Skip to content
Home » Steve Cunningham plans Tyson Fury appeal for illegal forearm use

Steve Cunningham plans Tyson Fury appeal for illegal forearm use

  • by
  • 2 min read

Defeated heavyweight Steve Cunningham will challenge the call by referee Eddie Cotton to allow Tyson Fury’s knockout punch to stand in their entertaining bout on Saturday night in New York.

The American had Fury down and in considerable trouble in the second round of the contest and was up by two points on the WBN scorecard at the time of the stoppage.

Two judges at ringside had Cunningham up 57-55, while the third had it 56-56.

Steve Cunningham appeal

The finishing blow by Fury, although a knockout shot in its own right, did seem to come from a punch on the back of some use of the unbeaten fighter’s forearm.

Cunningham, 36, is now ready to launch a protest over the decision. The referee failed to punish Fury for the move at the time.

At present, “USS” gained plenty of support from fans worldwide. They did not adhere to some of the eventual winner’s rough-house tactics.

“People want me to take it on the chin and move on. But my chin was held up by a forearm. I was then punched. That’s illegal in boxing,” said Cunningham.

The former world cruiserweight champion was then explicitly asked whether he would appeal, to which he answered: “Yes indeed.”

Tyson Fury tactics

24-year-old Fury has already been criticized for using force rather than his boxing skills. His trainer Peter Fury wasn’t happy.

He may now face the prospect of giving Cunningham a rematch if he gets sanctioned for how the fight ended.

Any rematch would be unlikely to occur in the US, though. Peter was forced out of the corner due to a visa issue.

This situation means Cunningham would almost certainly have to travel and fight Fury on his terms if granted a chance to overturn the result.

WBN Editor Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.