In April, heavyweight Steve Cunningham gutted out a 10-round decision win against Amir Mansour in a thriller. Cunningham was down twice, Mansour once, and it was a terrific fight.

Cunningham (27-6, 12 KOs), a former cruiserweight titleholder, made no secret of the main reason he was fighting -- to earn money to help pay for expensive medical care for his daughter Kennedy, who has a serious heart ailment and is in need of a transplant.

That is once again the main reason why Cunningham, 38, of Philadelphia, will climb back into the ring to face Natu Visinia, 30, of Lakewood, California, in a 10-round heavyweight main event Saturday night (NBC Sports Network, 9 ET) at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

Visinia (10-0, 8 KOs) is an unknown. He has never been in a fight scheduled for longer than six rounds and faced only two opponents with winning records (6-1 and 3-1).

"Visinia is a big kid. He's a dangerous kid,” said Naazim Richardson, Cunningham’s trainer. “Steve is a real veteran. He's seen a lot. He responds well in the ring. He has courage and talent, and he is a great ambassador for our sport.

"At the end of the fight, you will see how he neutralizes the big strong guy, and that is what is important."

What also is important is Cunningham’s efforts to raise money for his daughter. While he is fighting in his hometown for the second fight in a row -- after 11 years spent not fighting there -- his daughter and wife, Livvy, are 300 miles away in Pittsburgh so they can be close to Kennedy’s doctors in the event a heart becomes available. Steve stayed at home to care for their two sons, Cruz and Steve Jr.

"With Livvy and Kennedy in Pittsburgh, I miss them dearly," Cunningham said. “But I get paid to do a job, and it needs to get done."

So far, a fund the Cunninghams created has raised more than $25,000 to help with the expenses associated with Kennedy's medical care. She was born with a congenital heart defect.