While fueling jets and helicopters on Navy aircraft carriers, Steve tried out for the All-Navy Boxing Team. In his first amateur fight, he defeated the All-Navy Light Heavyweight Champion, a harbinger of great things to come. After successfully representing the Navy in numerous boxing tournaments, Cunningham was at end of his enlistment and decided to attempt to earn a berth on the Men’s U.S. Olympic Team.
After losing a controversial bout in the 2000 USA National Boxing Championship quarterfinals opposing the reigning light heavyweight world champion Michael Simms Jr., Cunningham decided to become a professional prizefighter.
Steve started his pro career in October 2000 and subsequently ripped through 11 opponents in 11 months, scoring eight stoppages including an imposing run of four consecutive first-round knockouts.
On March 29, 2003, Steve realised his boyhood dream when he won a unanimous decision over Demetrious Jenkins (21-8-1) in his hometown of Philadelphia at the world-famous Spectrum.
On May 22, 2004, The “USS” rolled into Brakpan, South Africa, where he won a majority decision over world-rated Sebastian Rothmann (17-2-2) on Rothmann’s home soil. Steve made the biggest appearance of his career to date on the undercard of Felix “Tito” Trinidad vs. Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga at Madison Square Garden on October 2, 2004. He took on the very capable Forrest Neal (16-4) and disposed of him by knockout in round 4. Still undefeated, Cunningham continued his winning ways in 2005, notching his most impressive victories yet. On April 2 he showed his boxing skills and versatility by winning a split decision over the legendary tough Panamanian Guillermo “El Felino” Jones (31-2-2) in Worcester, Massachusetts.
A rising star, Cunningham proved his mettle again on September 3, 2005, in a dominating performance against former International Boxing Federation champion Kevin ‘Konkrete” Davis (21-3-1) for the IBF No.1 ranking. Cunningham put on a boxing clinic that frustrated the former champion, causing Davis to resort to throwing bombs in vain attempts to catch the quick-boxing and elusive Cunningham.
Davis was clearly outmatched, ending up on the losing side of a unanimous 12-round decision with one judge scoring the match 118-110 and the two remaining judges at 117-111.
The IBF ordered the No. 1-ranked Cunningham to take on the leading available contender Krzystof Wlodaczyk (36-1, 27 KOs), from Poland. Wlodarczyk’s promoter, Warriors Boxing, won the purse bid and promoted the first-ever world championship match in Poland at Warsaw’s Toorwar Sports Hall on November 25, 2006.
Cunningham boxed strongly for 12 rounds in a tough fight that the American judge Charles Dwyer saw as a landslide win for Cunningham at 119-109. The German judge Wallfried Rollert favoured Wlodarczyk 116-112 as did Kromka at 115-113. The split-decision win for Wlodarczyk outraged Cunningham and his camp. “This is my livelihood,” Cunningham said after the fight. “This is how I put food on my table. Despite all the factors working against me I won the fight.” “I demand an immediate rematch, This time let’s do it in the States. He may have gotten the decision and maybe he has the belt but I know I am the champion.”
Cunningham won the right to an immediate rematch after it was revealed the mandatory anti-doping tests were not administered after the fight according to the rules of the IBF. The rematch with Wlodarczyk took place on May 26 in Katowice, Poland. Cunningham, as he did in the first fight, came out strong. Throwing even more punches than he did in their first fight while the Pole’s output dropped to mostly single punches, Cunningham dropped Wlodarczyk in the fourth round. In the end, Cunningham did more than his rival and won a majority decision by scores of 116-112, 115-112 and 14-14 to become the IBF cruiserweight
champion.
“I had fun in there today” Cunningham said after the fight. “I knew he didn’t have what it takes to beat me. Today just solidified what we have been saying all along, that I was the better man in the first fight.”
“This has been a long hard road and we stuck to the game plan and proved to some naysayers that said we had to knock him out to win this belt.”
Undaunted by the possibility of enequities when fighting outside America and wanting to be a true world champion, Cunningham agreed to face undefeated Marco “Captain” Huck, who had just scored a majority- decision victory over then-undefeated Vadim Tokarev in an IBF elimination bout to determine the No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger.
To make matters worse, the fight was staged in Huck’s adopted hometown of Bielefeld, Germany on December 29th. The hometown and German advantages led to the Champion Cunningham being a four-to-one betting underdog leading up to the fight. “I have fought outside America before, so it’s not like I don’t know what I am getting into.” Cunningham said. “I know what I have to do to win and I will.”
Huck, 23, knew he was in with a strong boxer in Cunningham, so he came out early looking for an opening to land his big right hand. Huck landed some strong punches, but Cunningham took them and gave as well as he got. “Some people thought Huck was giving me problems, but I didn’t really have trouble with him at the start,” Cunningham said. “I was just smarter.”
Cunningham may have dropped some early rounds, but his jab was always effective, and he used his experience and defensive skills to keep his aggressor at bay. Stepping up the pressure in the seventh round, Cunningham delivered a series of strong combinations that included body punches and telling uppercuts that produced bleeding from Huck’s left ear. Both fighters emptied their arsenals in the 11th round with power punches being thrown at will. At the end of the round, Cunningham flurried with a barrage of blows punctuated by a staggering uppercut that sent Huck reeling.
In the 12th and final round, both fighters threw caution to the wind and went for the knockout. In the middle of the round, Cunningham began to land unanswered combinations against an exhausted but still-standing Huck, whose corner wasn’t as brave as the fighter. Trainer Ulli Wegner wisely threw in the towel at the 1:56 mark. “He hit me a couple of times but as a world champion you have to be able to take a few punches” Cunningham said after the fight. “I knew I was stronger mentally and physically and I have trained really hard.
Huck has no reason to be embarrassed of himself. He fought a great fight, but there’s no stopping me.” On the 11th December 2008 Cunningham defending his crown for the second time against Poland’s Tomasz ‘Goral’ Adamek.
After twelve gruelling rounds, it was clear to all that it would be close and could go either way, even though Cunningham had been knockdown three times. In the end the split decision went the way of the challenger, Tomasz Adamek.
“I don’t want to use it as an excuse, but not fighting in a year may have hurt me,” Cunningham said in the postfight interview. Cunningham set the tempo early coming out strong each round dictating with a good jab from the ever oncoming Adamek. “I’m disappointed of course, anytime you lose a belt. But I fell into my opponents plan too much”
The fight was designated the cruiserweight fight of the year and late candidate for “Fight Of The Year” status in the 2008 boxing awards.
It is hoped that a rematch will take place sometime in 2009.
OUTSIDE THE RING... Steve is a successful model as he featured in ad campaigns for Target and is represented by Renegade Model Management. Steve has been featured on the Travel Channel program “24 Hours in Philadelphia”.
Steve enjoys Paintball, XBox/video games and movies.
Steve has been married for four years to his wife Elizabeth and they have two children, Steve Jr., 5, and Kennedy, 2. Cunningham’s daughter Kennedy was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and endured two surgeries just after birth. In HLHS, the left side of the heart - including the aorta, aortic valve, left ventricle and mitral valve - is underdeveloped. She spent the first year of her life in the hospital with a tube in her throat and had a third surgery. The Cunninghams were told originally that she would have surgery and come home in a month, but there were complications. It was a difficult time for the young family. Kennedy finally came home in September 2006 and is expected long term to live a normal life, although she still has one more surgery to undergo at the age of three. Steve is grateful to have kept his family together during and after this long ordeal.
Deeply religious and socially aware. Steve, regularly gives his time to work with organisations that help
those less fortunate than himself such as:
* URYS - Urban Youth Racing School - A charitable organisation that teaches inner city kids about motor racing and and teaches them the mechanical skills as well as helping them with careers and other opportunities within the automotive industry.
* The Rock Ministry - An inner city ministry that helps troubled youths to stay out of further trouble through the discipline of boxing. In addition to training the youths involved in this project, Steve also ministers to them.
* FCA - Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Steve takes great pride in being a regular speaker for the FCA, at schools, camps and other events.
* Steve is currently in discussions with the Susan G. Komen Foundation with regard for him being an Ambassador for them.
* In the very near future Steve plans to contact the American Heart Association - his daughter, Kennedy, has a congenital heart disease - to see if there is any way he can help the AHA with fund raising or to help raise awareness for the organization.
Sumber : www.helium.com
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