Cornelius “K-9” Bundrage caused a shock with an upset victory over Cory “The Next Generation” Spinks to win the IBF Light-Middleweight Title at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
The former Contender star from Detroit, Michigan, dominated Spinks from the off and looked to have the former Unified Welterweight Champion in trouble whenever he launched an assault.
Spinks 32 almost fell out of the ring at one point as the fighter’s legs tangled in the fifth round, the round that ultimately proved decisive. “K-9” unleashed a barrage of punches to pin the St Louis fighter to the ropes, and referee Mark Nelson called a halt to the fight, much to Spinks’ disapproval.
Cornelius Bundrage vs Cory Spinks
Spink’s trainer Buddy McGirt thought the ref should have given the former champ the benefit of the doubt, but he wasn’t throwing any punches back, so the fight was waved off.
For Bundrage at 37 is a fantastic victory for the man who turned pro in 1995, only fought 21 times in 10 years, albeit winning them all until losing to Sechew Powel in 2005.
He then joined the contender series in which he lost to Steve “2 Pound” Forbes. Two more defeats followed in the next seven fights until the no-contest with Yuri Foreman last time out led him to an opportunity against Spinks, which he has duly taken.
Bundrage came on leaps and bounds since trainer Emanuel Steward joined the camp, which seemed to give him the belief to do what he did last night, and he looked a young 37 at that.
First Defense
Ironically, Cornelius’ first defense could be against the first man to beat the new champion, as Sechew Powell won an IBF eliminator back in March and is still awaiting a shot at the title.
Top of the bill at the Scottrade Center, Devon Alexander beat Andriy Kotelnik to defend his WBC, and IBF Light-Welterweight titles with a dominant unanimous points win, with all three judges scoring the bout 116-112.
On the bill, Tavoris Cloud bt Glen Johnson by a unanimous margin to retain his IBF Light-Heavyweight crown. Amazingly all three judges scored the same as the Alexander fight, 116-112 on all three cards.
WBN Editor Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
