Tyson Fury to come stateside to fight Steve Cunningham

Tyson Fury calls his upcoming fight at Madison Square Garden "the pinnacle of my career so far."

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NEW YORK -- Undefeated Irish heavyweight contender Tyson Fury is taking his talents to the United States. Fury (20-0) will take on former cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham (25-5) on April 20 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden.

The fight will be televised in the U.S. on NBC at 4 pm.

Fury, 24, is considered one of the top young heavyweight contenders in boxing, along with Great Britain's David Price and the U.S.'s Bryant Jennings. At 6-foot-9, Fury is the biggest of the bunch, and in the last 18 months has picked up quality wins against Dereck Chisora and Kevin Johnson.

"Cunningham's got all the tools," Fury said. "[He's] a former world champion, good fighter, he's got a lot of skill. I'm looking to put on a devastating performance, the best of my career to date. I'm absolutely ecstatic to be fighting at Madison Square Garden. It goes back in history and I can't wait to put my name with a long list of champions who have fought there. I'm a historian of boxing myself so this is definitely the pinnacle of my career so far."

Cunningham, 36, is looking to rebound from a controversial loss to Tomasz Adamek in December, which was also televised on NBC. Cunningham had hoped to secure a world title shot against Alexander Povetkin but after years of fighting overseas is looking forward to taking on a top rated European on his home turf.

"For the first time in my career I have a guy coming to my country to face me," Cunningham said. "I am certain he's never faced a fighter like me. What an amazing opportunity to fight in historic Madison Square Garden and return to NBC again. I am prepared to fight a great fight and come out with a victory."

According to Main Events CEO Kathy Duva, the winner of Cunningham-Fury will become the No. 2 contender in the IBF heavyweight rankings. The winner will take a big step towards becoming the mandatory challenger for unified heavyweight challenger Wladimir Klitschko.

"Giving Steve the opportunity to fight on NBC again in a bigger venue for another shot at the No. 2 position in the IBF after his controversial decision loss to Tomasz Adamek in December is what Main Events and Fight Night are all about," Duva said. "Steve put on a fantastic performance against Adamek and deserves to be rewarded with this fight. We also get to introduce Tyson Fury, a young heavyweight contender, to the American public in a true crossroads match."