Veteran heavyweight Steve “USS” Cunningham has the advantage that comes from over 30 career professional fights as he heads into his Oct. 18 match-up with Natu “The Truth” Visinia, but Visinia has power and a significant weight advantage when they meet at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Check out the Cunningham vs. Visinia fight breakdown, preview and analysis, along with some more updates from fight week, with photos, quotes and notes.
Category | Steve “USS” Cunningham | Natu “The Truth” Visinia |
| Age | 38 | 30 |
| Record | 27-6 (12 KOs) | 10-0 (8 KOs) |
| Strength | Much more experience; former cruiserweight champion comes into this fight with momentum after a major win April 4 over world-ranked Amir Mansour. | Tremendous knockout power in both hands; a complete athlete who played college football and competed in mixed martial arts; could have a 70-pound weight advantage. |
| Weakness | Lacks significant power for a heavyweight; has not recorded a knockout since 2010; only 12 K0 wins in 27 victories. | Major step up in competition; first time scheduled for more than six rounds. |
| Experience | Major advantage here; former cruiserweight titleholder has boxed world-wide; three of his last four fights have been against former or current-ranked heavyweight contenders. (Tomasz Adamek, Tyson Fury, Amir Mansour) | Never boxed more than six rounds against mediocre opposition.
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| Power | Not known for his knockout power, though he did drop a tiring Mansour in the last round; more of a boxer; will need to be cautious when exchanging with the powerful Visina. | Possesses knockout power in both hands; seven of his eight knockout wins came in the first round.
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| Speed | Small for a heavyweight, which enables him to move around the ring; may need to be on the move to keep a safe distance from Visinia; must utilize hand speed and a quick jab. | At a disadvantage in this category, but the 270-pound Samoan’s speed is on display during his aggressive flurries when he often forces his opponents to trade punches. |
| Endurance | Cunningham has gone 12 rounds nine times; five of his last six fights have gone the distance. | Visinia has only been pushed past the first round on three occasions; his previous fight went six rounds, the longest any opponent has taken him. |
| Accuracy | Good technical boxer who picks his shots and does not waste punches. | Accurate on the inside where he utilizes good bodywork.
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| Defense | Moves well around the ring, making it difficult for any brawler/puncher to trap him and land significant shots. | Aggressive offensive style may be his best defense; his in-your-face style has thwarted his opponents’ offense. |
| Chin | Only been knocked out once, by 6-foot-8 heavyweight contender Tyson Fury. Got off the floor twice against Amir Mansour to win in a Fight-of-the-Year candidate. | Unknown; never been down but only had 10 pro fights. |
| Style | Technical boxer who has no problem trading shots when necessary. | Aggressive offensive fighter with knockout power. |
| Crowd Support | Will have hometown support. | His aggressive style may win over some fans. |
| The Match-Up | 1. Will age or power be a factor in this fight? 2. Can Cunningham withstand Visinia’s power? 3. Will Visinia be able to connect? It’s somewhat unusual for the older, more experienced fighter to have the speed advantage. Can the younger, Visinia use his youth and power to overcome Cunningham’s experience and speed? | |
Main Events’ CEO Kathy Duva: “I’m always excited to bring young, unknown and undefeated fighters onto Fight Night. We don’t know what they have until they get in a real fight. This is how we discovered Sergey Kovalev, Bryant Jennings, Thabiso Mchunu…the list goes on. And Steve Cunningham, a fantastic boxer who has never been in a bad fight, will certainly make this a real fight for Visinia! I don’t know that Visinia’s size and power will be able to overcome Cunningham’s superb technique and speed, but it will certainly be interesting to watch.”
Steve Cunningham
Thank you to Main Events, Russell Peltz, MHP, Everlast and Philly Boxing History. I want to thank everyone for their support for Kennedy’s fund. I want to thank Natu’s camp for donating to her fund. This sport is not as savage as people think. We are fathers and husbands. I want to thank Concrete Jungle and Brother Naazim. I think I have the best team in the sport. Naazim takes me to levels and pushes me where I didn’t know I could go. Getting through training camp with him is a victory in itself.
I am the smallest heavyweight in boxing right now. I wish my weight matched my heart! I am Philly to my core. I am born and raised here. This is not new to me. I am here to do a job and Natu and I can go get a beer after the fight. My career has been about relationships. After I am done, I will be back in boxing somehow. I was in the Navy — you get orders and you have to carry them out. I got orders and I have to carry out this mission and defeat Natu on Saturday. My faith is what carries me.
He’s a big power puncher. He’s big. I am a fighter. This is the third undefeated fighter I am fighting as a heavyweight. I am ready to fight. I am a fighter. I have been going through this with Kennedy for nine years. I want to stay active. I want to get back in there. I wanted another shot before the year was out and thank you to Main Events for making it happen.
Brother Naazim Richardson, Cunningham’s Trainer
I would like to thank Russell and Kathy for making this fight and Natu for his kind words. We appreciate it. Kennedy is what Steve wants to be when he grows up. Steve Cunningham is always in the danger zone. Steve is the lightest heavyweight in the division. That shows his courage. In the Mansour fight, I looked at my team and I was very confident. His corner has worked with championship fighters all over the world. Everything I have seen is a big strong hungry guy and that is a problem. This man can fight. He is a danger. Steve is always willing to face those kind of things. This is all he knows. This is what he’s teaching. His son just won an amateur fight the other day. He’s on his crusade. We thank you for the support and for giving us this opportunity. NBC has been a great series. I have seen [Edner] Cherry fight. He is a monster. We got a good card. Come out and see the essence of Philadelphia fighting.
Natu Visinia
I am honored and privileged to be here today. Thanks to Russell Peltz and Main Events. Steve is a world champion. I have nothing negative to say about him. I admire him. He is where I want to be. He’s been eating from a good menu for a long time and I am hungry. Some guys need 30 fights before they would face a Steve Cunningham. A fight like this comes along and I jump at it. I have had a pretty rough career. It is a big risk for him to take this fight and I respect him for that. I am going to give Philly what they are coming to see. His fight with Mansour was my favorite fight of the year. I am looking to go to war.
