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By Craig Phillips: IBF cruiserweight champion Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham makes not only the second defence of his title when he meets Tomas Adamek on December 11, but he will be making his first appearance on ‘home soil’ in over three years.
In that time Cunningham has gone on the road in search of not only titles, but has seen his stock rise incredibly in taking tough fights in Poland and Germany, beating home fighters and bouncing back and avenging his only career defeat.
SecondsOut caught up with Cunningham in his training camp to talk about the up coming Adamek fight, his life on the road and unifying titles in the future.
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SO: How’s the training going for the fight with Adamek? Are you looking forward to the contest?
SC - I’ve been looking forward to this fight ever since he beat O’Neil Bell I was hoping we could have fought in July or August but they chose to take another tune-up fight. I’m ready and I’ve been waiting for this fight for a long time. It’s now only a few weeks away.
SO: You’re fighting for the first time in three years in the USA, how does it feel having home advantage again? Will that be a difference?
SC - I’ll have a lot of people rooting for me, but I only hear significant voices to me such as my wife or trainer. And Adamek is bringing a lot of Polish people to the fight so I think it’s still going to feel like I’m fighting overseas a bit, which I’m very comfortable with. It doesn’t really matter, all that does is that ‘USS’ Cunningham is still IBF cruiserweight champ when it’s over.
SO: When you fight on the road as you’ve done does it earn you a reputation as a tough customer, someone who doesn’t mind where and when as long as they get the fight? Does it add a certain sense of credibility to your reputation?
SC - I totally think it adds nothing but credibility, solid credibility that I am world champion. A world champion should be willing to travel to defend his title. According to the politics in boxing now we don’t have a lot of world champions willing to do that, ‘cos they don’t have to. I was in a position where I had to, you know what, now I enjoy it.
SO: What would you say has been the biggest win of your career to date, and why?
SC - The biggest win to date I would say is the one over Kelvin Davis because that was the fight for the number one position for the IBF belt. If I had lost that I wouldn’t be world champion right now. If I’d lost any of them I wouldn’t be world champion right now. Truthfully I think everyone of my fights is the most important. I think this fight (against Tomasz Adamek) is going to be the biggest fight to date. But if you look back the Kelvin Davis fight was my biggest as it was my first test against a champion. He was stripped of his title, he didn’t lose it. He was still a champion in my eyes.
SO: What type of opponent is Adamek? He recently moved up from light heavyweight to cruiserweight, does that give you a size advantage?
SC - No, we’re about the same size, I don’t see any advantage except I’m more skilled and more durable. I’m smart in the ring. I’m not saying he’s not smart. He can box, he can fight but we’re better in all areas that he is good.
SO: His (Adamek) only defeat came to the hands of Chad Dawson, who has gone on to beat good fighters like Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver, does that show how tough the fight with Adamek will be?
SC - Chad Dawson handled him pretty easily, pretty smoothly. If it was a tough fight I might say it does, but I feel that Chad handled him pretty easily. I believe we’re going to have our best outing against Tomasz Adamek in Jesus’ name.
SO: Have you looked to the Dawson fight for pointers as to how to beat Adamek?
SC - I watched that fight the night it happened, I’ve got it on tape. I’ve got a lot of film on Adamek. I have a lot of tape on many fighters. I love watching boxing so I use them for pointers, I just like learning more.
SO: Do you have a prediction for the fight?
SC - Yes, Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham still IBF cruiserweight world champion.
SO: Should you beat Adamek where’s the future for you?
SC - Future. Unifying the titles. Continuing to unify the titles. If another fight presents itself, if someone wants to come up or come down to challenge for the title then the door will be open. We will get past Tomasz Adamek in Jesus’ name and then we will be taking all comers.
SO: Does the best option look like the winner of the WBO fight between Enzo Maccarinelli and Jonathon Banks?
SC - No. truthfully the best option looks like Guillermo Jones as that would be a very easy fight to put on here in America. We’ll see we have to go into prayer and talk to the G-Man
SO: And ironically it looks like if you do go for unification, you may have to get the passport out again with Maccarinelli being based in the UK, WBC champ Fragomeni is Italian, Mormeck French . Are you looking forward to travelling again and that challenges that brings?
SC - I’m not concerned about Mormeck, he had the chance to fight me all this year and he totally blew it. He’s scratched off that list. Yeah, we’ll get the passport out, but at this stage it’ll be for a lot of cash for me to travel now as ‘USS’ Cunningham has proven himself. Now it’s time for everyone else to prove themselves.
SO: But you’re confident of beating any of the other cruiserweights out there?
SC - Very confident. In Jesus’ name I can beat all out there currently.
SO: And finally, is there any plans to follow David Haye up to Heavyweight and mix it with the big boys?
SC - David who? No, I have a lot of challenges in the cruiserweight division yet.
November 20, 2008
ENJOY!
In that time Cunningham has gone on the road in search of not only titles, but has seen his stock rise incredibly in taking tough fights in Poland and Germany, beating home fighters and bouncing back and avenging his only career defeat.
SecondsOut caught up with Cunningham in his training camp to talk about the up coming Adamek fight, his life on the road and unifying titles in the future.
********
SO: How’s the training going for the fight with Adamek? Are you looking forward to the contest?
SC - I’ve been looking forward to this fight ever since he beat O’Neil Bell I was hoping we could have fought in July or August but they chose to take another tune-up fight. I’m ready and I’ve been waiting for this fight for a long time. It’s now only a few weeks away.
SO: You’re fighting for the first time in three years in the USA, how does it feel having home advantage again? Will that be a difference?
SC - I’ll have a lot of people rooting for me, but I only hear significant voices to me such as my wife or trainer. And Adamek is bringing a lot of Polish people to the fight so I think it’s still going to feel like I’m fighting overseas a bit, which I’m very comfortable with. It doesn’t really matter, all that does is that ‘USS’ Cunningham is still IBF cruiserweight champ when it’s over.
SO: When you fight on the road as you’ve done does it earn you a reputation as a tough customer, someone who doesn’t mind where and when as long as they get the fight? Does it add a certain sense of credibility to your reputation?
SC - I totally think it adds nothing but credibility, solid credibility that I am world champion. A world champion should be willing to travel to defend his title. According to the politics in boxing now we don’t have a lot of world champions willing to do that, ‘cos they don’t have to. I was in a position where I had to, you know what, now I enjoy it.
SO: What would you say has been the biggest win of your career to date, and why?
SC - The biggest win to date I would say is the one over Kelvin Davis because that was the fight for the number one position for the IBF belt. If I had lost that I wouldn’t be world champion right now. If I’d lost any of them I wouldn’t be world champion right now. Truthfully I think everyone of my fights is the most important. I think this fight (against Tomasz Adamek) is going to be the biggest fight to date. But if you look back the Kelvin Davis fight was my biggest as it was my first test against a champion. He was stripped of his title, he didn’t lose it. He was still a champion in my eyes.
SO: What type of opponent is Adamek? He recently moved up from light heavyweight to cruiserweight, does that give you a size advantage?
SC - No, we’re about the same size, I don’t see any advantage except I’m more skilled and more durable. I’m smart in the ring. I’m not saying he’s not smart. He can box, he can fight but we’re better in all areas that he is good.
SO: His (Adamek) only defeat came to the hands of Chad Dawson, who has gone on to beat good fighters like Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver, does that show how tough the fight with Adamek will be?
SC - Chad Dawson handled him pretty easily, pretty smoothly. If it was a tough fight I might say it does, but I feel that Chad handled him pretty easily. I believe we’re going to have our best outing against Tomasz Adamek in Jesus’ name.
SO: Have you looked to the Dawson fight for pointers as to how to beat Adamek?
SC - I watched that fight the night it happened, I’ve got it on tape. I’ve got a lot of film on Adamek. I have a lot of tape on many fighters. I love watching boxing so I use them for pointers, I just like learning more.
SO: Do you have a prediction for the fight?
SC - Yes, Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham still IBF cruiserweight world champion.
SO: Should you beat Adamek where’s the future for you?
SC - Future. Unifying the titles. Continuing to unify the titles. If another fight presents itself, if someone wants to come up or come down to challenge for the title then the door will be open. We will get past Tomasz Adamek in Jesus’ name and then we will be taking all comers.
SO: Does the best option look like the winner of the WBO fight between Enzo Maccarinelli and Jonathon Banks?
SC - No. truthfully the best option looks like Guillermo Jones as that would be a very easy fight to put on here in America. We’ll see we have to go into prayer and talk to the G-Man
SO: And ironically it looks like if you do go for unification, you may have to get the passport out again with Maccarinelli being based in the UK, WBC champ Fragomeni is Italian, Mormeck French . Are you looking forward to travelling again and that challenges that brings?
SC - I’m not concerned about Mormeck, he had the chance to fight me all this year and he totally blew it. He’s scratched off that list. Yeah, we’ll get the passport out, but at this stage it’ll be for a lot of cash for me to travel now as ‘USS’ Cunningham has proven himself. Now it’s time for everyone else to prove themselves.
SO: But you’re confident of beating any of the other cruiserweights out there?
SC - Very confident. In Jesus’ name I can beat all out there currently.
SO: And finally, is there any plans to follow David Haye up to Heavyweight and mix it with the big boys?
SC - David who? No, I have a lot of challenges in the cruiserweight division yet.
November 20, 2008
ENJOY!
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