifth.

The championship rounds were cagey and lacked the brawling excitement of Rounds 5 and 9, but Ross did some solid work and was even able to wobble Hernandez in the 12th. Hernandez appeared lethargic and had tremendous difficulty putting his punches together. Despite this, Ross was not able to thoroughly dominate, even though he should have clearly won the last two frames on all scorecards.

Despite the hype, Hernandez looked vulnerable, though much of that has to do with Ross’ under-appreciated quality. Had Hernandez fought this way against Marco Huck, he would have been stopped, and what makes the most sense now is for Hernandez to give Ross the rematch he deserves. 

Whether your allegiances lie with the more complete fight card headlined by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Josesito Lopez, or the tantalizing pay-per-view showdown between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., one thing is clear. Saturday’s IBF cruiserweight title showdown between Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Troy Ross is the perfect way to wet your appetite.

Luckily, because Hernandez and Ross will tangle in Bamberg, Germany, the fight will be live in the afternoon for North American audiences. The cruiserweight division is consistently overlooked and seen as an awkward stopgap, but boxing’s 200-pound class is littered with skilled and diverse fighters.

Diversity, in a sense, might be the problem, as most of the elite cruiserweights are not American. German promoters are the major players in the division, and Steve Cunningham—the most recognizable American cruiserweight—has recently made the jump to heavyweight.

Treating the division as a springboard to heavyweight success is another problem, but as it stands, the cruiserweights currently have viable champions who seem intent on defending their titles.

Despite a recent foray into the heavyweight division, reigning WBO champion Marco Huck has returned south of 200 pounds, and he was last seen retaining his belt in a wildly entertaining majority draw against the skilled and savvy Ola Afolabi.

Placing one’s stamp on the cruiserweight division brings us to Hernandez (26-1, 13 KO), a 27-year-old Cuban and current IBF champion. In his last fight, the 6’4" Hernandez—who is blessed with classy boxing skills—won a competitive, but decisive, decision over the aforementioned Cunningham to retain the IBF title, which Hernandez had wrested in controversial fashion during their first fight.

Entering his prime, Hernandez seems poised for a dominant run, though his height and frame suggest that a potential move to heavyweight might be in his future. That said, Hernandez is first scheduled to make a mandatory defense against Ross (25-2, 16 KO), a two-time Canadian Olympian and former winner of The Contender.

Ross is actually a worthy mandatory challenger, which is an increasing rarity in boxing given the corruption of sanctioning bodies and how they rank fighters. At 37, this could be Ross’ last crack at a world title, but according to ESPN's Dan Rafael, Ross is oozing confidence:

I am fully concentrated on myself and don't pay attention to anything else. I am in really good shape and, therefore, I don't fear anyone. I have matured since my last title bout and gained more experience. That will show on [Saturday].

I just know that I will have to box smart. His strengths are his speed and power. I will have to be careful with that. His weaknesses will show once he is inside the ring with me. As a person, I am always very positive. I know that I will beat Hernandez. I will rip his title from him, which rightfully belongs to me anyways.

Despite a major size disadvantage—Ross is 5’11" to Hernandez’s 6’4"—there is reason for the former Canadian and Commonwealth champion to be confident. In 2010, Ross had Steve Cunningham on the deck and was boxing well until a thumb to the eye opened up a nasty cut that forced the referee and ringside doctor to stop the fight.

In order for Ross to win, he will have to use his strong frame, short stature and sledgehammer hooks to get inside Hernandez’s reach and force him against the ropes. If Ross allows Hernandez to box him from the outside, Ross—whose face is prone to swelling—could get peppered all night.

Ross’ motivation and need to get in close range ensure that this fight will have tremendous action, and both men have shown flashes of power, especially Ross. While Hernandez is the safe pick to win via decision, don’t discount the rugged, yet skilled, Canadian in what should be a genuine world-class fight.

According to Roy Jones Jr.(56-8 40 KO’s), he could to be back in the ring in October against Lateef Kayode (18-0-1 14 KO’s). 

"It gives me the chance to win the cruiserweight title," Jones told B/R after the recent fight card he promoted. “The only title I never got between middleweight and heavyweight is cruiserweight. That’s my perfect opportunity to collect that cruiserweight title, and that’s all I am looking for right now.”

Jones previously challenged Australia’s Danny Green for the IBO cruiserweight title in December, 2009, and was stopped in the first round by a brutal knockout. 

The fight, if it does come off, will be for the vacant and lightly regarded IBO cruiserweight title, according to Jones. The title was vacated by Antonio Tarver after he tested positive for an anabolic steroid.

Jones’ most recent fight was a hard-fought split decision victory over Poland’s Pawel Glazewski, a bout in which the former pound-for-pound king was dropped. 

It was reported by Dan Rafael that after his last fight, Jones would most likely face WBC cruiserweight titleholder Krzystzof Wlodarczyk, who is also from Poland. 

“He didn’t want to fight. So (since) he ain't want it, so I will get it (cruiserweight title) from who ever I got to get it from,” said Jones about a possible matchup with the Pole.

Jones, 43, is 8-7 in his last 15 fights, but he is still convinced that his time as a top-flight boxer is not over.

“I will fight anybody. I don’t care nothing about nobody. I will fight them all,” said the ever-confident Jones. “I am the man still as far as I’m concerned. Last I checked I was still the man.”

Michael Walters is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

You can follow Michael Walters on twitter @MWalters202

In a fight where both fighters fought in waves, Antonio Tarver and Lateef Kayode fought close the entire night, resulting in a draw after 12 rounds of action in their IBO cruiserweight title fight that was the main event of Showtime's "Four Warned" boxing card .

The bout was scored 115-113 for Tarver, 115-113 for Kayode and 114-114 giving us the draw in the bout.

Tarver (29-6-1, 20 KOs) was slow out the gate and gave Kayode (18-0-1, 14 KOs) a chance to dictate the action early on, but as the fight progressed Tarver started to pick up the action more and more, behind his corner telling him he was giving the fight away between rounds.

Tarver seemed to hurt Kayode a few times during the latter rounds of the fight, but Kayode always came back with a flurry of action of his own after Tarver staggering him.

Kayode fought in the championship 11th and 12th rounds for the first time in his career and it showed as he looked to be out of gas in the end. Tarver didn't fare any better as he looked slow and tired as well in the final rounds, maybe being a sign that his age is finally catching up to him in the ring.

Kayode was visibly angry in his post-fight interview and put the blame on Showtime for the draw, as he felt he won the bout and blamed Showtime because Tarver does commentary for the network when he is not in the ring boxing.

Kayode went on to say he wanted to take the fight to HBO, presumably because he feels he would get a more fair result if the fight was close on HBO, where Tarver is not part of their payroll.

In all, the fight wasn't all that entertaining and lacked consistent action. If there is a rematch down the line, one could only hope the two fighters let their gloves fly a little more, to give the fans a more enjoyable fight than was given tonight.

Isn’t it interesting how boxing matches are sometimes made: two fighters scuffle, one is retired and one gets a hefty fine and a suspension from boxing for their inappropriate behavior.

Despite the fact that all fingers should be pointing to the fight not happening, the fans can feel something else going on—a game of hyping up a potential match. Just like everyone thought, this is exactly what is happening now to our famous British clowns.

Yes boxing fans, the bout between Derek Chisora and David Haye seems to be in the works, with a possible date and venue already being reserved. According to Fightnews.com, it seems the fight is slated to take place on July 14, 2012 in England with a major soccer stadium being considered as the venue.  

To be honest, while I don’t really care about this fight as far as the result goes, or its place in boxing, I do believe it will turn out to be quite a spectacle. Sparks will fly at the conferences before and after the fight, and the fight itself will most likely be entertaining with no shortage on action.

The Chisora vs. Klitscko post-fight press conference was the perfect opportunity to market themselves, and so they did.

Financially, this bout will be healthy due to the fact that both fighters are British, and both have made bigger names for themselves by fighting the Klitschkos. The result will probably warrant an instant re-match; economically, it would be easy to make and there would be a large profit to collect.

As far as picking the winner, I think that picking Chisora would be going out on a limb. Haye is pretty good on his feet and likes to move laterally—something that Derek simply doesn’t do or respond well to. I can see Haye winning the fight with a solid UD point lead.

Now all that has to happen is a shared agreement between the two camps, a venue reservation and the fight is good to go. Would I pay PPV for this event? Absolutely not.

Am I excited for what this fight could be, and watching it for free? Without a doubt.