Steve “USS” Cunningham Vs. Amir “Hardcore” Mansour FIGHTING WORDS – Boxing News
Philadelphia’s own Steve “USS” Cunningham (26-6-0, 12 KOs) hopes to win over his hometown crowd at the Liacouras Center at Temple University on April 4th when he attempts to take the USBA Heavyweight Championship belt from the undefeated champion, Amir “Hardcore” Mansour (20-0-0, 15 KOs), on NBCSN Fight Night. Cunningham, a two-time cruiserweight champion, learned to fight while in the United States Navy and has not fought in his home town since March 29, 2003 when he defeated Demetrius Jenkins at the Philadelphia Spectrum on the Tua-Rahman undercard. Cunningham said, “The last time I fought in Philadelphia, Philly didn’t know me. I learned to fight in the Navy so I didn’t have a following at home. I have always wanted to fight in Philly at this level or higher.”
His opponent, Mansour, a native of Wilmington, DE, has deeper boxing roots in Philadelphia. Mansour worked with Joe Hand at the Joe Hand Gym in Philadelphia after he was released from the Schuylkill Federal Correction Institution in Minersville, PA. According to Steve’s trainer, Brother Naazim Richardson, “Fighting here in Philly is an advantage for Mansour. His supporters are based in Philly. He’s got Philly history behind him. We have to work harder than Mansour. We have to do more to win over these fans. Plan on Steve Cunningham being Steve Cunningham. We have to be intelligent enough to know how he is thinking about it and we are. Some of the things that we have implemented into Steve’s training I am confident we have found a way to deal with it.”
The two were sparring partners shortly after Mansour was released from prison. About their time as sparring partners Richardson said, “Mansour is going to try to prove to Steve that he is a better fighter than when they sparred together. The sparring advantage actually goes to Mansour. They didn’t spar enough to give away anything about Steve. We have to be intelligent enough to know how he is thinking about it and we are.” Cunningham said, “I don’t want to lose ever. The USBA title would be a step on the stairs to heaven. This is a national title and it will move me up in the rankings. This will get me a step closer.”
According to Cunningham this has been one of his hardest training camps yet, “This camp has been grueling. Brother Naazim has been really taxing on my body. I need and enjoy my rest when I get it. I have added a lot of things to my cardio: swimming, sprints and rowing. We have been putting different stuff in there. We feel very confident that we are going to get in there and do our job which is to win.” Richardson believes Steve is ready to face the Southpaw, “Some of the things that we have implemented into Steve’s training I am confident we have found a way to deal with it.”
About April 4th:
The event features a ten-round bout for the USBA Heavyweight Title between Steve “USS” Cunningham and USBA champion Amir “Hardcore” Mansour live on NBCSN Fight Night from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA. The Fight Night broadcast will begin at 10 pm ET/7 pm PT. The card is presented by Main Events and Peltz Boxing in association with BAM Boxing and Joe Hand Promotions. The undercard will include a ten round middleweight match-up between Curtis “Showtime” Stevens and Tureano Johnson. The remaining undercard fights will be announced shortly. Tickets are on sale now at www.comcastTix.com and the Liacouras Center Box Office.
NBC Sports Live Extra:
NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream Fight Night at 10 pm ET/7 pm PT on April 4th.
Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
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.
All NBC Sports Network live events live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.