Q&A with Steve Cunningham

December 9th, 2008

By Scoop Malinowski

They don’t come much nicer than Steve Cunningham, the IBF Cruiserweight champion. Nor are there many more engaging or entertaining interviews in the sport. “There is no way you can’t like Steve Cunningham,” said a Polish reporter who was at Monday’s media workout. Boxinginsider.com had the chance to talk to Cunningham, on the eve of his second title defense, which will be this Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ against #1 contender Tomasz Adamek of Poland.

In this informative interview, Steve U.S.S. Cunningham tells how he fell asleep shortly before he entered the ring the night he won the world title, the mind games foreign promoters played on him, why he will defeat Adamek, the experiences he learned from sparring top boxers, and much more…

Boxinginsider: What will be the difference in this fight with Adamek, for you to win?

Steve Cunningham: “What makes me different is my strength. My strength is not in me, it’s in my Lord savior Jesus Christ. That right there makes a big difference. The second difference is he hasn’t fought anyone like me before. He’s fought Chad Dawson, a lot of people are calling me as a boxer, but Chad did a great job with him, that was an awesome fight. But I believe I’m stronger, I’m gonna be stronger. He’s gonna feel more power than he did fighting Chad Dawson. And possibly, Chad Dawson laid the blueprint. He exposed this guy and of course I’m going to use that. But you’ve seen my latest fights – we bang, we can box, we can brawl, we can outsmart, I can do everything. Glory to God for that. That’s the way he brought us up – being able to do everything. I sparred with everybody – sparring with Chris Byrd you gotta be slick, sparring with Yusuf Mack – you gotta be able to counter, sparring with Eddie Chambers – that guy’s huge and he’s fast. You gotta be everything. That’s why I choose the sparring that I choose.”

Boxinginsider: You sparred with Riddick Bowe too right?

Steve Cunningham: “Oh yeah, Riddick, yeah. That was Riddick Bowe in his bad days. I wish I had Riddick Bowe when he was on top.”

Boxinginsider: Is there a possibility you can move up to heavyweight someday?

Steve Cunningham: “I won’t chase the money. Of course I’d like to make as much money as I can. The money isn’t a lure because I know fighting at heavyweight is dangerous. They wear the same ounce gloves that we do, I do – and those gloves are small to me now. Those guys are 240, 250 pounds. But I believe I can out-slick and out-smart those guys but I don’t want to take an extra risk. It’s not worth it. Boxing is gonna be over for me one day. I want to be able to chill with my son, talk with him, have a conversation with my wife and family, and still be coherent. I don’t want to be stumblin’ and slurring words just because I chased money. Oh, I’m living in a million dollar house but I can’t enjoy it because I don’t know where the hell I’m at [laughs].”

Boxinginsider: Who do you think will be stronger more comfortable at the cruiserweight category, you or Adamek?

Steve Cunningham: “I’m sure he was losing weight to make 175. I read in one of his articles he said he’s very comfortable, that it’s his walk around weight. So he’s comfortable. But this is my weight. I love at this weight. I train all the time, they gotta keep me out of the gym sometimes. So I’m very comfortable, I feel very strong.”

Boxinginsider: Can you put into words what you gained from fighting so many of your recent fights overseas, in foreign territory?

Steve Cunningham: “We can win in the worst conditions. It’s great to be back at home. Because I don’t have that sleep deprivation affecting my body. I was falling asleep in the locker room before. I had to go out there and fight. And I still went out there and performed and won a world title. That’s a confidence boost right there. That shows me that I can do all things through Christ.”

Boxinginsider: How were you falling asleep?

Steve Cunningham: “Man, we were just hitting the pads, warming, then I just sat down and dozed off, man. I was tired.”

Boxinginsider: When?

Steve Cunningham: “The second fight in Poland. When we won the title (vs. Wlodarczyk). We prepared like we did for this fight. We prepared for the inside fight, the outside fight, the mind game. We even had to prepare for their promoter, what room we were staying in. You get overseas to the hotel, the bed is not bigger than a cot – and me and my wife are supposed to share that. So you gotta fight to get there – we had to fight to get our ten days over there. We had to fight for a good hotel room, fight for a good gym to train in. It was fight, fight, fight. It was harder fight to get the other stuff than it was to do in the ring.”

Boxinginsider: Remember when Holyfield defended the title vs. Bert Cooper in his hometown Atlanta and he almost lost by KO. Are you concerned about the opposite effect?

Steve Cunningham: “This isn’t my hometown, that’s a good thing, I’m from Philly [laughs]. So I’m still not at home, technically. But I’m an American, he’s a European. No. I’m not into the fanfare of the whole thing. I’m into looking good. Upping my stock. I’m into getting a pay raise. So that means I gotta go out there, beat this dude. Forget all the showboat, what the crowd wants. I’m a boxer puncher. I do what’s needed to win.”

Boxinginsider: What will be the key to winning?

Steve Cunningham: “Hmm, gameplan. Gameplan, as usual. Sticking to the gameplan. Making him do what I want him to do. Even when he’s thinking he’s doing something, he’s doing what I want him to do. Gameplan. Flat out.”

Boxinginsider: When is the last time you fought on live national TV here in the U.S.?

Steve Cunningham: “Man, 1998, as an amateur.”

Notes: Tickets are still available for this two world title show promoted by Don King and Main Events at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Also on the card are IBF Bantamweight champ Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko vs. #1 contender William Gonzalez of Nicaragua, and local talents Jeremy Bryan who is a 7-0 welterweight, Henry Crawford and #1 WBC Super Lightweight Devon “The Great” Alexander.