Our tipster Simon Crawford believes Deontay Wilder will beat Bermane Stiverne for a second time this weekend - but may have to do it the hard way.
Heavyweight is still considered to be boxing's Blue Riband division and after a few years of being in the doldrums, the likes of Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are certainly making it fashionable again.
Last weekend Britain's new favourite son Joshua was given a hard time by late replacement Carlos Takam before chalking up his 20th successive stoppage win in the paid ranks.
Next, on Saturday night, it is the turn of Wilder to try to impress as he faces Bermane Stiverne in a rematch as he defends his WBC world title in New York.
Wilder (38-0, 37KOs) was taken the distance by Stiverne (25-2-1, 21KOs), who turned 39 on Wednesday, when they first met back in January 2015 as he won the title. Since then he has made five successful defences against Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka, Chris Arreola and Gerald Washington.
He had been due to face Luis Ortiz, but after he failed a drugs test in September, Stiverne - who had been due to face Joshua victim Dominic Breazeale on the undercard - stepped in, being the next in line according to the rankings.
Wilder, 32, starts as a huge favourite and is as short as 1/100 in places but as in the first fight I believe Stiverne will pose him problems.
The champion is caught between the proverbial rock and the hard place.
He simply can't afford to lose this fight with a potential unification clash with Joshua on the cards. There is also the possibility of a fight with London's Dillian Whyte who won an eliminator last weekend on the AJ undercard, plus if Tyson Fury does return then there are some huge fights in the offing.
But at the same time, he must also impress against Stiverne to silence the critics who have questioned the quality of opposition he has faced since winning the title.
To win and to win well, he may have to take a risk or two and that could see him get tagged so it will be interesting to see what his approach is.
Certainly the Bronze Bomber is under no illusions how important this fight is for him.
"All I've ever wanted to do is prove that I am the best - but the best don't wanna fight, so what's the point of me being in this sport?" he said.
"If Bermane beats me - if he beats me - you don't have to hear about me no more. I'm done. That's how serious it is. It don't get more serious than that. So let the games begin.
"Like I said, if Bermane beats me, you don't have to hear about me no more. I'm gone. I'm out of here. I'm retiring. That's it. I might move to MMA or some s***. I'm out of here, and that's facts."
High stakes indeed but the layers are confident Wilder will extend his knockout ratio - which currently stands at 97 per cent - and he is a best of 3/10 to win inside the distance.
However, I have to disagree because, as already mentioned, the champion must win this fight so I see him looking to box his way to victory as he did in their first meeting, which he emphatically won on the cards 118-109, 119-108 and 120-107.
Let us not forget that Stiverne is also a very tough opponent who claims he was ill and not 100 per cent when they first met.
Much like Takam a week ago when he faced Joshua, underdog Stiverne has nothing to lose and everything to gain so that makes him a dangerous foe.
But ultimately, Wilder is the better boxer of the two and I fancy the younger champion to take another wide decision on the cards, so I'm taking the 11/2 being offered by Ladbrokes and Coral on him to win by unanimous decision.
Recommended bet
2pts Deontay Wilder to beat Bermane Stiverne by unanimous decision at 11/2
Where to watch on TV: Sky Sports Main Event
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Posted at 1450 GMT on 02/11/17.
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