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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?
SC: Well, the first loss was really a
very disputed and controversial loss.
Everybody who saw the fight really knows
who won, and knows the circumstances with
me being overseas and all of that. But
that type of stuff doesn't go next to the
loss on your record. When somebody looks
at it in the future they're just gonna see
the loss. With this Adamek loss, I totally
felt that I won. It should have been
nothing less than a draw. Even with the
three knock downs, I don't think he won
any rounds outside of those rounds. And
even a couple of the knockdown rounds I
don't think he won them. But that's the
kind of thing you have to deal with. With
those judges man...
What, not a fan of the judges these
days?
SC: I have a few words for those judges
man. You have all these crazy,
controversial numbers with the
Collazo-Berto fight, my fight, a few other
fights in the past six months. Something
needs to be done about these judges making
these outrageous scores. Either they need
to be trained better or... well,
personally I think you shouldn't be a
judge unless you fought professionally in
the ring. That's what I personally
believe.
Not a bad idea. On one hand you'll get
a guy with a knowledgeable perspective on
the fight and on the other hand you'll get
another good outlet for retired boxers
done with their time in the ring.
SC: I totally believe that and don't
get me wrong, I've met and ran into some
judges who haven't fought and they
understand boxing. But I think that more
boxers should have the opportunity. I
think the doors should be open a little
more for them to come in and be able to be
judges.
So, you were rooting for Adamek against
Banks, correct?
SC: Yea of course. I was carrying a
little Polish flag there, and I was
rooting for him to win.
You want to make sure you're the one to
dethrone him...
SC: Exactly. I totally feel, as have
other people who have gotten in contact
with me... that he knows what time it is
with the rematch. They squeaked by, and
they know the rematch is super dangerous,
so of course they don't want to take it. I
mean, I wouldn't take it if I was smart.
If I was a manager or a promoter I
wouldn't want my guy to fight Steve
Cunningham again after that performance.
U.S. audiences haven't seen too much of
you, but you definitely made a big splash
with the last fight. What was it like to
be fighting in the states again and have
you been receiving more recognition around
town?
SC: Yea a lot more recognition.
Whenever you fight on television - in
America that is - people stop and
recognize you and notice you. And I've
been getting a lot of love at the fights.
I go to a lot of fights and we're going to
the fights at the Blue Horizon tomorrow
night. A lot of people are running up to
me and telling me I had that fight. And
that keeps me up and lets me know that I'm
not the only crazy one who thought I won.
And even though your last fight was in
Newark, a close drive from Philly, it
seems like you were in Poland west. What
was that atmosphere like?
SC: Truthfully, the fight wasn't really
promoted good down here in Philadelphia
for my fan base to even try and
materialize at the fight. Most of the
people that were there were fans I had
from New York and New Jersey, and just a
few fans from Philly. A lot of people here
in Philly didn't know about the fight. But
the fight was promoted big time in Jersey
and New York for the Polish fan base,
because you know, the promoters want to
fill the seats. With me fighting overseas
the last three times in a row a lot of
people didn't know me. But I bet you they
know me now.
They definitely do. How important is it
for you to get back to Philly and try to
get a fight there sometime soon?
SC: Well, what me and my wife have come
to realize, and she's my manager, is that
my fan base isn't going to be in
Philadelphia. I was born and raised here
in Philly, but I didn't start boxing in
Philadelphia. I started boxing when I
joined the Navy, and I just visited my old
ship, the USS Enterprise, last month and
we were ecstatic. They rolled the red
carpet out for me and I had a lot of
sailors come up to me and congratulate me,
for doing something else and showing
people that the Navy is tough and all of
that. So we've been talking to my promoter
about getting a fight down at the Navy
base down in Virginia where I originally
started boxing, and possibly on the
aircraft carrier.
That'd be an event, were you stationed
down near Virginia Beach?
SC: I was stationed in Norfolk,
Virginia for about three years and then I
was stationed with the Navy boxing team in
Oxnard, California near Port Hueneme. So
my fan base is the United States Navy and
the United States military. So we're
really going to try to tap into that fan
base and give those guys a show in the
coming years.
Well they deserve it. I know you're
still clamoring for it but will the Adamek
rematch be next or what's in store for the
rest of the year?
SC: Yea, exactly, that's the goal.
That's my goal and however God wants it, I
have to follow God's will. And yea that's
what we want, and we're praying for that.
I hear that he and Bernard Hopkins are
scheduling a fight, but either way,
however it works out, my motto for 2009 is
'two times in 09.'
Two times in 09, sounds good. Any other
closing thoughts Steve?
SC: Yea, two times in 09... and I plan
to be world champion again.
I appreciate the time Steve.
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