Cruiserweights get no respect

Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham engaged in a war recently but their separate fights aren't on U.S. TV. THE RING cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham battled in a fight-of-the-year candidate in December, underscoring the fact that both are entertaining, action fighters.

They fight separate opponents on Saturday, Adamek defending his IBF title against Bobby Gunn in Newark, N.J., and Cunningham facing Wayne Braithwaite in Sunrise, Fla., on the undercard of Vic Darchinyan-Joseph Agbeko.

Neither fight will be televised in the United States, although you can watch the Adamak-Gunn fight at mainevents.com for $9.99. And, remarkably, Showtime actually passed on an expected rematch between Adamek and Cunningham.

Such continues to be the state of the cruiserweight division, one of the most overlooked in the sport even when exciting fighters are involved.

“The networks aren’t responsive to what the fans want to see,” said Main Events CEO Kathy Duva, whose No. 1 fighter is Adamek. “They have their favorites and that’s who they push. They are often fighters who are good technicians but not compelling.

“And the networks want to know why people aren’t watching their fights, even for free. My position is that we have a branding problem. You call them cruiserweights and people think they’re no good. It’s my job as a promoter to try to change that.”

The cruiserweight division was established in the early 1980s to accommodate smaller heavyweights who were having trouble competing with rapidly growing big men. The limit started at 190 pounds and is currently 200.

So today’s cruiserweights, Duva is quick to point out, are the same size as some of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Jack Dempsey fought at 185-195. Joe Louis was at his best around 200. Muhammad Ali fought at less than 220 in his prime.

And she’s not alone when she says that today’s heavyweights are often too big to be exciting fighters. An example would be Wladimir Klitschko, a giant who has perfected a system that is effective but relatively boring.

HBO declined to televise Klitschko’s title defense against Ruslan Chagaev last month.

“The fans want to see big guys but not the big guys they’re seeing now,” Duva said. “There’s nothing to watch. Cunningham and Adamek wailed on each other (in Newark, where Adamek has many Polish fans). The crowd was electrifying. I compare it to Arturo Gatti and Fernando Vargas, the way they and the crowd fed off each other.

“… I don’t think people are drawn to the super heavyweights. They’re not athletic. The fans don’t see action unless a smaller heavyweight forces the action.”

Adamek is fighting Gunn, a journeyman with some power, because there is no money from TV. And, sadly, he could’ve been fighting Bernard Hopkins in a much-discussed, high-profile event but the two couldn’t come to terms.

Still, Adamek vs. Gunn should be fun while it lasts, which probably won’t be long. This has a quick Adamek knockout written all over it.

“Bobby Gunn and my fans around the world will see my winning effort and another knockout on Saturday night,” Adamek declared on Thursday.

Too bad so few people in the U.S. will see it.


Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com