After toiling under the radar for years, Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage (31-4-0-1, 18 KO) proved the old adage, "every dog has his day" when he seized the IBF light middleweight diadem via fifth round TKO of erstwhile champion Cory Spinks (39-6, 11 KO) on August 7, 2010 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO.
With the belt in hand, Bundrage was hoping to become a factor in the light middleweight division, which would then lead into a fight with the big boxing names out there and the corresponding big purses that go with them for the Detroit native.
But alas, for whatever reasons and circumstances beyond his control, the unthinkable happened. Instead of unleashing the beast, the dog was eventually caged and Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage's career was put in the freezer. If you ask me, this is no way to treat a champion who earned his belt the hard and honest way.
For months, Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage barked and barked but it seemed nobody was listening among the so-called marquee names around and within his weight class. They avoided Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage like a plague. In the minds of these so-called marquee fighters and their handlers, Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage is a high-risk, low-reward opponent. Thus, the champion from Detroit was left with no other choice but to bide his time and wait for another opportunity to show his wares inside the ring.
Last year and just like the year before, Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage went and emerged victorious in St. Louis, MO. He fought and battled his old nemesis Sechew Powell (26-5, 15 KO) via a 12- round unanimous decision win, thus ending Powell's title aspirations as well as finally settling the score with the fighter who dealt Bundrage an embarassing first round TKO loss in his second professional fight in 2005, in what many boxing observers dubbed as the "double-knockdown in Connecticut."
Tonight's IBF light middleweight championship fight on ShoBox marks only the second time that the champion, Cornelius "K9" Bundrage, will enter the ring since winning the title on August 7, 2010. It is really sad and unthinkable that a champion eager to fight and stake his claim on the crown is hardpressed to find any willing opponent who will try to test his mettle.
Was it really that hard to find an opponent for Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage or were his handlers and promoters just remiss on their job and failed to sell his brand to the powers that be? But it is what it is, and the harsh reality of what the state of boxing has become through the years when a fighter's career is left at the mercy of a few people .
It will be full circle for Cornelius "K9" Bundrage when he climbs into the ring tonight at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA in a rematch with Cory Spinks, the erstwhile champion he dethroned in St. Louis more than a year ago.
The championship fight will give Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage another chance to show the boxing world what he is really made of. The championship fight will also give him another chance to prove that his mastery of Cory Spinks was no fluke. And the championship fight will also give Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage another chance to prove that his bite is more lethal than his bark.
ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast)
*This article was originally published in Detroit Fight Sports Examiner
*photo credit: Tom Casino/ SHOWTIME
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