Philly boxer Steve Cunningham fights to a draw with Antonio Tarver

NEWARK, N.J. - Before they stepped into the ring at the Prudential Center, Steve Cunningham and Antonio Tarver both acknowledged the crucial nature of their fight.

However, none of the urgency that was predicted by both fighters emerged over 12 rounds as the fight was ruled a split draw in front of 5,843.

Referee John Stewart had it 114-114. Robin Taylor scored it for Tarver, 115-114, and John McKaie saw it for Cunningham, 115-113.

Give them credit for not falling asleep at ringside as the fight was that bad.

It was a worthy decision for 12 rounds of inactivity. Cunningham (28-7-1) appeared to be the busier fighter, especially early on. But he slowed down to the snail's pace that Tarver (31-6-1) fought at for most of the second half of the fight.

Neither fighter, of course, agreed with the outcome.

"I'm the man I have always been before and after the fight," Cunningham said. "You won't hear me kicking or screaming because I have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm going to get together with my team and my family and we'll figure out what's next."

Tarver was more critical of the outcome.

"I knew they weren't educated on my ring generalship," he said of the scoring. "I threw all the harder punches. I wasn't tired. I controlled the tempo and I boxed him. He didn't hurt me. I won that fight."

Cunningham, a Philadelphia native, suffered a mouse over his eye in the fight but he never appeared hurt by Tarver at all. Cunningham was the more active fighter, however, and on that alone 115-113 score was probably more representative of what happened.

In the far superior co-feature, German cruiserweight champ Marco Huck (38-3-1, 26 KOs) failed in his attempt to set the record for defenses in the division as polish brawler Krysztof Glowacki remained undefeated (25-0, 16 KOs) with a savage 11th round stoppage.

The sixth round was as dramatic as any in boxing this year as Huck slammed a sweeping left hook to Glowacki's head that wobbled him first and sent him to the canvas. Somehow, Glowacki got back to his feet and finished strongly and the two remained brutally engaged to the end of the round.

Huck, who fell behind early, seemed to gather himself as the fight progressed. But Glowacki pummeled him in the 11th with a left-right combination that sent him to the canvas.