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Interview with Steve
"USS" Cunningham, Former
Cruiserweight
Champion
Coming Off His Exciting
Fight with Tomasz Adamek,
Cunningham is Gunning for the
Rematch
By Jake Emmen
Steve "USS" Cunningham, 21
(11) - 2, has been biding his
time since his loss to Tomasz
Adamek, waiting for a chance at a
rematch. After Adamek quickly
lined up Jonathon Banks as his
next opponent - and knocked him
out - Cunningham now has his next
fight scheduled as well. On
Saturday, April 18, Cunningham
will take on former cruiserweight
champion Wayne "Big Truck"
Braithwaite.
There have been some rumors,
but has your next fight been made
official yet?
SC: Yea, as far as we know the
contract has been signed by both
of us.
Are you already back in
training right now? I know you
just got back from a run.
SC: Yea I just got back from
running. I'm always training. I'm
always in shape, it's my job and
I treat it like that.
How do you feel about taking
on Big Truck, another former
cruiserweight champion like
yourself?
SC: It's a real good fight for
me. A fight we can win. Of
course, I want to win and I want
to look impressive. And man, just
win. It's one of those must win,
gotta win fights.
Any predictions, will the
fight go the distance?
SC: I don't really get into
predicting. If I see the opening
I'm going after it. We're gonna
try to make it go early but if
not we'll be content with the
unanimous decision.
Yea well a unanimous decision
must sound nice. You've only lost
twice in your career, and both
times have been split decisions.
Has that been tough for you,
coming up close both times you
lost?
Tomasz Adamek (36-1, 24
KOs) is to have his first IBF
cruiserweight title defense on
February 27, in the Prudential
Center hall in Newark, NJ. He
will face an American fighter,
the as yet unbeaten Jonathon
Banks (20-0, 14 KOs).
Here's a transcription of
an interview with "The
Highlander", who will defend in
the forthcoming fight not only
his IBF belt, but also the top
place among the world's boxers in
the 200 lb limit.
Michal Koper (bokser.org):
Tomek, BJ Flores backed out from
facing you at the last minute.
Was such a turn of events a
disappointment for you?
Tomasz Adamek: It's a rare
occasion that somebody offered a
title shot resigns from it.
Apparently the guy judged the
challenge to be too steep and he
decided to bide his time.
The announcement by Tomasz
Adamek's camp that his first
defense of the IBF title will be
against Johnathon Banks in
February 2008 has left former
champ, Steve 'USS' Cunningham
with a major dilemma. He and his
team have been campaigning for a
quick rematch of the December
classic and as such doesn't have
an alternative fight lined up for
the near future.
Cunningham, who has been
stating "My top priority is the
rematch with Adamek, that's what
I have been focusing on. I want
my title back more than anything
else", is aware though that if he
is to fight by April, as he had
said is his intention, he now
needs to look to other opponents.
But what are his current options?
Below are the ten fighters
rated closest to Cunningham, the
current world number 1 rated
cruiserweight, and Tomasz Adamek,
the current undisputed champion,
based on Ring Magazine and Boxrec
ratings.
Steve Cunningham fought the
fight of his life on December 11,
2008 against Poland's Tomasz
Adamek. It was a thrilling
all-action struggle that had the
fans at Newark, NJ's Prudential
Center on their feet. Cunningham
lost the bout by decision, unable
to overcome three surprising
knockdowns on the official cards.
Adamek also put up an inspired
performance, no doubt spurred on
by the legion of
Polish-flag-waving locals of his
adopted hometown who came out in
force.
The fight was close; the
decision split. Everyone in the
arena got their money's worth -
and then some. Well, maybe
everyone except the fighters. The
national TV audience watching
live on the VERSUS cable network
had finally seen one worth
staying up for. The TIVO users
yet to watch the bout, had a
surprise in store for them.
As the last bell sounded and
each fighter's supporters
anxiously awaited the official
result, the same thought wiggled
its way into everyone focused on
the fight that night &endash;
"When is the rematch?"
The decision deservedly went
to Adamek, and with it went
Cunningham's IBF cruiserweight
belt, but Cunningham showed his
stuff that night and made his
Philly boxing forefathers proud.
Cunningham, a throwback fighter
who is always in shape, always
willing to fight anyone, always
to travel anywhere for a fight,
always ready to show his grit and
his finesse, found himself
belt-less when he awoke on
December 12th. The feeling must
have been strange for the young
ex-champion.
The recent bout between Steve
Cunningham and Tomasz Adamek was
one of those special boxing
moments when everything seems to
come together perfectly. Two
exciting, gutsy and well-matched
warriors with opposing styles put
it all on the line not just for
the title but also for the fans
and really for the entire sport.
The two men may have been
fighting in New Jersey, close to
Cunningham's roots in
Philadelphia, but for all intents
and purposes the fight may as
well have taken place in Warsaw
or Krakow, the Polish fans of
Tomasz "Goral" Adamek dominating
the excited crowd. Cunningham,
who spent the previous several
years of his career on the road,
traversing Europe for a chance at
big fights and a fair shot (he
was largely viewed as being
robbed of the title in his only
other previous loss, to Krzysztof
Wlodarczyk), would not be
deterred by an unfriendly and
hostile arena.
Ethnic pride played a major
role at the IBF Bantamweight and
Cruiserweight Championship Fights
at the Prudential Center in
Newark, NJ, broadcast on Versus.
I looked around and saw men
wearing t-shirts that displayed
the green, yellow and red colors
of Ghana, and cheering loudly for
Joseph Agbeko. Nicaraguans were
there supporting their fighter,
William Gonzalez, as they chanted
his nickname "Cho-ri-zo." And for
the grand finale, a whole army of
proud Polish marched into the
Prudential Center to tear down
the walls for their beloved
Tomasz Adamek. During the final
fight, the arena was taken over
by the large number of Polish
fans who chanted "Pol-ska!
Pol-ska!" and A-da-mek!
A-da-mek!" as their hero slugged
it out with his American
opponent. As I saw all the
nationalistic pride, I started to
realize more-and-more that this
is what boxing in the United
States needs.
Cunningham-Adamek: Did
Public Really Appreciate This
Fight?
The article below was not
written for wewantarematch.com. I
missed it when it was published
as it was the day atter WWAR went
live. but I found it recently via
google - I have also added the
comments made by readers.
We hear a lot of complaining
about the sport nowadays. There's
no great match-ups, and no great
fights like they used to have
them back in the days of [insert
bygone era here]. Recently we
watched such a great fight. But
it to seems to have been
forgotten in record time.
Steve Cunnignham and Tomasz
Adamek proved the Golden Boy
theory of promotions wrong: You
don't need good looks, mainstream
appeal or an HBO series to stage
an amazing brawl. But a week
later I'm baffled by the lukewarm
reception this inspired scrap has
received from the boxing public.
You would think the haters would
quit it about a "dying" sport
after such a scuffle. Why haven't
they?
Maybe I'm wrong here. Maybe
Cunningham-Adamek was so damned
good that no discussion is
needed. On the other hand, this
is probably a depressing
commentary on how susceptible
people are to hype and name
recognition over talent and
meaning.
On December 11, 2008, it was a
cold wet night in Newark, New
Jersey, but things were getting
ready to heat up inside the
Prudential Center. On this night
the first major boxing event in
Newark in over 60 years was
getting ready to take place.
Steve "USS" Cunningham was ready
to put his IBF cruiserweight
title on the line against the
formidable Tomasz Amadek. The
arena was packed and the energy
unreal as these two super powers
were set to collide. The bell
sounded for the first round and
the crowed ignited with cheer and
exhilaration for what they were
about to see, 12 rounds of the
most exiting boxing New Jersey
had seen in years.
I walked into the Prudential
Center in Newark, NJ, to see the
IBF Bantamweight and
Cruiserweight Championship
fights, without any expectations
of seeing a great fight or an
inspiring atmosphere. Even though
I was about to see the first
championship boxing event held in
Newark since 1948, I was not
expecting anything spectacular or
historic. And with all the
struggles that the sport of
boxing has endured over the past
15 years, how could I not be so
pessimistic? The sport is dying
in the eyes of the casual fan.
Many have defected to the
ever-growing world of
mixed-martial arts. Even the most
passionate boxing enthusiast, and
even the boxers themselves, are
very concerned about the future
of their beloved sport. But in
the right circumstances, often
when you least expect it, boxing
can still pack a major punch!
On December 11 the newly built
Prudential Center in Newark, New
Jersey was christened with a
boxing classic. Steve Cunningham
put his IBF cruiserweight
championship belt on the line
against number one challenger
Tomasz Adamek. After 12 grueling
rounds of amazing action in which
both fighters left every single
ounce of their energy in the ring
it was Adamek prevailing by split
decision. However, it was
Cunningham who was the aggressor
through-out the bout, firing more
punches but only to have them
absorbed by the steel chin of
Adamek. At points when it
appeared that Adamek was wilting
to the Cunningham punishment, he
would dig deep and find away to
land shots of his own, three of
those shots landed Cunningham to
the canvas. Cunningham
immediately got up after each
knockdown which occurred in the
second, fourth and eighth
rounds...
Ladies and Gentleman of the
boxing jury, I stand here today
to make the case for Cunningham
vs. Adamek II. Now, I am not one
to regularly call for a rematch.
My feeling is what's done is
done. Do I really want to see it
again?
For the majority of fights
this year, I don't; however, in
this case, I do want to see it
again. So I am here to lay out my
case before you.
Now you might be thinking, why
have a rematch? As I see it there
are really only two reasons to
have a rematch. The first is not
only a close fight but also an
exciting fight. The second is the
support of boxing fans. Without
the first, you won't have the
second, and without the second,
you won't have a fight. And why
would you even want one?
On December 11, boxing may
have been lucky enough to witness
a gift of sorts to the
cruiserweight Division, when
Tomasz Adamek met Steve
Cunningham for the IBF version of
the division's title and fans
were treated to a bout between
two of boxing's top superstars.
Individually, Adamek, a
multi-division champion known for
his durability, tough chin and
willingness to let out all the
stops to win and Cunningham, a
consummate professional in the
ring who possesses a superb jab,
ring generalship and all the
fundamentals desired in any
fighter, make for a great showing
in any bout they enter into but
in the ring together, they
elevated things to a whole new
level.
