Philippines, 29 Mar 2024
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Training Camp Notes & Video: Cunningham Stays Busy While His Daughter Waits for a New Heart

PhilBoxing.com




Philadelphia, PA: Steve "USS" Cunningham and wife Livvy were fighting for their daughter Kennedy's life before she was even born. Now, as Kennedy awaits a heart transplant 300 miles away in Pittsburgh, PA, Cunningham prepares to step into the ring Saturday against a young, undefeated prospect with an 80 percent (8 of 10) knockout-to-win ratio.

Livvy and Kennedy Cunningham moved to Pittsburgh several weeks ago to be close to their doctors in the event a heart is found for Kennedy. Steve stayed in Philadelphia with their two sons, Cruz and Steve Jr., and trained for his Oct. 18 bout against Natu Visinia at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. The separation has been difficult for this close-knit family.

"With Livvy and Kennedy in Pittsburgh, I miss them dearly," he said, "but I get paid to do a job and it needs to get done."

This will be Steve's second fight in a row in his Philadelphia hometown after spending 11 years (19 bouts) fighting elsewhere. This has made his training easier while he is separated from Kennedy and Livvy. Although Cunningham is not accustomed to fighting in front of his hometown crowd, he has been touched by the outpouring of support for his family from the Philly fans.



"It is an honor to fight in Philly because Philly is the fight capital of the world," he said. "To be here during this time when everyone has been so supportive of the situation with my daughter's fund, it is great to give back to my fans. I didn't really have to take this fight, but I just want to stay active while we are dealing with this situation. This isn't a walkover fight but I have to make it look like that though."

Cunningham's trainer, Brother Naazim Richardson (trainer of Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley and Main Events' stablemate Karl Dargan), said Cunningham is still focused on his opponent.

"Visinia is a big kid," Richardson said. "He's a dangerous kid. Steve is a real veteran. He's seen a lot. He responds well in the ring. He has courage and talent and he is a great ambassador for our sport. At the end of the fight you will see how he neutralizes the big strong guy and that is what is important."

Cunningham's last fight on April 4 was against Amir "Hardcore" Mansour, a fellow-Philadelphian and good friend. The two battled for 10 hard rounds and Steve emerged with the USBA Heavyweight title. Despite losing his belt, Mansour became the champion behind the fund for Kennedy's expenses during his televised post-fight interview.

"A big shoutout to Mansour because he was the one who got the fund for Kennedy started," Cunningham said. "When Mansour said what he said after our fight about giving to our family, it hadn't even been in our minds to open a fund.



"People started hitting us up on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, wanting to know where they could donate. That's when we realized people really wanted to help. We opened it and the thing just blew up. I told Mansour that this was all thanks to him. We were friends before we went into the fight and we were friends after. For me, boxing is more than just winning fights and being a champion. It is about relationships. It is a brotherhood. Even though we fight each other, we still got respect for each other."



The fund created by Steve and Livvy, Heartbyfaith.com, raised over $25,000 to help with the expenses associated with Kennedy's heart transplant. Kennedy was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a congenital heart defect. She is currently awaiting a donor heart in Pittsburgh.





About October 18
The Oct. 18 edition of NBCSN Fight Nightwill take place at the 2300 Arena at 2300 Swanson Street in South Philadelphia. It features a 10-round fight between Steve "USS" Cunningham, of Philadelphia, and Natu "The Truth" Visinia, of Lakewood, CA. A 10-round junior lightweight contest between Edner "Cherry Bomb" Cherry, of Wauchula, FL, and Osumanu Akaba of Accra, Ghana is the co-feature. Five additional fights open the show at 6PM. Tickets are $50 and $75 and are available by calling Peltz Boxing at (215) 765-0922 or at www.peltzboxing.com. They also can be purchased at Wanamakers Tickets (215-568-2400). The card is presented by Main Events and Peltz Boxing in association with Final Forum Promotions and BAM Boxing. The NBCSN Fight Night telecast will begin at 9 PM ET. Doors open at 5 PM and the first fight will start at 6. The event is sponsored by Rocco's Collision.

NBC Sports Live Extra:
NBC Sports Live Extra: NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets -- will live stream Fight Night at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST on Oct. 18. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

FOLLOW US:

Official hashtag: #FightNight

www.mainevents.com
Twitter: @main_events
Facebook: facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing
www.nbcsports.com
Twitter: @NBCSN
Facebook: facebook.com/NBCSports
www.peltzboxing.com
Twitter: @PeltzBoxing
Facebook: facebook.com/PeltzBoxingPromotions




Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • AJ Paciones Stops Wanchai, Retains WBA Asia 108 Belt in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 29 Mar 2024
  • Ador Torres Scores Round 4 TKO WIn in Thailand, Still ABF-147 Champ
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 29 Mar 2024
  • Weigh-In Results: Oscar Valdez vs. Liam Wilson & Seniesa Estrada vs. Yokasta Valle Championship Doubleheader
    , Fri, 29 Mar 2024
  • Pagaduan to face Bubpamalo on March 30 in Bangkok
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 29 Mar 2024
  • Andrew Moloney-Pedro Guevara Interim Junior Bantamweight Title Showdown Confirmed as New Co-Feature to Lomachenko-Kambosos Super Fight at RAC Arena in Perth & LIVE on ESPN
    , Fri, 29 Mar 2024
  • CBN Promotions Expands Broadcast Reach with Addition of Stadium and Gray Television as Distribution Partners
    , Fri, 29 Mar 2024
  • Daya, Paulino rule OCR
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 29 Mar 2024
  • Wild, Wild Western Conference
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Press Conference Notes: Oscar Valdez-Liam Wilson & Seniesa Estrada-Yokasta Valle Doubleheader Set for Friday
    , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • WEIGHTS FROM BIG TIME BOXING USA IN DETROIT
    , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Undefeated Super Featherweight Contender Andres Cortes to Attend Oscar Valdez vs. Liam Wilson Fight Eyes Potential Showdown with Winner
    , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • PACE to host FIDE chess tilt this weekend
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Preserving a Legacy: The Birth of the Philippine Boxing Historical Society
    By Dong Secuya, , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Garcia vs Haney: Boxing Match or A Live Mental Break Down?
    By Ralph Rimpell, , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Christian Mbilli-Mark Heffron Super Middleweight Main Event & Arslanbek Makhmudov-Junior Fa Heavyweight Battle Set for May 25 at Gervais Auto Center in Shawinigan, Canada
    , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • MATÍAS MAKES HOMECOMING DEFENSE AGAINST PARO ON JUNE 15
    , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • ‘ROCKY’ HERNANDEZ RETURNS AGAINST LUGO IN MEXICO ON MAY 11
    , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • PCAP: Cavite eyeing to bounce back
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • HALL OF FAMER ANN WOLFE TO ATTEND 2024 HALL OF FAME WEEKEND
    , Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Gathering of champions
    By Joaquin Henson, , Wed, 27 Mar 2024
  • Filipinos AJ Paciones and Ador Torres Make Weight for Title Fights in Highland Boxing Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 27 Mar 2024
  • Visiting Teams All Won vs Hosts; Boston Finally Loses
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Wed, 27 Mar 2024
  • Lukas to face undefeated Jaiklom on March 30 in Bangkok
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 27 Mar 2024
  • Sulaiman leaves Manila with fond memories
    By Joaquin Henson, , Wed, 27 Mar 2024
  • Montano to Fight for WBO Oriental Welterweight Title
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 27 Mar 2024




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2024 philboxing.com.