He is a professional boxer, model, gospel rap artist, husband and father of two. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were fighting in the streets was going to lead him down the wrong path in life. Times were tough with his mother raising three kids on her own with basically less that thirty thousand dollars a year.

 

 

{mosimage}

Steve Ormain Cunningham chose graduating high school then a career in the US Navy where his fighting talents were recognized and honed into a decorated amateur and now a promising future champion. He has given his life to Jesus Christ and is now on a mission to take over the cruiserweight division. Here is a look into the life and career of the man they call “USS Cunningham.”

 

What’s good USS Cunningham?

SC – Just staying in the gym training.

 

 

Give our readers a look into your background. How did you get started in boxing?

SC – I got officially started in boxing in 1995. I joined the United States Navy in 1994 and I was always street fighting in school. I went to the gym a couple of times but never had a trainer. I could fight pretty well in the streets and developed a neighborhood reputation. After I graduated high school, I joined the Navy and they had boxing there. The Navy boxing team trained on the next base to where I was stationed. So, I would go there after work to hit the bag and workout. Then a Marine guy, Major Hampton, started training me and one day he comes by and says, “Hey, you wanna fight?” I was like, “YEAH”, but he said that you are fighting the light heavyweight champion of the Navy…

 

(Cutting in) That was your first fight?

{mosimage}

SC – That was my first amateur fight. So, me being me, I was like let’s go! We get to the fight and his captain was there and I had only my girlfriend at the time there and my best friend. Everybody knew him but I beat him. I was like, “WOW, I can really do this”, so I’m going to keep on keeping on.

 

 

What happen after your big win?

SC – I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia and I continued to train. I fought in amateur fights in Roanoke, Norfolk and Alexandria; basically anywhere I could get a fight. We would drive to Delaware and D.C. to get fights. Then I qualified to make the All Navy Team and training camp was in Oxnard, CA at Port Wanimi. I got the opportunity to spar with Fernando Vargas in 1997. I only had eight amateur fights at that time so you know he was killing us (laugh). He was really ripping us apart but I knew it was a learning experience.

 

Did you get in any solid shots on him?

SC – I caught him with a couple of shots but nothing like what he did to me. But he is a real nice dude that receives a bad rap. Everybody at that gym was really nice.

 

What weight class were you fighting in at that time?

SC – I was light heavyweight coming in at 175 lbs.

 

Vargas was that big?

SC – He was probably at 165 lbs., but I was very green back then and he was very skilled. I was just fighting off of heart and not skill. But as my amateur career moved forward I began to develop my skills.

 

Tell me more about your amateur career.

SC – I won the silver medal in the Armed Forces Tournament. I lost to Orlando Anderson, an Army guy that was ranked number 1 or 2 in the world for the light heavyweight division. I almost knocked him out in the fight. My skills began to improve by fighting these top amateurs which helped me go to the United States Tournament in Colorado. You fought five times in a week and my first fight was against the number 2 guy in the world.

 

You really started at the top in gaining your early experience in boxing.

{mosimage}

SC – (Laughing) Yeah I did…me and that guy went toe-to-toe for three rounds. Some people thought he won and some thought that I won, but they eventually gave him the fight. There were boo’s in the crowd and I was real mad but it drove me to go back to the gym and work harder.

 

And from there what did you do?

SC – My very next tournament was the Golden Gloves. Thank God we came out National Champions in 1998. I was amazed to be the National Light Heavyweight Champion. I had about seven months left in the Navy and then my ship was going over seas to Europe again. There was no guarantee that I would be on the boxing team anymore because they were more interested in man power than their soldiers boxing. So, I didn’t want to take that chance and decided to get out of the Navy to pursue my boxing career. When I got out in September of that year I moved to Atlanta, GA.

 

Big up ATL! That’s my second home town!

SC – Yeah, I loved that place. I started training down there and that’s were I got the chance to spar with former unified cruiserweight champ O’Neil Bell, Owen Beck, Cedric Boswell, Chris Johnson and the list goes on. And keep in mind that I was still an amateur at that time.

 

 

That’s why you are so good now. As you know, O’Neil Bell and Jean-Marc Mormeck got it on again last month in another “Fight of the Year” candidate which Mormeck won. Who did you think was going to win heading into that fight?

SC – I’m going to tell you the truth. It was a BIG shock that Bell beat Mormeck the first time. Everyone over here thought he was going to get his block knocked off. He took all of Mormeck’s big shots and was hurt from body shots he received but Mormeck didn’t follow up. Mormeck beat himself because he doesn’t like to run and train. I trained with him before and realized how bad his work ethic was at the time. Basically it comes down to which Mormeck shows up and we all know what the outcome was the second time around.

 

I have to ask you, how did your sparring sessions with Bell turnout?

SC – It was good. I was an amateur and he was a professional with five or six bouts. I’m not going to say that I beat him every time because there were times that he got over on me. My skills were improving and he didn’t have an amateur background. His early pro career was his amateur experience so I used my skill advantage against him. Every guy that I have sparred with helped me grow. All of those names I gave you earlier helped me get to this point.

 

It really shows in your fights. I’ve seen many of them and it looks like you are having fun in there.

SC – That was one thing installed in me coming up through the amateurs…have FUN!! Nerves get the best of most guys. Take what you do in sparring and bring it into the ring and have fun. If you enjoy yourself in the gym, you should do the same in the ring. It’s a business to me too but I want to put that hurt on you (laugh).

 

How does it feel to know that you have world renowned trainer Richie Giachetti in your corner during a big fight?

{mosimage}

SC – Richie is unique in and of himself. You work on a Plan A and if that fails you have a Plan B. And if that doesn’t work then you swing like hell (laugh). He adds a lot to the pot. He’s been with Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson etc. and its good to have that kind of wisdom with you. I know a lot of guys that have come by to train with him but they can’t handle it. Richie is not for everybody. He instilled in me the attack mode, whereas before I met him, I was a counter puncher.

 

Would you say that your military background helps you deal with him unlike other guys?

SC – YES! The way he brings things out of people is not typical.

 

Kind of like a Bobby Knight huh?

SC – Yeah! I’m always in shape so he doesn’t have to break me down, but when I do something wrong, he lets me know. You have to listen to your trainer so that you can become champion.

 

Who was your toughest opponent to date?

SC – Uuuuh…I think that Guillermo Jones was my toughest fight. Not to make excuses, but I wore these black long tights to fight in because I wanted to match my trunks and shoes. I figured that if Angel Manfredy did it back in the day so can I. After the third round of our fight I was terribly drained. I wasn’t tired but my muscles were like they were overheating. After the fight Richie didn’t notice that I had them on. I asked him, “What are you trying to say, that I am so dark that you couldn’t tell the difference?”(Laugh) I couldn’t get my punches off and by Guillermo being so illusive made it very difficult for me. I just decided to throw all I could at him to hopefully pull out the victory and thank God I did.

 

Talk to me about your fight against Sebastian Rothman in South Africa.

{mosimage}

SC – I was really hype for that fight and the altitude over there is crazy. I was amazed when it hit me because I thought I was in shape for it. Rothman lives there so he wasn’t really feeling it. So I wanted to just keep going and my thing was DO or DIE. If you don’t do it you loose. That’s why in that fight you probably saw some sloppiness with my shot’s falling short but in my mind I was like, “GO, GO, GO.” I pushed myself to that victory but it was really tough.

 

Now let’s talk about your last fight with Krzysztof Wlodarczyk for the vacant IBF title. I didn’t see the fight but all of the responses I’ve read or heard were that you were robbed of the title. Give me the real on what went down over in Poland.

SC – Everything that wasn’t supposed to go down went down (laugh). They messed with everything accept my food. We were supposed to be there 10 days before the fight but got there 5 days before the fight. My wife and I wanted to get a poster of the fight because it was my first title fight and we collect them. We go talk to the promoter and he tells us that there were no posters because they couldn’t use our pictures. I sent this dude all kinds of pictures a month before but he said that they were too small and they couldn’t use them. Then we see a poster with just Krzysztof on it and I wasn’t so I was like, “Oh, here we go!” They messed with my room, switched gloves and changed judges on us. There was an American judge that scored the fight in my favor but the Polish and German judge did not. The ring was too small but even with all of that, I was happy with my performance. My wife and I came home and watched the tape and tried not to be biased and we scored it eight rounds to four in my favor. I was so devastated after the fight but I’m born again…praise Jesus…so I know everything that happens in my life is for a reason. I was still angry because these guys blatantly robbed me. But I kept the mind set that I am still champion.

 

{mosimage}

The good news is that you were granted a rematch due to the commission’s drug test policy not being carried out, right?

SC – Right, the people in charge didn’t follow protocol. How could you forget something like that man? His steroid use is a possibility and they could have tried to cover it up. But, next time my promoter Don King told me that he was going to do his best to win the purse bid so that we can have the rematch here in America. And I’m going to turn it up another notch and leave NO DOUBT.

 

Last but not least, tell me about your daughter and how she is doing.

SC – My daughter Kennedy Olivia Cunningham, abbreviated spells K.O. Cunningham which was by accident, was born with a heart disease called Hypo-Plastic Left Heart Syndrome. Basically the left side of her heart was under developed. Thank God the doctors caught it in the womb. We went to the hospital for a normal checkup and they saw it five months into the pregnancy. They let us know what our options were and what they could do for her. We didn’t want an abortion, of course, so they said they had a 20 year old procedure that was three operations over the span of three years. They would go in and re-route some wires to get the blood flowing so she can have a properly functioning heart. She had her first surgery the day after she was born and the second was eight months after that. The third surgery will happen when she turns three, so she’s a year and four months old right now. She was actually born two days after I beat Kelvin Davis and she was in the hospital for one year after the first surgery because of complications. During this whole time, I had fights falling out with O’Neil Bell and Guillermo Jones which were going to be my Showtime debuts. I was running back and forth to the hospital to see my daughter. It was like we lived at the hospital. Everyone in the hospital called Kennedy a “Miracle Baby” because they thought we were going to loose her. But God is merciful and he has a plan and she’s been home with us since August and she’s doing well. She’s growing and developing great so it’s been beautiful man. It’s great not to have to go up to a hospital everyday, you know.

 

That’s fantastic and I hope she gets to her last surgery and it turns out well so she lives a healthy and productive life. I know she will because God’s hands are around her and the rest of your family.

SC – I appreciate that man.

{mosimage}

 

Is there anything else you would like for our readers to know?

SC – Yeah, I forgot to mention that I model too. I have a modeling agent in New York and I was there last month on a couple of casting calls. I’ve done jobs for Target, Big & Tall and all types of stuff. Also look out for my solo Gospel Rap CD entitled “Flesh Ya Fired” coming soon.

 

You are one busy dude. How can the readers and fans get in touch with USS Cunningham?

SC – They can get in touch with me at www.usscunningham.com that has pictures and information about me. And they can check me out on Myspace at www.myspace.com/usscunningham too.

 

Thanks for taking the time man and I know that championship is in your near future. Keep doing what you’re doing and God Bless.

SC – Thanks.

{mosimage}