LONDON (March 19) — Heavyweight import Tyson Fury (20-0, 14 KOs) invades New York City on April 20th in the afternoon show at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Fury hopes to bring the “Luck of the Irish” with him when he takes on former two-time world champion Steve Cunningham (25-5, 12 KOs) in a 12-round IBF heavyweight elimination fight. The winner of the bout, which will be broadcast live 4 p.m.ET in the United States on network television by NBC, earns the #2 spot in the IBF rankings, and stays on course for a shot at champion Wladimir Klitschko. The event will be Fury’s American debut.

Fury, who is of Irish heritage and was named after boxing great Mike Tyson, is no fighting leprechaun. In fact, at 6′ 9″, he is quite the opposite, and should prove to be a tall task for Cunningham to topple. The battle-tested “USS” Cunningham has been in the ring with top quality foes, all over the world. However, he’s never faced a hard-punching giant like Fury.

Cunningham moved up from the cruiserweight division last year, and has looked good as a heavyweight thus far, but this fight should determine whether or not he can handle one of the gloved giants that so dominate the heavyweight division these days.

Fury is a fighting machine with heavy hands and size advantages enough to make any Cunningham fan very nervous. Fury was the first to defeat Londoner Dereck Chisora, and added tough guy Vinnie Maddalone to his list of victims last year. In his most recent outing, Fury beat well-rounded former title challenger Kevin Johnson over 12 rounds to bring his winning streak to an even 20 straight.

Fury is on a roll but along with advantages in height and weight, he’ll need to bring his “A” game and a bit of that Irish fortune to the Garden if he wants to add USS Steve to his win column. Bookmakers in England have the odds even. The battle should be everything fans look for in a high-profile international heavyweight contest – especially if it’s anything like the press conference to announce the fight.

When the fighters came together for the first time last week, emotions flared on the dais, and Fury made it clear he would make a memorable American debut on April 20th. “I’m a man on a mission,” Fury said. “I mean business. Your heavyweight run is coming to an end. I’m going to retire you Steve.”

Cunningham mostly stayed in control, saying he doesn’t like it when fighters do their talking outside of the ring. “The guys who talk a lot? They’re chumps,” Cunningham said.

We’ll find out who is correct at Madison Square Garden Theatre in about one month.

Heated Exchange – Tyson Fury vs. Steve “USS” Cunningham Press Conference

During a press conference to officially announce the NBC broadcast of the Tyson Fury vs. Steve Cunningham fight, which is scheduled to take place the afternoon of April 20th at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, a heated exchange ensued between Fury and Cunningham. The photo above clearly captures the continued antagonism that took place during the customary post press conference face off photo session. There is no love lost between the two heavyweight contenders. The unplanned press conference exchange set the stage perfectly for the battle to come.

Link to video: http://youtu.be/UpwyNbRun68

APRIL 20TH FIGHT INFO:

April 20th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York features a 12-round heavyweight battle between Tyson Fury and Steve Cunningham in the main event. Curtis Stevens will take on Derrick Findley in the 8-round middleweight co-feature. Six additional bouts are planned for the undercard. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 4PM ET on NBC as a special 2 hour afternoon presentation of NBC Sports Fight Night. The card is presented by Hennessy Sports and Main Events.

The main event is an official IBF Heavyweight Voluntary Eliminator fight for the #2 position. The winner must meet #1 or the leading available contender to establish the mandatory challenger for Heavyweight King Wladimir Klitschko.

Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500. Tickets are available at the Madison Square Garden box office, through Ticketmaster 866-858-0008 and at ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices include a $5 Facility Surcharge. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to a Ticketmaster Surcharge. Wheelchairs, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available 212-465-6035.

Follow Fury at @Tyson_Fury and Hennessey Sports @HennessySports

For more information on NBC Sports, Lonsdale, Liquid and S3 Media, please visit:

www.nbcsports.msnbc.com

www.Lonsdale.com

www.s3media.co.uk

www.L1quid.com

FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS VISIT WWW.HENNESSYSPORTS.COM