By Scott Gilfoid: In a big surprise, unbeaten Tyson Fury (20-0, 14 KO’s) is saying he wants to fight for the #1 IBF mandatory spot if he gets past former IBF cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham (25-5, 12 KO’s) in their fight on April 20th for the #2 IBF spot at Madison Square Garden Theater, in New York, New York, USA.
Many boxing fans thought Fury, #4 WBC, #6 WBO, #9 IBF, was just fighting the 6’2” Cunningham just to stay busy while waiting to find out what WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko would do with his career.
Few people believes that Fury was actually interested in trying to become the IBF mandatory challenger because it would require that he beat #1 IBF Kubrat Pulev, a really tough fighter with more than enough skills to beat Fury, but it looks like Fury is willing to take that risk.
Fury said to Boxing Crowd “Whoever is the #1 for the IBF [Kubrat Pulev] has to fight me for the mandatory spot to fight Wladimir Klitschko. So basically I’m two fights away to fight Wladimir Klitschko as a mandatory challenger…I’m fighting Klitschko, I’m going to smash his glass chin for him.”
I think Fury can definitely beat the 36-year-old Cunningham, #12 IBF, but that’s not really a big deal because he was beaten in his last fight by Tomasz Adamek, and he’s not a really dangerous opponent like other top heavyweight contenders such as Deontay Wilder and Bryant Jennings.
Those guys are really dangerous, and I can’t see Fury beating either of them. But he’s good enough to beat Cunningham, tough, and that’s not saying much.
Pulev, 6’4 ½”, has the jab to beat Fury. Pulev is someone that can stay at a distance and jab Fury all night long without getting hit with his power shots, and I can see Fury taking a bad beating from him. I still have a feeling that Fury’s promoter Mick Hennessey will choose to stir Fury away from Pulev by going after the World Boxing Council belt if Vitali decides to give it up rather than defending it again.
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