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, martial artist, actor, and author. He won 7 World Champion titles and is in the Hall of Fame for kickboxing. Experts say Sugarfoot was one of the best full-contact fighters ever. He was very skilled, smart in fights, and super fast.
He stopped kickboxing in 1996 with an amazing record of 50 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws. He even got revenge for his only draw. Only one person, Richard Sylla, ever beat Peter in a fight for a world title in Paris. Many martial arts legends, like Benny "The Jet" Urquidez and Chuck Norris, have praised Peter's fighting skills. Peter always fought against top opponents, usually current or former champions. In 1998, he was the very first person to be put into 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 was like a mix of theirs. His friends at his first karate school in Edmonton, Canada gave him the nickname when he was still a teenager.
Contents
Biography and career
Early life
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 in the West Indies. There, at age 10, Peter watched the movie Enter the Dragon. He decided then that he wanted to be like Bruce Lee. In 1976, Peter's family moved again, this time to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to start a new life. His mother worked hard to support the children. Peter went to St. Marks Junior High School and St. Joseph's High School in Edmonton.
Introduction to martial arts
Peter started his first karate class in February 1978. His junior high school friends introduced him to his first karate teacher, Grandmaster Robert Supeene Sr. Peter immediately felt a strong connection with his teacher and loved the sport. 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.
Fighting career
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. He trained with Ted James and his son Rocky in Edmonton.
After a few more amateur kickboxing wins, Peter met the famous Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. This was in January 1981, at a kickboxing seminar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 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 big knockout, a round kick to the head. After the fight, Benny's brother, Sensei Rueben Urquidez, and Sensei Blinky Rodriguez congratulated Peter. They invited him and his mother to train at their world-class gym, The Jet Center, in Van Nuys, California. This was a dream come true for Peter, and he happily accepted.
When Sugarfoot moved to Los Angeles, he fought on the same night as Muhammad Ali's exhibition match. Ali fought against Edmonton Oiler player Dave Semenko. The event was in Edmonton on June 12, 1983. Peter beat 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 fate! Two of the greatest champions in boxing and kickboxing invited Peter to train with them. For the next three years, Peter trained at both gyms every day. He went to the Joe Lewis - Muhammad Ali Gym in the morning and The Jet Center in the afternoon. During this time, Sugarfoot fought professionally in both boxing and kickboxing. He started to prefer kickboxing. In 1986, after losing a boxing title fight that was very close, he decided to focus only on kickboxing.
Acting
Peter is also an actor and has been in several movies. In his first role, Cunningham played a lightweight champion fighter named Frank Peters. He fought against 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 show 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. Most recently, Peter was in The Fighter (2010), playing the role of Mike 'Machine Gun' Mungin.
Trainer
After he stopped competing, Peter continued his career in martial arts as a successful trainer. He has trained many top professional and amateur fighters. He also teaches classes for everyone, 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, Cunningham 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 several international events. These included the 2014 Irish Kickboxing Open, the 2014 WAKO tournament in Canada, and the 2014 Brazilian Kickboxing World Cup. They also made history in a USA vs. Cuba tournament in Havana, Cuba in 2015. In 2018, he was teaching at House Of Champions in California.
Other
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, Civilized Warring, was a kickboxing training guide published in 1995. He helped write his second book, "Testimonials of a Legendary Champion," in 2013.
Championships and accomplishments
Boxing
- Edmonton Golden Gloves – Gold Medal – 1981
- Canadian Games – Bronze Medal – 1981
- Ranked #1 Lightweight boxer in Canada – 1986
Kickboxing and Muay Thai
- 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
See also
- List of male kickboxers
Images for kids
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Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham
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Peter Cunningham's retirement fight against Dida Diafat in 1996.
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Peter Cunningham on the set of The Fighter in 2010.
