Cunningham, Mansour: You Gotta Have Heart

Published

10 years ago

March 26, 2014

With disparate personal lives and similar professional aspirations, heavyweights Amir “Hardcore” Mansour and Steve “USS” Cunningham at least can agree on one thing.

You don’t necessarily have to have a big heart to have a big heart.

An abundance of heart, in a boxing sense, might be Mansour’s foremost attribute, according to his manager, Joe Hand Sr., who should know all about fighting spirit and a refusal to give in to adversity, having been a member of Cloverlay, which backed the early part of the late, great Joe Frazier’s professional career.

“Mansour is a little bit bigger than Joe Frazier, a little bit taller than Joe Frazier, has a little bit longer reach than Joe Frazier,” Hand said of his fighter, a 41-year-old southpaw and ex-con who brings a 20-0 record, with 15 knockouts, into the April 4 defense of his USBA title against two-time former IBF cruiserweight champ Cunningham (26-6, 12 KOs) at the Liacouras Center on the Temple University campus in Philadelphia. “But Joe had a ton of heart, and so does Mansour. He’s comparable to Joe in that respect.

“Like Joe, Mansour is the type of fighter that, if he did lose, he’d have to be carried out on his shield because he’ll never quit.”

The scheduled 10-round bout of the Philadelphia-area big men – Cunningham is from West Philly, Mansour from Wilmington, Del., about 25 miles down the road from the Philly city limits — is the main event of a “Fight Night” card to be televised by NBC SportsNet. The co-feature pits middleweight contender Curtis Stevens (26-4, 19 KOs) against Tureano Johnson (14-0, 10 KOs) in another 10-rounder.

Mansour, who despite being 6’1” is generally shorter and stockier than his opponents – hence the inevitable comparisons to Frazier, Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Mike Tyson – rejects links to those Hall of Famers based solely on body type. But he said he’s OK with any suggestion that he’s like Smokin’ Joe when it comes to the big-heart thing.

“No, not at all,” he said when asked about any possible stylistic similarities to Frazier, Qawi and Tyson. “I don’t fight like any of those guys. I have Joe Frazier’s kind of heart and intensity, but I think I can box a little better. I’m not so one-dimensional. You knew what Frazier was going to do. But Cunningham and his people have no idea what I’m going to do. If they’re going by what I did in my last two fights, they’re going to be shocked.

“I would say my style is more like that of a Marvin Hagler, a Ken Norton. Norton was awkward and not the best boxer, but he had the heart and the power and the athleticism. He was in with the best in the world during his era and he put on good fights.

“I know some people look at me as this bald-headed, full-speed-ahead guy, always going for the early knockout. But, man, I can box. I have a jab. I have skills other than going straight ahead and just loading up on every punch.”

Cunningham and Mansour have a bit of a history together. Mansour, who has zero amateur experience and learned to box in prison, got his first taste of the pros when in 2010 he signed on, soon after his incarceration ended, as a sparring partner for Cunningham, who was preparing to take on another lefty, Troy Ross, for the vacant IBF 175-pound title in Germany. Cunningham went on to win the IBF strap for a second time on a fifth-round stoppage.

“Our thought when we brought him in was, this is a guy coming out of jail, he’s a southpaw, he’s strong, he’s short, like Ross,” Cunningham recalled. “And we did get in some good work, for me and for him.”

That’s pretty much how Mansour remembers those spirited sparring sessions. “I gave him better work in sparring than he was going to get from the guy he was fighting,” Mansour said. “He was happy with the work that I gave him, and I was happy to have had the opportunity to spar with somebody of that caliber.”

And now?

“My favorite fights of all time were Larry Holmes-Ken Norton and Riddick Bowe-Evander Holyfield I,” said, Mansour who is rated No. 13 by the IBF. “If you look at the intensity of those fights, and the type of heart, or lack of it, you see in today’s heavyweights, there’s nobody out there that can endure that kind of punishment. I haven’t been tested like that yet, but I believe I have it in me, physically and mentally, to endure those kinds of battles. I don’t think Steve Cunningham can go to that depth with me, where he can possibly be staring death in the face and keep going.”

It’s ironic, Mansour’s choice of words in questioning the Navy veteran’s commitment to “stare death in the face.” Because that’s exactly what the 37-year-old Cunningham and his manager-wife, Livvy, are doing now. And it’s a fight they’ve been advised they are destined to lose, barring a medical miracle or, perhaps, divine intervention.

Eight-year-old Kennedy Cunningham, the second of Steve and Livvy’s three children, was born with literally half a heart. A happy and outgoing child, she has already beaten the odds to some extent; doctors told her parents after her birth that she was unlikely to make it to her first birthday. She has already undergone two open-heart surgeries and suffered a stroke, proving if anything that she inherited the kind of never-give-up genes her father has so frequently exhibited in the ring.

But her fight for life keeps getting tougher and tougher. Steve and Livvy only recently were told that Kennedy is not a viable candidate for the heart transplant she so desperately needs, and that their best course of action now is to make their daughter as comfortable as possible as they wait out an inevitable tragedy.

That is the kind of emotional burden few people would be able to carry, let alone an aging boxer preparing for a fight that could make or break his chances at remaining at least a nominal factor in the heavyweight division. But Steve Cunningham understands that some fights are won or lost through forces they can’t always see or control, and he is daring to believe that this still another seemingly hopeless situation that can be salvaged through the power of faith.

“Basically, yeah,” he said when asked if doctors had told him that Kennedy could not survive this latest ordeal. “We were devastated when we heard that. But our faith in Jesus Christ, and seeing what He’s done in her life already … she wasn’t even supposed to live past her first year.

“The list of things this little girl has been through is incredible. Blood poisoning, blood clots. All kinds of stuff. But she’s gotten through it all, and we believe she’ll get through this, too. Livvy and I are going to go to some other doctors to seek different opinions. Even if they say the same thing the other doctors did, though, we’ll keep our faith in God.”

Whatever the obstacles placed in his path, the most immediate of which is Mansour’s formidable punching power, Cunningham said he must persevere because, well, he has to.

“I could use (Kennedy’s medical crisis) as an excuse, but I won’t,” he insisted. “I have a job to do and I’m going to do it. I’ve got a family to provide for so I have to continue on. Winning this fight will put me in a better position to help my daughter, financially. It gives me that much more motivation to succeed.”

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Bernard Fernandez

Canelo-Charlo Gets All the Ink, but Don’t Overlook the Compelling Match-up of Gassiev-Wallin in Turkey

Published

6 hours ago

September 26, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Canelo-Charlo-Gets-All-the-Ink-but-Don't-Overlook-This-Compelling-Match-in-Turkey

Canelo-Charlo Gets All the Ink, but Don’t Overlook the Compelling Match-up of Gassiev-Wallin in Turkey

The eyes of the boxing world will be on Las Vegas this Saturday where Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez risks his four super middleweight title belts against unified 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo. Earlier that day at a luxury resort hotel in the city of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, there’s a heavyweight match sitting under the radar that may prove to be the better fight. It’s an intriguing match-up between former world cruiserweight title-holder Murat Gassiev and Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin, a bout with significant ramifications for boxing’s glamour division.

Gassiev (30-1, 23 KOs) and Wallin (25-1, 14 KOs) have only one loss, but those setbacks came against the top dogs in the division. Gassiev was out-boxed by Oleksandr Usyk back in the days when both were cruiserweights. Wallin gave Tyson Fury a world of trouble before losing a unanimous decision.

Since those fights, both have been treading water.

Gassiev

Gassiev was inactive for 27 months after his match with Usyk while dealing with legal issues and an injury to his left shoulder. He is 4-0 (4 KOs) since returning to the ring while answering the bell for only eight rounds. The only recognizable name among those four victims is German gatekeeper Michael Wallisch. After stopping Wallisch, Gassiev was out of action for another 13 months while reportedly dealing with an arm injury.

A first-round knockout of Carlouse Welch, an obscure 40-something boxer from the U.S. state of Georgia on Aug. 26, 2022, in Belgrade, Serbia, was promoted as a title fight. The sanctioning body was the Eurasian Boxing Parliament (insert your own punchline here). Gassiev followed that up with a second-round knockout of former NFL linebacker Mike Balogun who came in undefeated and was seemingly a legitimate threat to him.

Although he has yet to fight a ranked opponent since leaving the cruiserweight division, Gassiev — a former stablemate of Gennady Golovkin who has been living in Big Bear, California, training under Abel Sanchez – is one of the most respected fighters in the division because he has one-punch knockout power as Balogun and others can well attest. The rub against the Russian-Armenian bruiser is that he is somewhat robotic.

Wallin

Otto Wallin, a 32-year-old southpaw from Sweden who trains in New York under former world lightweight champion Joey Gamache, fought Tyson Fury on Sept. 14, 2019 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. There was a general feeling that the Swede would be a stroll in the park for Fury, but to the contrary, he gave the Gypsy King a hard tussle while losing a unanimous decision.

Wallin is 5-0 since that night beginning with victories over Travis Kauffman (KO 5) and Dominic Breazeale (UD 12), but his last three opponents were softer than soft and all three lasted the distance. In order, Wallin won an 8-round decision over Kamil Sokolowski, who was 11-24-2 heading in, won a 10-round decision over ancient Rydell Booker, and won an 8-round decision over Helaman Olguin. His bout with Utah trial horse Olguin was at a banquet hall in Windham, New Hampshire.

It isn’t that Wallin has been avoiding the top names in the division; it’s the other way around. His promoter Dmitriy Salita reportedly came close to getting Wallin a match with Anthony Joshua whose team had second thoughts about sending Joshua in against another southpaw after back-to-back setbacks to Oleksandr Usyk.

Gassiev vs Wallin is a true crossroads fight. Both are in dire need of a win over a credible opponent. At last look, Gassiev, who figures to have the crowd in his corner, was a 3/1 favorite.

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Skavynskyi and Bustillos Win on a MarvNation Card in Long Beach

Published

2 days ago

September 24, 2023

David A. Avila

Skavynskyi and Bustillos Win on a MarvNation Card in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Ca.-A cool autumn night saw welterweights and minimumweights share main events for a MarvNation fight card on Saturday.

Ukraine’s Eduard Skavynskyi (15-0, 7 KOs) experienced a tangled mess against the awkward Alejandro Frias (14-10-2) but won by decision after eight rounds in a welterweight contest at the indoor furnace called the Thunder Studios.

It was hot in there for the more than 600 people inside.

Skavynskyi probably never fought someone like Mexico’s Frias whose style was the opposite of the Ukrainian’s fundamentally sound one-two style. But round after round the rough edges became more familiar.

Neither fighter was ever damaged but all three judges saw Skavynskyi the winner by unanimous decision 79-73 on all three cards. The Ukrainian fighter trains in Ventura.

Bustillo Wins Rematch

Applerose2

In the female main event Las Vegas’ Yadira Bustillos (8-1) stepped into a rematch with Karen Lindenmuth (5-2) and immediately proved the lessons learned from their first encounter.

Bustillos connected solidly with an overhand right and staggered Lindenmuth but never came close to putting the pressure fighter down. Still, Bustillos kept turning the hard rushing Lindenmuth and snapping her head with overhand rights and check left hooks.

Lindenmuth usually overwhelms most opponents with a smothering attack that causes panic. But not against Bustillos who seemed quite comfortable all eight rounds in slipping blows and countering back.

After eight rounds all three judges scored the contest for Bustillos 78-74 and 80-72 twice. Body shots were especially effective for the Las Vegas fighter in the fifth round. Bustillos competes in the same division as IBF/WBO title-holder Yokasta Valle.

Other Bouts

In a middleweight clash, undefeated Victorville’s Andrew Buchanan (3-0-1) used effective combination punching to defeat Mexico’s Fredy Vargas (2-1-1) after six rounds. Two judges scored it 59-55 and a third 60-54 for Buchanan. No knockdowns were scored.

A super lightweight match saw Sergio Aldana win his pro debut by decision after four rounds versus Gerardo Fuentes (2-9-1).

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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Tedious Fights and a Controversial Draw Smudge the Matchroom Boxing Card in Orlando

Published

3 days ago

September 23, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Tedious-Fights-and-a-Controversial-Draw-Smudge-the-Matchroom-Boxing-Card-in-Orlando

Matchroom Boxing was at the sprawling Royale Caribe Resort Hotel in Orlando, Florida tonight with a card that aired on DAZN. The main event was a ho-hum affair between super lightweights Richardson Hitchins and Jose Zepeda.

SoCal’s Zepeda has been in some wars in the past, notably his savage tussle with Ivan Baranchyk, but tonight he brought little to the table and was outclassed by the lanky Hitchins who won all 12 rounds on two of the cards and 11 rounds on the other. There were no knockdowns, but Zepeda suffered a cut on his forehead in round seven that was deemed to be the product of an accidental head butt and another clash in round ten forced a respite in the action although Hitchins suffered no apparent damage.

It was the sort of fight where each round was pretty much a carbon of the round preceding it. Brooklyn’s Hitchins, who improved to 17-0 (7), was content to pepper Zepeda with his jab, and the 34-year-old SoCal southpaw, who brought a 37-3 record, was never able to penetrate his defense and land anything meaningful.

Hitchins signed with Floyd Mayweather Jr’s promotional outfit coming out of the amateur ranks and his style is reminiscent in ways of his former mentor. Like Mayweather, he loses very few rounds. In his precious engagement, he pitched a shutout over previously undefeated John Bauza.

Co-Feature

In the co-feature, Conor Benn returned to the ring after an absence of 17 months and won a unanimous decision over Mexico’s Rodolfo Orozco. It wasn’t a bad showing by Benn who showed decent boxing skills, but more was expected of him after his name had been bandied about so often in the media. Two of the judges had it 99-91 and the other 96-94.

Benn (22-0, 14 KOs) was a late addition to the card although one suspects that promoter Eddie Hearn purposely kept him under wraps until the week of the fight so as not to deflect the spotlight from the other matches on his show. Benn lost a lucrative date with Chris Eubank Jr when he was suspended by the BBBofC when evidence of a banned substance was found in his system and it’s understood that Hearn has designs on re-igniting the match-up with an eye on a date in December. For tonight’s fight, Benn carried a career-high 153 ½ pounds. Mexico’s Orozco, who was making his first appearance in a U.S. ring, declined to 32-4-3.

Other Bouts of Note

The welterweight title fight between WBA/WBC title-holder Jessica McCaskill (15-3-1) and WBO title-holder Sandy Ryan (6-1-1) ended in a draw and the ladies’ retain their respective titles. Ryan worked the body effectively and the general feeling was that she got a raw deal, a sentiment shared by the crowd which booed the decision. There was a switch of favorites in the betting with the late money seemingly all on the Englishwoman who at age 30 was the younger boxer by nine years.

The judges had it 96-94 Ryan, 96-95, and a vilified 97-93 for Chicago’s McCaskill.

In the opener of the main DAZN stream, Houston middleweight Austin “Ammo” Williams, 27, improved to 15-0 (10) with a 10-round unanimous decision over 39-year-old Toronto veteran Steve Rolls (22-3). All three judges had it 97-93. Rolls has been stopped only once, that by Gennady Golovkin.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

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