Halloween in August! Eddie Chambers loses to Thabiso Mchunu at Cruiserweight
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
*Photo Copyright Robert Brizel, Real Combat
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Steve Cunningham tried to go from cruiserweight to heavyweight. Chris Byrd tried to go from heavyweight champion to light heavyweight. Chad Dawson tried to go from light heavyweight champion to super middleweight. The ‘trick or treat’ divisional switches do not always work. For former top ranked heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers, after one year’s inactivity, moving to the cruiserweight division proved to be another bust.
Chambers, now 36-4, 18 knockouts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, lost for the third time in his last four outings, and has only one win in over four years. ‘Fast Eddie’ appeared underweight and slow, losing a ten round decision to 14-1 Thabiso Mchunu of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa at Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino in Uncaville, Connecticut, on August 3, 2013. Two judges gave the world class Chambers only one of ten rounds, far worse than the two judges who gave Chambers four rounds against Tomas Adamek in their 12 rounder at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, in June 2012. Ironically, Adamek won a ten round decision over heavyweight Dominic Guinn on the Chambers-Mchunu card. Adamek has been better promoted and moved than Cunningham, and Adamek has the wins Cunningham does not, a critical analogy to two fighters with similar careers on largely different paths at present.
Chambers, who stands 6’1 to the 5’8 Mchunu, could not stay away from the southpaw’s straight left hand leads and right hand power shots. Mchunu had superior hand speed and landed counter jabs all night, while remaining out of range by leaning backwards, with Chambers unable to hit him. Chambers took one bout at cruiserweight, and got outclassed by perhaps the best cruiserweight contender in the world besides Ola Afolabi. Chambers at cruiserweight, like Steve Cunningham at heavyweight, has no future fighting in the wrong division, and should go back to the heavyweight division where he came from. At 31, ‘Fast Eddie is still young enough to make another run at heavyweight above 200 pounds.
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