On June 25th, St. Louis sees a little bit of a treat in the form of an IBF Light Middleweight title clash. Both champion Cornelius Bundrage and challenger Sechew Powell are journeymen, or at best fringe contenders. Yet despite the fact that neither man is a world class boxer, this fight still has potential and for three reasons. First, the bout is a rematch. In 2005, Powell stopped Bundrage in 0:22 of the 1st Round. The two men clipped each other with right hands at exactly the same moment, scoring a double knockdown. Powell wasn’t hurt, but Bundrage was, and Powell drilled him. Second, even in the modern world of diluted world titles, the red belt at stake means a great deal to men like Bundrage and Powell, so both will appear at The Family Arena hungry. Third, some of the best fights I’ve ever seen were between club fighters and had nothing to do with the pinnacle of the sport.
Sechew Powell (26-2, 15 KOs)
5’10” tall with 74″ reach, 31 years old
“Iron Horse” Powell comes from a solid amateur background, with a 2000 Light Middleweight National Golden Gloves title and a 2001 USA amateur title. He didn’t go to the Olympics, but at one time Powell was the best amateur boxer of his stature in America. His career looked good for a while, especially in his knockout of an undefeated Cornelius Bundrage, but then he started getting the hiccups. In 2006, he dropped a points loss to Kassim Ouma, and the next year Powell was stopped by Deandre Latimore. The probable reason for Powell’s stumbling came out after the Latimore loss, as he tested positive for marijuana use. The loss blew what was his first stint as the IBF’s #1 contender. He won his #1 contender’s status back by scoring a measure of revenge on Latimore, winning a Majority Decision in March 2010.
Cornelius Bundrage (30-4, 18 KOs)
5’6″ tall with 72″ reach, 38 years old
IBF Light Middleweight Champion
Following his big loss to Powell in 2005, “K-9” was cast on Season 2 of The Contender, where he was eliminated by Steve Forbes. Since then, Bundrage has had a mixed career. He beat Kassim Ouma, but was stopped by Joel Julio and outpointed by Grady Brewer. Yuri Foreman was beating him when their fight was stopped by an accidental headbutt. Bundrage then won the lottery when he got his title shot and met a very shopworn Cory Spinks, stopping that once great champion. This is Bundrage’s first defense of his title.
Fight Analysis
Both fighters are flawed, which explains their journeyman status. Bundrage is a strong, busy fighter with a good punch, but he has a suspect chin and is basically just a solid journeyman.
Powell is unquestionably the quicker and most polished of the two, but suffers from a severe lack of focus. In my opinion, it is that lack of focus that has kept Powell from becoming at least a fringe contender. “Iron Horse” has confessed to looking past opponents before, and no one outside his camp really knows if he has put aside his recreational drug use. Given that the IBF title is at stake, one would think Powell would show up focused like a laser beam, except that Powell’s last fight was more than a year ago.
Powell was already a bit rusty for his rematch with Latimore, and while Latimore is no slouch, Powell’s inactivity could only have made that night harder than it needed to be. Powell is the kind of fighter who needs to stay busy, but he has been on the shelf a long time, which means both rust and the possibility that boredom has led him astray.
Bundrage vs. Powell II Preview
Powell has all the tools necessary to pot-shot Bundrage from the outside for 12 straight rounds, and if he puts it together consistently the fight won’t go 12 rounds because eventually he will find the mark and knock K-9 onto his backside. However, I think his lack of recent ring time and his lack of focus will do him in. Powell is ostensibly the better man, but he won’t be sharp and might not show up in the best condition possible. I just get the feeling that Powell is the type of fighter who will think “I knocked this guy out in one round last time – he’s a bum!” and use that as an excuse to go party.
Bundrage, on the other hand, is a solid, blue-collar fighter. He might not be anything extraordinary, but he means business and will be motivated to both consolidate his title reign and score some revenge. So, I expect Bundrage to stay busy, yet remain patient. If he pushes the action but stays disciplined – no open exchanges at medium range – he can capitalize on Powell’s mistakes and wear him down.
Bundrage vs. Powell II Prediction
Cornelius Bundrage UD12
