Last night’s PBC on Spike headliner was a drab affair between two aging combatants of the Heavyweight division. And several choruses of boos confirmed it at the Prudential Center, Newark. Antonio Tarver (31-6-1, 22 KO) and Steve Cunningham (28-7-1, 13 KO) fought to a Split Draw which carried few fireworks – let alone any noteworthy action.
In all fairness, Tarver-Cunningham was never expected to be a thriller, and so there’s no point ripping on it too much. We’ll spare you the snooze-inducing details, and just describe it as lackluster. It’s not personal, it just is what it is: a 39-year-old blown up Cruiserweight squaring off against a 46-year-old veteran. Scorecards came in at 115-113, 115-114, 114-114.
Luckily, the chief support’s Huck-Glowacki proved to be a bona-fide barnstormer…
Marco Huck vs Krzysztof Glowacki Ignites into Classic
Before the Cruiserweight co-feature unfolded, Marco Huck had spoken of dreams to challenge a Top 10 Heavyweight. But dreams of entering the glamour division were compromised when he stepped in with Krzysztof Glowacki, the undefeated challenger who was to stop Huck in the 11th round.
Some analysts may have foreseen the upset, but on the whole, most favored Huck (38-3-1, 26 KO) to return to Germany with his WBO title. Too tough, too strong, too experienced was the general opinion. But it wasn’t to be; Huck was stopped for the second time in his career, losing for the first time since February 2012. Johnny Nelson’s record for most consecutive Cruiserweight defenses remains untied.
From the opening bell, it was clear underdog Glowacki (25-0, 16 KO) had come to win. The Pole was fast out the gate and highly aggressive, pounding away at the mid-section of the champion. But Huck – being Huck – responded with violence, battling back into the fight, and knocking down Glowacki hard in the 6th round courtesy of a huge left-hook.
Glowacki beat the count, and immediately started firing back, landing enough leather to stifle Huck’s onslaught. Both men landed hard, thudding shots for the remainder of the round, forcing the Newark crowd to their feet. From that moment, the fight became a war, with both men taking lumps out of each other until attrition entered the ropes. Huck’s experience paid dividends for the most part, but his zealous challenger was never far behind.
This was anyone’s fight, but it quickly became Glowacki’s after he dropped Huck with a left-hook, right-hand combination in the 11th. Huck was badly hurt, barely beat the count, and was soon sent falling into the ropes following a head-snapping barrage. The referee quite rightly stopped the fight.
This was a career-defining victory for Glowacki, who is the first man to knock down Huck and the second to stop him in the pro game. The 29-year-old deserves huge appraise for the win, but both men deserve respect for producing a hell of a fight for boxing fans.
So there you have it. Marco Huck’s reign is over – for now at least – and we have a new WBO Cruiserweight champion. For what it’s worth, the scores going into the 11th were 93-96 (twice), 94-95, Huck. Give us your thoughts on this expectation-thrashing fight.
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