Hernandez tops Cunningham for IBF cruiserweight belt
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Yoan Pablo Hernandez earned a controversial split technical decision after six rounds over Steve Cunningham on Saturday to grab the IBF cruiserweight title.
Hernandez floored Cunningham (24-3, 12 KOs) in the first round, but the Cuban couldn't finish off the job early on. Instead, Hernandez (25-1, 13 KOs) suffered a pair of cuts due to a clash of heads, the first one in round three and then again in round six.
The bout was halted by referee Mickey Vann after the sixth round with two judges scoring the fight in favor of Hernandez, 58-55 and 59-54, while the other had Cunningham in front, 57-56.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This was the second title defense for Cunningham, while Hernandez was in his first title bout. Cunningham held the IBF belt from 2007-08 before losing the title to Tomasz Adamek, only to regain it with a victory over Troy Ross in June 2010.