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Posts Tagged ‘Steve Cunningham’

A REAL AFTERNOON DELIGHT FOR BOXING FANS

NEW YORK -There was a time when boxing on Saturday afternoon TV was the norm. The old timers will tell you that those were the good old days, when the top fighters and the biggest fights happened during the afternoon, just about every weekend of the year. Back then, boxing fans had to hustle to get their regular Saturday chores and errands finished early, but then it was fight time!

On Saturday AFTERNOON, April 20th, boxing fans will once again be transported back to those good old days, when heavyweights Tyson Fury and Steve Cunningham square off in a 12-rounder at The Theater at Madison Square Garden  in a throwback daytime fight to determine the #2 heavyweight contender in the world. Doors open at 1:15PM. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast on NBC, as an afternoon presentation of their Fight Night boxing series at 4:00PM ET.

Die hard and casual boxing fans alike tuned in to see the first afternoon presentation of Fight Night on NBC, which featured Steve Cunningham vs. Tomasz Adamek on Saturday, December 22nd, 2012. With almost 4 million viewers catching  piece of the action, it was the highest-rated boxing program to grace American televison in 2012.

Fury, 20-0, 14 KOs, is the latest European hopeful, a popular puncher who measures a staggering 6′ 9″ in height. He’s made waves abroad since turning pro in 2008, and will make his American debut at the Garden on the afternoon of April 20th. Fury has KO’d most of his foes, but in Cunningham, he’ll be up against his first former champ and most accomplished opponent to date. Does Fury have the power to topple a fighter of Cunningham’s ability?

Now a heavyweight, Cunningham, 25-5, 12 KOs, of Philadelphia, has two world cruiserweight championship belts in his trophy case, and is coming off a frustrating “loss” to Tomasz Adamek in his most recent bout. Although the official verdict somehow went the other way, Cunningham proved just how skilled a heavyweight boxer he really is. But is he skilled enough to hold off Fury, a genuine giant of the ring?

A loaded undercard filled with rising boxing stars, looking to steal the show, is scheduled to get underway shortly after doors open at 1:15 PM.

Topping the set of preliminary bouts is middleweight bomber Curtis “Showtime” Stevens, 23-3, 17 KOs, in an 8-round fight against Derrick “Superman” Findley, 20-3, 13 KOs, that is sure to end in fireworks. Also featured on the card will be undefeated Philly lightweight Karl “Dynamite” Dargan, 12-0, 6 KOs, in a 6-rounder against Sergi Ganjelashvili, plus a potential 6-round sock-fest between cruiserweights Sevdail Sherifi and Josh Harris that may be a real war. Rounding out the undercard is a pair of heavyweight 4-rounders. In the first, Hughie Fury, Tyson’s cousin, makes his American debut, while undefeated Adam Kownacki battles Calbert Lewis in the second scheduled 4-rounder.

The show will be the Garden’s first daytime professional boxing event in many years. You will have time to take in a great day of boxing and still enjoy the NYC nightlife. Don’t miss it!

APRIL 20TH FIGHT INFO

April 20th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York features a 12-round heavyweight battle between Tyson Fury and Steve Cunningham in the main event. Curtis Stevens will take on Derrick Findley in the 8-round middleweight co-feature. Six additional bouts are planned for the undercard. Doors open at The Theater at Madison Square Garden doors open at 1:15PM ET. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 4PM ET on NBC as a special 2 hour afternoon presentation of NBC Fight Night. The card is presented by Hennessy Sports and Main Events.

The main event is an official IBF Heavyweight Voluntary Eliminator fight for the #2 position. The winner must meet #1 or the leading available contender to establish the mandatory challenger for Heavyweight King Wladimir Klitschko.

Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500. Tickets are available at the Madison Square Garden box office, through Ticketmaster 866-858-0008 and at ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices include a $5 Facility Surcharge. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to a Ticketmaster Surcharge. Wheelchairs, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available 212-465-6035.

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STEVE CUNNINGHAM TO FACE JASON GAVERN IN HEAVYWEIGHT DEBUT

NEWARK, NJ – Former two-time cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, 24-4, 12 KOs, will make his debut in the heavyweight division on September 8th against Jason Gavern, 21-10-4, 10 KOs. The 10-round fight is part of a big afternoon heavyweight triple header promoted by Main Events, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
Former two-time world champion, Tomasz “Goral” Adamek, 46-2, 28 KOs, and Travis Walker, 39-7-1, 31 KOs, fight in the main event, a 12-rounder for Adamek’s IBF North American Heavyweight Title, and emerging heavyweight star Bryant Jennings, 14-0, 6 KOs, and Chris Koval, 25-9, 18 KOs, faceoff in the third featured heavyweight contest.

It will be a night of firsts for Cunningham who recently signed a promotional contract with Main Events. Cunningham makes his first start under his new agreement with the promoter, and will fight for the very first time at the new weight.

After losing a bid to regain his IBF cruiserweight belt in February, Cunningham made the decision to move up in weight and try his luck in boxing’s most prestigious division. At six-feet, three-inches tall, Steve brings a heavyweight frame to the division, but will have to carefully add the extra pounds to become a true heavyweight.

“I’m probably looking to do my first fight at 208 (pounds),” Cunningham said recently. “And probably max out at 215 (for future fights). I’m not interested in getting up to 225.”

For his first heavyweight test, Cunningham will contend with Virginia-born Gavern, who now fights out of Orlando, FL. Gavern is an inch shorter than Cunningham, but will likely have at least a 20-pound weight advantage in the fight.

Where a move up to heavyweight was once thought to be a hopeless endeavor for smaller fighters, it is now considered more of a calculated risk with some real potential upside. After boxers like Michael Spinks and Evander Holyfield set the standard for the move, and cruiserweights like David Haye and Tomasz Adamek having more recent success as heavyweights, more and more fighters seem willing to take the challenge. On September 8th, Gavern will do his best to keep Cunningham from joining the others who have defied the odds.

In an interesting note, both fighters have history with the participants of the main event. Cunningham lost a war of a cruiserweight title fight with Adamek back in 2008, at the very same arena, and Gavern fought to an 8-round draw with a then-undefeated Travis Walker in 2005.

FIGHT INFO:

“Ironbound Throwdown” September 8th at Newark’s Prudential Center features Tomasz Adamek vs. Travis Walker. Tickets priced at $180 ringside, $105, and $55 are available through Ticketmaster: online at www.ticketmaster.com; Charge-by-phone: 1-800-745-3000; Ticketmaster Express 866-448-7849; and Ticketmaster ticket centers. Tickets are also available at Prudential Center’s Box Office and www.prucenter.com.

Prudential Center doors will open at 1:30PM, first fight is 2:00PM. The card is presented by Main Events in association with Peltz Boxing, and Ziggy Promotions.

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HERNANDEZ v CUNNINGHAM IBF WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN ADDED TO BOXNATION SCHEDULE

On February 4th, BoxNation (Sky Ch. 456/Virgin Ch. 546), the UK’s only dedicated boxing channel, continues its commitment to bring subscribers the very best in Championship boxing from all around the world, by showcasing Yoan Pablo Hernandez’s first defence of his newly won IBF Cruiserweight championship against Steve Cunningham, live and exclusive from the Fraport Arena in Germany.

Former Cuban amateur star Hernandez (25-1) captured his title by defeating former champion Cunningham (24-3) back in September with a 6th round technical decision. The decision came in controversial fashion, with Hernandez being given the nod after he could not continue because of a cut he received from a Cunningham head-butt. Many observers felt that the cut was not serious enough to warrant a stoppage, and that it came just as the American was beginning to gain the ascendancy after suffering a first round knockdown.
Needless to say the controversial nature of the result has left a huge amount of unfinished business that needs to be resolved when the two meet again on February 4th.

BoxNation will also be showing the action packed undercard live from the Fraport Arena. Chief support sees Sebian, Enad Licina (21-3) meet Russian Alexander Alexeev (22-2) for the vacant European Cruiserweight Title, whilst up and coming German Light Heavyweight, Eduard Gutnecht (22-1) defends his European Title against Vyacheslav Uzelkov (25-1).

The action just keeps coming on BoxNation in 2012. This will be the SIXTH world title fight added to in the first quarter schedule for the UK’s new home of televised boxing. The 2012 world championship action begins this Saturday, 14th January, when Russian born German, Robert Stieglitz defends his WBO World Super-Middleweight title against unbeaten German Henry Weber in Germany. Then on the 20th January, Derry Mathews takes on Emiliano Marsili for the vacant IBO Lightweight Championship live from Liverpool. Then on the 18th February, it’s the big one, as heavyweight king, Vitali Klitchsko takes on Londoner Dereck Chisora for the WBC World Heavyweight Title live from Munich.

The following weekend BoxNation goes live from Cardiff for the homecoming of their WBO World Light Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly, who takes on American Tommy Karpency. Then for 10th March BoxNation is up to Glasgow, as Ricky Burns defends his Interim WBO World Lightweight title.

With more action to be added, it’s sure to be a huge couple of months for the UK’s only dedicated boxing channel.
For just £10 per month BoxNation offers unbeatable value for money for all fight fans. To subscribe to BoxNation simply go to www.boxnation.tv and hit the “Subscribe Now” button and choose your subscription package. Simple!

Photo: Gianluca Di Caro

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STEVE ‘USS’ CUNNINGHAM

By Rio – Philadelphia – Wednesday, 5th October 2011

CUNNINGHAM v HERNANDEZ  -  JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

On Saturday night in Neubrandenburg, Germany, Yoan Pablo Hernandez was awarded the IBF Cruiserweight Title by split technical decision over 2-time champion Steve Cunningham of Philadelphia after Hernandez's corner and doctor advised the referee to stop the bout in the corner after the 6th round.    

Since the bout, in a release sent out by Sauerland Event, the Hernandez corner has attempted to take the focus away from the machinations that caused the stoppage and the score cards – with the judges voting for Hernandez being universally criticized by the media worldwide – which awarded Hernandez the belt, and have attempted to create controversy over the failure of the referee to stop the bout after Cunningham had been knocked down in Round 1, a move reminiscent of the “controversy” that some tried to create in the aftermath of Mike Tyson v Buster Douglas, Hernandez trainer Ulli Wegner is looking to divert attention away from the role played by the ring doctor Walter Wagner, who advised referee Mickey Vann that the fight should be stopped even though the cuts suffered by Hernandez were not bleeding.  Cunningham responded to the tactics saying, “As soon as I read what Wegner was saying, I knew what it was – they want to take the focus off the way the fight was stopped.  I am a true champion and despite the knock down, I was coming back to win that fight and they were not going to let that happen.”

In an AP report, Dr. Wagner is quoted as stating that he recommended that the Cunningham v Hernandez bout be stopped even though “the cuts weren't dangerous but the blood could have run into his eyes and affected his vision.  I think the head clashes that the referee felt were accidental weren't entirely accidental.  You can have different opinions there.  Hernandez was at a disadvantage from the cuts, so I gave the recommendation.”

Let's get this right – the doctor, who was observed at ringside cheering on Hernandez and was noted to have been keeping a scorecard together with a representative of Sauerland Event, advised the referee – who would be remiss not to take the advice of a physician – to stop the bout because, in his medical opinion (?), Dr. Wagner felt that Hernandez was at a “disadvantage”- even though the cuts 'weren't dangerous”  – and the blood “could have” run into Hernandez's eyes and “could have” affected his vision – even though it was clear that neither cut was bleeding when Hernandez arose from his stool?    

Dr. Wagner proceeded to further question the judgment of the experienced referee Mickey Vann on the boxing (not medical) call about whether the clashes of heads were accidental or not?  “Everyone knows that the referee is the one to make those calls, I am not a dirty fighter, never have been.  When an orthodox and a southpaw fight, head butts are likely to happen, and with that cuts are likely also, but if the cuts were not causing a problem, the fight should have continued.  The only person with a disadvantage was me, I was fighting against way more that Yoan Pablo Hernandez on Saturday night.” said Cunningham.

Dr. Wagner is no stranger to controversy – he was the ring doctor who was in the corner of Ulli Wegner-trained Arthur Abraham when Abraham was permitted to fight on against Edison Miranda, in spite of having suffered a broken jaw and with Abraham's face being a mask of blood throughout the bout.  This obviously was, in the humble and respected opinions of Herr Wagner and Herr Wegner, far less an injury than was suffered by Hernandez, as both argued that  Abraham could continue but that Hernandez could not.  “It's really crazy.  Abraham was allowed to fight on like a warrior despite his serious injuries and my fight was stopped due to two cuts that weren't bleeding, I guess they liked their chances with Abraham over Miranda more than they did of Hernandez beating me” said Cunningham.

Cunningham then went on to recount how the night went,

“In the first round I was feeling him out.  I thought it was going well and then I got caught by a good shot and went down.  I was down but not out.  The knock down only me made me more determined.  After the action started in the second I was back and went to work.  I could feel myself getting stronger, sharper every round and I could feel him fading.  I could taste a late round stoppage coming.  But as you know, we didn't get the chance to see who the best man was as they stopped it after the sixth round.”

Most neutral observers had Hernandez winning the first two rounds, with Cunningham taking control and winning Rounds 3 through 6.  With Cunningham coming on and Hernandez fading, at the conclusion of Round 6, the referee asked the doctor to have a look at the cuts. 

Doctor Wagner informed referee Vann that the fight should be stopped.  The referee, who is in fact the final arbiter, was in a position in which he cannot, in good conscience, overrule what he takes to be advice provided by a neutral ring doctor based on what is believed to be medical opinion.  Referee Vann asked “is that what you're telling me” and then stopped the fight on the advice of ring physician Wagner.  Hernandez walked to the center of the ring, without a drop of blood coming from either cut, and shrugged to Cunningham like he didn't know why the fight was being stopped.   

Hernandez wasn’t the only person confused by the decision, “I am a world champion, this is how I provide for my family and I have and always will fight to the end.  Perhaps Wegner was out for some revenge after what I did to Huck, they wanted my belt and were willing to do whatever to take it” said Cunningham, before continuing  “I have asked my lawyer to look what my options are, at the end of the day, no one should feel good about the way this fight ended.  Hernandez and I share the same promoter and they should want to see this rectified.  I have always been so proud to be the IBF Champion, they are an organization that stands behind their rules and does not get pulled into the shady politics and I respect them so much for that.  I know they want their champions to earn the title, a rematch is truly in order.”

For those that have yet to see the fight check it out on YouTube (link to English language version) and then make your own mind up.

Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro

JustListen2This Publicity & Promotion

London, UK, Gzira, Malta & Philadelphia, USA

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Weekend boxing results and videos – 2nd October 2011 – Steve Cunningham’s controversial loss to Yoan Pablo Hernandez, Anne Sophie Mathis beats Cindy Serrano, Juan Manuel Lopez back to winning, Sergio Gabriel Martinez defeats Darren Barker, Roman Gonzalez wins by Ko, Gavin Rees vs Derry Mathews ends in a technical draw….

• Saturday 1 October- Salle Mermoz, Yutz, Moselle, France

Welterweight – Anne Sophie Mathis def Cindy Serrano on UD 10 / 10 – WIBA Women’s International Boxing Association welterweight title – Vacant WIBF Women’s – International Boxing Federation welterweight title – World Boxing Federation female welterweight title

• Saturday 1 October- Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Cruiserweight – Steve Cunningham lost to Yoan Pablo Hernandez on TD 6 / 12- Time: 3:00 – IBF cruiserweight title

Middleweight – Sebastian Sylvester lost to Grzegorz Proks by RTD 3 / 12 – Time: 3:00 – Vacant EBU (European) middleweight title (supervisor: Bob Logist)

Light heavyweight – Karo Murat drew with Gabriel Campillo on SD 12 / 12 – IBF Inter-Continental light heavyweight title

Yoan Pablo Hernandez is the new IBF cruiserweight titleholder, but the circumstances of his win are not exactly bringing about celebration from boxing fans. Hernandez won the title from Steve Cunningham after six rounds via technical decision, winning on scores of 58-55, 59-54 and 56-57. Hernandez dropped Cunningham with a short left hand in round one and Cunningham barely beat the count and barely survived the round. Cunningham seemed recovered by round two. Hernandez surprisingly did not come down on Cunningham in round two, giving the champion further time to clear his head. (Hernandez was cut on the left side of his head in round three and over his right eye in round six by head clashes) and by round four Cunningham had taken control of the action. Then referee Mickey Vann surprisingly waved it off after the sixth round due to the cuts, which didn’t seem particularly bad. After the fight, Cunningham said he felt like he was “set up” and that he’d “been had,” questioning why the fight wasn’t stopped earlier, before it would have gone to the scorecards.

• Saturday 1 October – Auditorio Centenario, Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico

Light welterweight – Roberto Ortiz def Dunis Linan on UD 12 / 12 – WBC Silver light welterweight title (supervisor: Carlos Gonzalez Hinojosa)

Gerardo Marin Hernandez def Jesus Limones on UD 10/ 10

• Saturday 1 October – Centro de Expositores, Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

Light flyweight – Sammy Gutierrez def Roilo Golez by TKO 5 / 12 – time: 2:06 – Vacant WBC Silver light flyweight title (supervisor: Rafael Herrera)

Super featherweight – Alejandro Sanabria def Pedro Navarrete on UD 10 / 10

Super bantamweight – Cruz Carbajal def Pedro Torres on UD 10 / 10

In front of 4,000 fans, former WBA world champion Samuel “Samy Guty” Gutierrez won by TKO at 2:06 of round five against game Filipino Roilo Golez in a bloody fight. Gutierrez dominated wall the way en route to becoming the new WBC minimumweight Silver champion – Super featherweight Alejandro Sanabria scored a ten round unanimous decision over Pedro Navarrete by scores of 98-93, 98-92 and 100-90.

• Saturday 1 October – Hoops Dome, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines

Featherweight – Edgar Gabejan lost tp Michael Farenas on UD 12 / 12 – Philippines Games & Amusement Board (GAB) featherweight title

• Saturday 1 October – Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico

Super bantamweight – Jonathan Oquendo def Jose Luis Araiza by KO 2 / 12 – Time: 0:56 – Vacant WBO Latino super bantamweight title

Featherweight – Juan Manuel Lopez def Mike Oliver by TKO 2 / 12 – Time: 2:32 – Vacant WBO Latino featherweight title (supervisor: Luis Perez)

Super featherweight – Roman Martinez def Daniel Attah by TKO 6 / 12 – Time: 1:50 – Vacant WBO Inter-Continental super featherweight title

Returning former world champion Juan Manuel Lopez (31-1, 28 KOs) got back on the winning track with a second round TKO over Mike Oliver (25-3, 8 KOs). “Juanma” dropped Oliver twice in round one and and the bout was waved off after Juanma dropped Oliver again in round two. Time was 2:32. It was Juanma’s first fight since losing the WBO featherweight title against Orlando Salido in April of this year.

• Saturday 1 October – Newport Leisure Centre, Newport, Wales, United Kingdom

Lightweight – Gavin Rees drew with Derry Mathews on TD  4 / 12 – EBU (European) lightweight title (supervisor: Pertti Augustin)

Gavin Rees defended his European lightweight title in at the Newport Centre in South Wales as a clash of heads in the fourth round left Derry Mathews with a broken nose and forced the contest to end in a technical draw. It was Rees’ first defense of the title. The challenger started well in the opening round, using his reach well to claim the opening round. Rees responded well in the second and third rounds, but disaster struck for Mathews in the fourth. Fighting at close quarters, Rees’ head connected flush with Mathews’ nose and blood started pouring from his nose, he was taken over to the doctor who suspected a broken nose and with the fight inside four rounds; Rees retains his title through a technical draw.

• Saturday 1 October – Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

Middleweight – Sergio Gabriel Martinez def Darren Barker by KO 11 / 12 – Time: 1:29

Super middleweight – Andy Lee def Brian Vera on UD 10 / 10

WBC diamond belt middleweight champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (48-2-2, 27 KOs) scored an eleventh round KO over previously undefeated European champion “Dazzling” Darren Barker (23-1, 14 KOs). Barker crowded Martinez and fought defensively, but Sergio wore Barker down in the long run and finished him with a right hook. Time was 1:29. Top-rated middleweight contender Andy Lee (27-1, 19 KOs) avenged the only loss of his professional career with a one-sided ten round unanimous decision over Brian Vera (19-6, 12 KOs). Lee dropped Vera with a straight left at the end of round two and easily outboxed Vera the rest of the way to take a 98-91, 99-90, 99-90 verdict. Vera scored a seventh round TKO over Lee in their first match back in March 2008.

• Saturday 1 October – MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Light flyweight – Roman Gonzalez def Omar Soto by KO 2 / 12 – Time: 0:36 – WBA World light flyweight title (supervisor: Jose Oliver Gomez)

Super bantamweight – Toshiaki Nishioka def Rafael Marquez on UD 12 / 12 – WBC super bantamweight title (supervisor: Mauricio Sulaiman)

WBA light flyweight champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (30-0, 25 KOs), scored a second round KO over Omar Soto (22-9, 15 KOs) to retain his world title. An uppercut from the big-punching Chocolatito put Soto down for ten, and more at the :36 mark. – WBC super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs) impressed with a hard fought twelve round unanimous decision over former two-division champion and fan favorite Rafael Marquez(40-7, 36 KOs). Nishioka went on to win by scores of 117-111, 115-113, 116-112.

• Friday 30 September – Ce.De.M. N° 2, Caseros, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Light welterweight – Fernanda Soledad Alegre def Enis Pacheco on UD 10 / 10 – WBO female light welterweight title

• Friday 30 September – General Lavalle, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bantamweight – Lucas Antonio Carranza def Sebastian Daniel Rodriguez by TKO 12 / 12 – South American bantamweight title

Super bantamweight – Santiago Allione def Sergio Ariel Estrela on SD – WBC Latino super bantamweight title

• Friday 30 September – Campbelltown Sports Centre, Minto, New South Wales, Australia

Heavyweight – Lucas Browne def Fai Falamoe by KO 5 / 10 – Vacant World Boxing Foundation Asia Pacific heavyweight title

• Friday 30 September – Salle Dubois-Crance, Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes, France

Featherweight   Sofiane Takoucht lost to Alexander Miskirtchian on SD 12 / 12 – EBU (European) featherweight title (supervisor: Peter Stucki)

• Friday 30 September – York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom

Super featherweight – Liam Walsh def Paul Appleby by RTD 10 / 12 – Commonwealth (British Empire) super featherweight title

Light middleweight – Ryan Toms lost to Steve O’Meara by KO 1 / 10 – BBBofC Southern Area light middleweight title

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