Vyacheslov Glazkov (20-0-1, 12 KOs) received the unanimous decision over Steve Cunningham (28-7, 13 KOs) in the IBF title eliminator that may result in a shot at world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
The fight started out with Vyacheslov Glazkov in pursuit and Steve Cunningham looking to stay on the outside and control the fight with an active jab and quick combinations. It was Cunningham’s activity rather than his effectiveness that probably won him the earlier rounds, but Glazkov was never out of the fight despite his face being a bit marked up by the 4th round.
Round 5 opened up with a flurry of punches thrown by both fighters and a true fight broke out momentarily before settling into the same pattern that was previously established, although at a slightly higher pace. Through 6 rounds, Cunningham was clearly in the driver’s seat with no hint of slowing down.
… and then Cunningham slowed down and got sloppy in the 7th and Glazkov began landing nice hard shots. The tide seemed to be turning by the 8th round, as Glazkov began to open up a bit more and rip shots to Cunningham’s body but the round ended up settling into more of a “tit for tat” affair with no clear dominance by either fighter.
As the fight wore on, Glazkov seemed to have a bit more sting on his punches. Both fighters may have been fairly even with their output, but it was Glazkov that was landing the more spectacular looking punches. Glazkov seemed to be behind (slightly) by the final round and found himself selling out to try to make up for his slow start. It seemed as though it would not be enough but the score cards said otherwise as Glazkov was given the unanimous decision.
It seemed as though Cunningham was going to win with a more consistently active performance but in the end, it was Glazkov and his seemingly more effective punches in the second half of the fight that received the nod.
