Philadelphia, PA: 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 over the current USBA Heavyweight Champ when they meet at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. The scouting report for this fight is below:
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.
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.
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.
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.”
About October 18
The Oct. 18 edition of NBCSN Fight Nightwill take place at the 2300 Arena at 2300 Swanson Street in South Philadelphia. It features a 10-round fight between Steve “USS” Cunningham, of Philadelphia, and Natu “The Truth” Visinia, of Clinton, IL. A 10-round junior lightweight contest between Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry, of Wauchula, FL, and Osumanu Akaba, of Accra, Ghana, is the co-feature. Five additional fights open the show at 6PM. Tickets are $50 and $75 and are available by calling Peltz Boxing at (215) 765-0922 or at www.peltzboxing.com. They also can be purchased at Wanamakers Tickets (215-568-2400). The card is presented by Main Events and Peltz Boxing in association with Final Forum Promotions and BAM Boxing. The NBCSN Fight Night telecast will begin at 9 PM ET. Doors open at 5 PM and the first fight will start at 6. The event is sponsored by Rocco’s Collision.
NBC Sports Live Extra:
NBC Sports Live Extra: NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets — will live stream Fight Night at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST on Oct. 18. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.
