Krzysztof Glowacki made a major statement last August when he knocked out Marco Huck on his way to becoming a Cruiserweight titleholder.
Coincidentally enough, perennial contender Steve Cunningham fought on the same card against an allegedly ‘roided-up Antonio Tarver to a draw.
Glowacki, whose die-hard Polish fanbase follows him to the ends of the earth, brought some of that excitement out once again as he fought Cunningham in what ended up being a tightly fought contest that brought thousands of Glowacki’s adoring fans to their feet, regardless of his frustrations throughout the bout.
Cunningham may have been fighting in his home country, but one could have easily mistaken the Barclays Center for an arena in Warsaw as entire sections rose to their feet singing Poland’s national anthem before the start of the fifth round.
Glowacki’s ability to counter didn’t help the American’s cause, either. Cunningham rarely had a chance to get his punches off as everything of substance that he threw was immediately countered, or leveraged into a flash exchange in which Glowacki got the better hits in.
In the second round, Glowacki let off some the best shots in his arsenal during these exchanges, flooring Cunningham twice. Cunningham gathered his wits and survived the round, turning his gameplan into making the fight a long-distance boxing match.
By the middle rounds, Cunningham showed his grit as he mounted a major comeback and landed a number of combinations in the championship rounds—even wobbling him in the 11th and 12th—but Glowacki’s combination of chin and his zen-like calm during quasi-firefights put the Polish sensation on top.
Glowacki’s knockdowns in the second, 10th, and 12th rounds were enough to squash Cunningham’s impressive comeback.
Earlier in the week Cunningham’s trainer Nazeem Richardson touted him as the fastest Cruiserweight in the world. But in boxing, it doesn’t matter how fast you are. Timing will always beat speed.
