Pete Cunningham (kickboxer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peter Cunningham |
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| Born | March 25, 1963 (age 62) Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Other names | Sugarfoot |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Division | Lightweight Super Lightweight Junior Welterweight Welterweight |
| Style | Chitō-ryū, Karate, Ukidokan Karate, Boxing, Kickboxing |
| Fighting out of | The Jet Center |
| Teacher(s) | Robert Supeene Sr., Tom Forstreuter, Ed Couzens, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez |
| Rank | 5th degree black belt in Kempo Karate, 2nd degree black belt in Chito-Ryu Karate |
| Years active | 18 years |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 14 |
| Wins | 10 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 53 |
| Wins | 50 |
| By knockout | 21 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Occupation | Coach at Sugarfoot Kickboxing Coach at Team USA Kickboxing |
| Notable students | Richard Norton, Stephen Quadros, Vinc Pichel, Mia St. John, Mikaela Mayer |
Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham (born March 25, 1963) is a retired Canadian kickboxer, boxer, and martial artist. He is a 7-time World Champion and is in the Hall of Fame. Experts say Sugarfoot was one of the best full-contact fighters ever. He was known for his amazing technique, smart fighting, and super-fast moves.
Peter retired from kickboxing in 1996. His record was 50 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws. He managed to get revenge for his only draw. Only one person, Richard Sylla, ever beat Peter in a fight for the WKA World Title in Paris. Many martial arts legends, like Benny "The Jet" Urquidez and Chuck Norris, have praised Peter's skills. Throughout his career, Peter always fought against top opponents, often other champions. In 1998, he was the very first person to be added to the I.S.K.A. Hall of Fame in San Jose, California.
Peter's nickname, "Sugarfoot," comes from two famous fighters: "Sugar" Ray Leonard (a boxer) and Bill "Superfoot" Wallace (a kickboxer). Peter's fighting style reminded people of both of them. His friends at his first karate school in Edmonton, Canada gave him the nickname when he was a teenager.
Peter won many World Titles. These include the W.K.A. (World Karate Association) Lightweight, Super Lightweight, and Junior Welterweight World Titles. He also held the K.I.C.K. (Karate International Council of Kickboxing) Super Lightweight Title, the I.M.F. (International Muay Thai Federation) Junior Welterweight Title, and the I.S.K.A. (International Sport Karate Association) Light Welterweight World Title.
Sugarfoot is also an actor. He has appeared in TV shows like Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and CSI. He was also in movies such as No Retreat, No Surrender (1986) and The Fighter (2010).
Contents
Peter's Journey: From Trinidad to Champion
Early Life and Discovering Martial Arts
Peter D.O. Cunningham was born on March 25, 1963, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. When he was six, his parents divorced. His mother, Rosel, moved with Peter and his siblings to the small island of St. Vincent. There, at age 10, Peter watched the movie Enter the Dragon. He was so inspired that he decided he wanted to be like Bruce Lee.
In 1976, Peter's family moved again, this time to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His mother worked hard to support the family. Peter went to St. Marks Junior High School and St. Joseph's High School in Edmonton.
Peter started his first karate class in February 1978. His junior high friends introduced him to his first karate school and his teacher, Grandmaster Robert Supeene Sr. Peter immediately felt a strong connection to his teacher and loved the sport. Just seven months later, as an orange belt, Peter entered his first karate tournament. He won the top prize in his belt group. He was also named "Best Technician" of the tournament. This award usually only goes to black belts. This tournament was the start of his amazing career.
Becoming a Professional Fighter
Peter began his amateur kickboxing career in 1980. He won his first fight against Reg Johnson in Calgary, Canada. Later that month, he started taking boxing lessons in Edmonton.
After more wins in amateur kickboxing, Peter met the famous Benny "The Jet" Urquidez in January 1981. Benny was giving a kickboxing workshop in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. There, Benny told the young Peter, "you are going to be a great champion." Around this time, Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham had his first professional kickboxing fight. He fought the Canadian Champion, Gordy Gong. Peter won with a powerful round kick to the head, knocking out his opponent.
After the fight, Benny Urquidez's brother, Sensei Rueben Urquidez, and Sensei Blinky Rodriguez invited Peter to train at their world-class gym in Van Nuys, California. This gym was called The Jet Center. This was a dream come true for Peter, and he happily accepted.
When Sugarfoot moved to Los Angeles, he fought on the same event as Muhammad Ali. Ali had an exhibition match with Edmonton Oiler player Dave Semenko. This event happened in Edmonton on June 12, 1983. Peter defeated his opponent, who was a World Lightweight Champion. Ali's trainer, Bundini Brown, was very impressed. He introduced Sugarfoot to Ali and his family. Ali signed a book for Peter's mother. Then, Ali suggested that Bundini invite Peter to train at the Joe Lewis - Muhammad Ali Gym in Santa Monica.
It seemed like everything was falling into place for Peter. Two of the greatest champions in boxing and kickboxing invited him to train with them. For the next three years, Peter trained at both gyms every day. He trained at the Joe Lewis - Muhammad Ali Gym in the morning and at the Jet Center in the afternoon. During this time, Sugarfoot was fighting professionally in both boxing and kickboxing. He started to prefer kickboxing. In 1986, after a close and debated loss in a boxing lightweight title fight, he decided to focus only on kickboxing.
Acting and Coaching
Peter is also an actor and has been in several movies. In his first role, he played a lightweight champion fighter named Frank Peters. He fought action star Jean-Claude Van Damme in the 1985 martial arts film No Retreat, No Surrender. He also appeared in the 1986 film Righting Wrongs. Peter was a guest star with David Carradine on the TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993). He also worked on the big movie I Spy (2002), where he was a stunt double for Eddie Murphy. More recently, Peter was in The Fighter (2010), playing the role of Mike 'Machine Gun' Mungin.
After he stopped competing, Peter continued his career in martial arts as a successful coach. He trains top professional fighters and amateur fighters. He also teaches classes for the general public, including kids and adults. Over the years, he has trained many World Champion fighters in boxing and kickboxing. He has also trained well-known celebrities. In 2014, Peter was asked to be a coach for the USA Kickboxing Team. He brought his best student, German Baltazar, with him. Together, they helped the team win gold medals in many international events. These included the 2014 Irish Kickboxing Open and the 2014 WAKO (World Association of Kickboxing Organizations) tournament in Canada. They also won at the 2014 Brazilian Kickboxing World Cup and a special USA vs. Cuba tournament in Havana, Cuba in 2015. In 2018, he was teaching at House Of Champions in California.
Other Interests and Family
Peter grew up with his siblings: Julie, Zoey, Natalie, Vertille, Bert, and Patrick. His son, Chazz Christian Cunningham, was born in 1998. As of 2016, Sugarfoot trains fighters and teaches classes at Team Karate Centers in Woodland Hills.
Cunningham has written two books. His first book, a kickboxing training guide called Civilized Warring, was published in 1995. He helped write his second book, "Testimonials of a Legendary Champion," in 2013.
Peter's Achievements
Boxing Awards
- Edmonton Golden Gloves – Gold Medal – 1981
- Canadian Games – Bronze Medal – 1981
- Ranked #1 Lightweight boxer in Canada – 1986
Kickboxing and Muay Thai Titles
- World Kickboxing Association
- WKA Kickboxing World Lightweight Champion
- 1986 WKA Kickboxing World Super Lightweight Champion
- 1993 WKA Kickboxing World Light Welterweight Champion
- Karate International Council of Kickboxing
- K.I.C.K. Super Lightweight Intercontinental Champion
- International Muay Thai Federation
- 1988 IMF World Junior Welterweight Champion
- World Martial Arts Challenge
- W.M.A.C. Junior Welterweight World Champion
- International Sport Kickboxing Association
- 1992 ISKA Oriental Rules World Light Welterweight Champion (defended 2 times)
- 1998 ISKA first Hall of Fame member
Images for kids
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Peter Cunningham's book cover
