Cornelius Bundrage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cornelius Bundrage |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Cornelius Bundrage |
| Nickname(s) | K9 |
| Rated at | Light middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in |
| Reach | 72 in |
| Born | April 25, 1973 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 44 |
| Wins | 37 |
| Wins by KO | 21 |
| Losses | 6 |
| No contests | 1 |
Cornelius Bundrage (born April 25, 1973), also known as "K9," is an American professional boxer. He has been a world champion twice, holding the IBF junior middleweight (also called light middleweight) title. He first won it in 2010 and then again in 2014. In 2006, he was a contestant on a TV show called The Contender, where he made it to the semi-finals.
Contents
Becoming a Professional Boxer
When Cornelius Bundrage started his boxing career, he was very good. He didn't lose a single fight for ten years! During this time, his record was 21 wins and no losses, with 13 knockouts. His nickname, "K9," shows how tough he was in the ring, always attacking his opponents with strong punches. Overall, Cornelius has had 37 wins, 6 losses, and 1 fight with no result. He has fought against 7 boxers who were also world champions.
Being on The Contender TV Show
In 2006, Cornelius "K9" Bundrage joined a boxing reality TV show called "The Contender" on ESPN. Famous boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard and actor Sylvester Stallone were hosts. Millions of fans watched Cornelius every week for fourteen weeks. Out of sixteen boxers from all over the United States, he was even named the "fan favorite."
When teams were picked, Bundrage was chosen last for the Blue Team. To show he was ready, he volunteered to fight first. He faced Michael Clark in a tough five-round match. Cornelius knocked Clark down with a powerful right punch, which helped him win the fight. This meant he moved forward in the tournament, and Clark had to leave.
In the next round, called the quarter-finals, Bundrage won against Walter Wright.
However, in the semi-finals, Bundrage faced Steve Forbes. Cornelius had trouble because he lost too much weight before the fight. Forbes won that match.
But Bundrage didn't give up! He came back strong and won the bronze medal fight against Norberto Bravo. He won by a technical knockout (TKO) in the seventh round, which was a very impressive victory.
After The Contender
After the TV show, Cornelius Bundrage continued his boxing career.
- On January 12, 2007, he fought Chris Smith and won a very close fight.
- On March 30, 2007, he fought in "The Contender Challenge: UK vs. USA" in England. He won with a knockout in the 7th round against Colin McNeil, helping the American team win the challenge.
- On July 11, 2007, he took a fight against Joel Julio with only three weeks' notice. He had to lose a lot of weight quickly, which made the fight very hard, and he lost in the 8th round.
- On March 28, 2008, Bundrage had a big win against former IBF champion Kassim Ouma. He won by a unanimous decision.
- On November 13, 2008, he lost a close fight to Grady Brewer.
- Just a month later, on December 13, 2008, Bundrage traveled to Germany and surprised everyone by knocking out the unbeaten European Champion Zaurbek Baysangurov in the 5th round.
- On June 27, 2009, he fought Yuri Foreman, but the fight ended with "No Decision" because Foreman got a cut from an accidental headbutt.
Becoming IBF Junior Middleweight Champion
After many challenges, Cornelius Bundrage finally got his chance to fight for a world title. On August 7, 2010, he fought Cory Spinks for the IBF Light Middleweight Championship. Cornelius traveled to Spinks' hometown in Missouri and won with an amazing knockout in the 5th round!
Winning this title was a dream come true for Bundrage. He also brought a major championship back to his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Before him, the last world champion from Detroit was Thomas Hearns, 26 years earlier. In the fight, Bundrage kept the pressure on Spinks, landing good punches. In the fifth round, a perfect combination of punches knocked Spinks down. Spinks got back up, but the referee stopped the fight, making Bundrage the new IBF Light Middleweight Champion.
Defending His Title
Cornelius made his first defense of the IBF title on June 25, 2011, against Sechew "Iron Horse" Powell. Five years earlier, Powell had stopped Bundrage in a very quick fight. But in this rematch, K9 showed how much he had improved, winning a clear 12-round victory and getting revenge for his past loss.
On June 30, 2012, K9 fought Cory Spinks again to defend his title for the second time. After knocking Spinks down in the first round, Bundrage knocked him down three more times in the 7th round, winning by TKO. After this win, he said he wanted to fight another world champion, Saul Alvarez.
Losing and Winning Back the Title
In his third title defense on February 23, 2013, Bundrage lost his IBF title to Ishe Smith. It was a very close fight.
But Bundrage didn't give up! He bounced back on January 24, 2014, by defeating Joey Hernandez. This win made him the number one contender for the IBF title again.
On October 11, 2014, Cornelius Bundrage got another chance to fight for the IBF Light Middleweight title against Carlos Molina. Even though he got tired, Bundrage was in control of the fight, knocking Molina down twice. He won the title back by a unanimous decision!
