Bundrage defends IBF title against Spinks on June 23

By Boxing News - 03/28/2012 - Comments

By Allan Fox: IBF light middleweight champion Cornelius Bundrage (31-4, 18 KO’s) will be defending his International Boxing Federation title for the for the second time against 34-year-old former two division world champion Cory Spinks (39-6, 11 KO’s) on June 23rd at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Hollywood, Florida.

Spinks, 34, will be trying to avenge his 5th round TKO loss to the 38-year-old Bundrage from August, 2010. Spinks was pretty well batted around in that fight and took heavy punishment until finally being halted in the 5th after being knocked to the canvas.

It doesn’t seem like a good match-up for Spinks to be getting back in the ring with Bundrage because his style of fighting with the Mayweather-esque shoulder roll just wasn’t going to work against a big hitter like Bundrage. Spinks doesn’t move all that well and doesn’t have a great jab. Those are things that you need to beat the flat-footed Bundrage. I can’t see the rematch being any different than the first fight.

Spinks, #1 IBF, is still rated highly by the IBF, while the other sanctioning bodies don’t have ranked at all in the top 15. The division has improved a lot since Spinks was in his prime and he’s definitely slipped a couple of notches in the past few years. Spinks has hurt himself with inactivity, as well. He only fought once in 2011, beating Sharkir Ashanti (16-10) by a 10 round decision; once in 2010 and once in 2009. That’s clearly not fighting enough if you want to stay sharp and on top of the division. It was no surprise that Spinks was taken out by Bundrage because if Bundrage didn’t get him somebody else would once Spinks fought someone good in the division.

Spinks defeated Sechew Powell by a 12 round unanimous decision in his last fight last January to an IBF light middleweight eliminator bout to earn a rematch against Bundrage.



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