Tweet
Steve Cunningham: "Wlad is an unbelievable athlete"
David Haye was never the "undisputed" cruiserweight champion, he ducked the IBF champion Steve Cunningham (and the other top cruiserweights like Wlodarczyk, G. Jones and Adamek who had never been stopped before).
Steve Cunningham has been working with Wladimir Klitschko in the preparation for his fight with Haye this coming Saturday.
from fight news:
Steve Cunningham has been working with Wladimir Klitschko in the preparation for his fight with Haye this coming Saturday.
from fight news:
For almost three weeks, IBF cruiserweight world champion Steve “USS” Cunningham (24-2, 12 KOs), did his best to prepare Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs), IBF/WBO/IBO titleholder for upcoming heavyweight unification showdown with WBA champion David Haye (25-1, 23 KOs).
"If I move to heavyweight division it will be not because I’m chasing my former fellow cruiserweight rivals Tomasz Adamek or David Haye – it will be to test what I can do there. It will be good for me, good for the sport. Both of them are fighting for the heavyweight titles, they did a great job, both landed mega fights. They put themselves in the great position for their future, their lives. Every fighter wants to do that,” said Cunningham.
You are still in Klitschko’s Austrian training camp in the picturesque village of Going. But the training camp is over and you are coming back to the States. Did David Haye offer you a big dinner to spill Wladimir’s secrets?
No, he did not call, no offers (laughing). Anyway, I would not take them. I spend almost three weeks with Wlad. He’s a very strong, athletic fighter, more athletic that people think. Wlad uses his height well – lot of fighters with a height advantage don’t know how to do it right. He’s also very smart and very powerful. I was very happy to be here, to train with the heavyweight world champion, and get to know him. He’s a nice guy.
Were you very surprised to be asked to be his sparring partner? You’re a world champion, very accomplished fighter and in my opinion a different type of fighter than Haye.
I was a little bit surprised, but just for the reason they would ask me – period. But I understand boxing – they know, I’m fast, I move well, same height as Haye and we both came from the cruiserweight division. They used me for speed and movement. I gave Wladimir good workouts and hopefully everything we did will help him to beat Haye. This was my job there. A lot of champions don’t go to training camp to work with other champions, but I did this before with Chris Byrd and I sparred with a lot of guys who are top notch fighters. If I can get better, I will do it. This is why I was really excited to work with one of the best fighters in the world and get better myself.
Especially when you are not excluding the possibility of being a heavyweight yourself. Has a decision been made already?
I’m thinking about it but first I want to unify the cruiserweight division. But we also know that heavyweights make lot more money and the heavyweight title is more prestigious than cruiserweight. If there are no more exciting fights when I will unify the division or nothing happens, I will move to the heavyweight division. When I worked with Wladimir, I had my normal weight, around 198 pounds and if I would fight as a heavyweight, I will add maybe eight, ten pounds of muscle. But this is not a done deal. Sparring with Wlad made me think ‘hey, maybe I can do it, maybe I should move now.’ To be clear – I was not beating him up, nothing like that… (laughing). It just helped my self-esteem – being in the ring with the guy that is so big, so dominant in the ring.
I remember when you fought Tomasz Adamek and this very exciting fight was talked about as breakthrough for all cruiserweights. It supposed to be a new “hot” division – but those hopes never really materialized. Adamek and your other former cruiserweight rival are fighting for the heavyweight title now.
If we can make fights like Antonio Tarver-Danny Green, it will be great fight for cruiserweight with me fighting the winner. I moved my promotion to Germany because cruiserweights in America still are not getting to much attention. Lateef Kayode was on “Showtime” but it was more because of his trainer Freddie Roach. In Germany, where cruiserweights are look upon like, you know, normal fighters, we are big stars and I have a pretty big fanbase here. I feel comfortable with my decision. There is also a possibility that my fight will be televised in the States this year. Maybe a title unification with WBO champion Marco Huck or Poland’s WBC titleholder Krzysztof Włodarczyk – possibly on Showtime. Those are just plans for end of the year, because I don’t believe that this often talked about cruiserweight tournament in Germany will happen. I’m always on television here when I fight, but it would be great to be shown on network TV in the US.
What are the fights you thought you should get in States, but they never happen?
Let’s start with David Haye. After he beat Enzo Maccarinelli, he stated that he “cleaned up the cruiserweight division.” I had the IBF title then and I felt pretty angry about this statement. We tried to make this fight happen, but he never wanted it. I don’t know why – he just moved to heavyweight. And I had to take fight with Adamek, he beat me, I wanted a rematch, became a number one contender but… he also moved to the heavyweight division. Yes, I wanted those two fights badly in cruiserweight division.
The new dream is to beat Adamek and Haye in heavyweight division?
Not necessarily – if I will move to heavyweight division it will be not because I’m chasing Adamek or Haye– it will be to test what I can do there. It will be good for me, good for the sport. Both of them are fighting for the heavyweight title, they did a great job, both landed mega fights; they put themselves in the great position for their future, their lives. Every fighter wants to do that, it was a great move for both of them.
I hate to ask fighters about predictions, but you know those guys so well – you fought 12 rounds with Adamek, you know the skills of Haye…
I will not make any predictions, but just talk about chances: Haye has more chances because he can hit, is more athletic and takes a little more chances than Adamek. But it does not mean that it will happen – Wladimir will win this fight. People are saying this and that, that Wladimir has a weak chin but when did he last lose a round? When was he down? Adamek has almost no chance to beat Vitali, although this is boxing and anything can happen.
If I would be you, I would cheer for Adamek…
Yes, it would be great, because if he wins, if Adamek beats Vitali, I will instantly become a heavyweight.
"If I move to heavyweight division it will be not because I’m chasing my former fellow cruiserweight rivals Tomasz Adamek or David Haye – it will be to test what I can do there. It will be good for me, good for the sport. Both of them are fighting for the heavyweight titles, they did a great job, both landed mega fights. They put themselves in the great position for their future, their lives. Every fighter wants to do that,” said Cunningham.
You are still in Klitschko’s Austrian training camp in the picturesque village of Going. But the training camp is over and you are coming back to the States. Did David Haye offer you a big dinner to spill Wladimir’s secrets?
No, he did not call, no offers (laughing). Anyway, I would not take them. I spend almost three weeks with Wlad. He’s a very strong, athletic fighter, more athletic that people think. Wlad uses his height well – lot of fighters with a height advantage don’t know how to do it right. He’s also very smart and very powerful. I was very happy to be here, to train with the heavyweight world champion, and get to know him. He’s a nice guy.
Were you very surprised to be asked to be his sparring partner? You’re a world champion, very accomplished fighter and in my opinion a different type of fighter than Haye.
I was a little bit surprised, but just for the reason they would ask me – period. But I understand boxing – they know, I’m fast, I move well, same height as Haye and we both came from the cruiserweight division. They used me for speed and movement. I gave Wladimir good workouts and hopefully everything we did will help him to beat Haye. This was my job there. A lot of champions don’t go to training camp to work with other champions, but I did this before with Chris Byrd and I sparred with a lot of guys who are top notch fighters. If I can get better, I will do it. This is why I was really excited to work with one of the best fighters in the world and get better myself.
Especially when you are not excluding the possibility of being a heavyweight yourself. Has a decision been made already?
I’m thinking about it but first I want to unify the cruiserweight division. But we also know that heavyweights make lot more money and the heavyweight title is more prestigious than cruiserweight. If there are no more exciting fights when I will unify the division or nothing happens, I will move to the heavyweight division. When I worked with Wladimir, I had my normal weight, around 198 pounds and if I would fight as a heavyweight, I will add maybe eight, ten pounds of muscle. But this is not a done deal. Sparring with Wlad made me think ‘hey, maybe I can do it, maybe I should move now.’ To be clear – I was not beating him up, nothing like that… (laughing). It just helped my self-esteem – being in the ring with the guy that is so big, so dominant in the ring.
I remember when you fought Tomasz Adamek and this very exciting fight was talked about as breakthrough for all cruiserweights. It supposed to be a new “hot” division – but those hopes never really materialized. Adamek and your other former cruiserweight rival are fighting for the heavyweight title now.
If we can make fights like Antonio Tarver-Danny Green, it will be great fight for cruiserweight with me fighting the winner. I moved my promotion to Germany because cruiserweights in America still are not getting to much attention. Lateef Kayode was on “Showtime” but it was more because of his trainer Freddie Roach. In Germany, where cruiserweights are look upon like, you know, normal fighters, we are big stars and I have a pretty big fanbase here. I feel comfortable with my decision. There is also a possibility that my fight will be televised in the States this year. Maybe a title unification with WBO champion Marco Huck or Poland’s WBC titleholder Krzysztof Włodarczyk – possibly on Showtime. Those are just plans for end of the year, because I don’t believe that this often talked about cruiserweight tournament in Germany will happen. I’m always on television here when I fight, but it would be great to be shown on network TV in the US.
What are the fights you thought you should get in States, but they never happen?
Let’s start with David Haye. After he beat Enzo Maccarinelli, he stated that he “cleaned up the cruiserweight division.” I had the IBF title then and I felt pretty angry about this statement. We tried to make this fight happen, but he never wanted it. I don’t know why – he just moved to heavyweight. And I had to take fight with Adamek, he beat me, I wanted a rematch, became a number one contender but… he also moved to the heavyweight division. Yes, I wanted those two fights badly in cruiserweight division.
The new dream is to beat Adamek and Haye in heavyweight division?
Not necessarily – if I will move to heavyweight division it will be not because I’m chasing Adamek or Haye– it will be to test what I can do there. It will be good for me, good for the sport. Both of them are fighting for the heavyweight title, they did a great job, both landed mega fights; they put themselves in the great position for their future, their lives. Every fighter wants to do that, it was a great move for both of them.
I hate to ask fighters about predictions, but you know those guys so well – you fought 12 rounds with Adamek, you know the skills of Haye…
I will not make any predictions, but just talk about chances: Haye has more chances because he can hit, is more athletic and takes a little more chances than Adamek. But it does not mean that it will happen – Wladimir will win this fight. People are saying this and that, that Wladimir has a weak chin but when did he last lose a round? When was he down? Adamek has almost no chance to beat Vitali, although this is boxing and anything can happen.
If I would be you, I would cheer for Adamek…
Yes, it would be great, because if he wins, if Adamek beats Vitali, I will instantly become a heavyweight.
Comment