Former two-time IBF cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham, 47, remains active and open to new opportunities in the ring, potentially signaling a boxing return.
While he previously indicated a move toward retirement in 2023, Cunningham recently clarified his stance, stating he is interested in professional boxing, exhibitions, or bare-knuckle fighting if the right offer materializes.
Steve Cunningham open to boxing or bare-knuckle opportunities
His current focus remains on the unique format of the Team Combat League (TCL), where he has competed since coming out of a brief retirement in 2025.
Cunningham, known as “USS” due to his service in the U.S. Navy, has built a career on exceptional conditioning and a high technical ceiling. Despite his age, the veteran reports that he feels in excellent physical shape, attributing his longevity to consistent training.
He has been competing for the Philadelphia Smoke in the TCL, a league that features one-round bursts of action. Cunningham has noted that the team-based format works well for older fighters who stay in shape, despite the fast start required by the single-round structure.
The former champion’s interest in returning for a sanctioned bout or an exhibition comes at a time when the “legends” circuit is seeing increased activity. Terence Crawford has discussed Canelo Alvarez’s retirement outlook in the context of career longevity, a topic Cunningham is now personifying.
Key details
To date, however, Cunningham admits that while he has participated in a couple of talks regarding new fights, nothing solid has developed outside of his current league commitments.
Bare-knuckle boxing is another avenue the veteran is willing to explore. This interest reflects a broader trend of established champions looking at alternative combat disciplines late in their careers. Although his professional record stands at 30-9-1 with 13 knockouts, Cunningham has always been more of a rhythmic, technical boxer than a one-punch specialist.
Whether his style would translate to the bare-knuckle format remains a point of interest for fans tracking his late-career moves.
His last traditional professional appearance took place on April 17, 2021, on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren event. In that contest, Cunningham secured a six-round unanimous decision victory over former MMA champion Frank Mir at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
That win reminded the boxing community of his durability, though he has not boxed a standard 10 or 12-round professional match since his 2017 loss to Andrew Tabiti in Las Vegas.
Legacy of the USS and the Team Combat League
Cunningham’s career is perhaps best defined by his 2013 heavyweight encounter with Tyson Fury. During that IBF eliminator, Cunningham shocked the boxing world by dropping the much larger Fury in the second round. While he eventually lost by seventh-round knockout, Fury later described Cunningham as the toughest opponent of his career.
As it stands, Fury’s own career continues to dominate headlines, but the “USS” continues to apply the same military-grade discipline that once bothered the “Gypsy King.”
The TCL has allowed Cunningham to remain active alongside his family. His son, Steve Cunningham Jr., made his own professional debut in 2022 and has also competed in the league. For the elder Cunningham, the team concept provides a different kind of excitement compared to the lonely nature of traditional professional boxing.
He has suggested he could potentially compete in the TCL for maybe two more seasons, provided he maintains his current physical standards.
Physical conditioning and tactical adjustments at 50
Reaching the age of 50 while remaining competitive requires significant tactical shifts. Cunningham has acknowledged that professional boxers are often “slow starters,” but the TCL format forces an immediate increase in work rate.
This version of “speed boxing” has kept his reflexes sharp even as he approaches a milestone birthday that usually marks the end of any professional athletic ambitions. He remains a “gym rat,” avoiding the physical decline that often follows a long layoff.
Key details
His involvement with the Philadelphia Smoke has been a central part of this late-career resurgence. The league’s structure allows him to stay visible to the boxing public without the grueling demands of a traditional 12-week training camp for a championship-distance fight.
While he awaits a “call” for a larger event, his work in the TCL serves as a proof of concept for his continued eligibility to compete at a high level.
Future outlook for the two-time champion
The immediate path for Cunningham is clear: he will continue his trajectory in the TCL while keeping his phone open for an exhibition or a professional return. He is not currently tied to a specific “one last fight” retirement plan, instead opting for a fluid approach based on how his body responds to training.
His history of fighting world-class opposition like Tomasz Adamek and Krzysztof Głowacki ensures that if he does return to a major platform, it will be as a respected veteran rather than a novelty act.
While some fighters are nearing comebacks, such as reports indicating Andy Ruiz Jr. is nearing a return to the ring, Cunningham represents a different era of the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. His career, which began in October 2000, has spanned over a quarter-century of the sport’s history.
Regardless of whether that next big call comes, Cunningham’s persistence at age 50 remains a rare feat in the modern era of combat sports.
