Nicholas Walters burst onto the big-time boxing scene in October with an explosive sixth-round knockout win in an upset of 2012 fighter of the year Nonito Donaire in their featherweight world title fight. He has no plans to exit the grand stage any time soon.
"Beating Nonito Donaire put me where I am today, fighting at Madison Square Garden, a dream of mine since I was a small boy," Walters said this week. "Donaire was very smart -- such an intelligent fighter who fought hard inside the ring. I needed my A-game to beat him and I did.
"It was a special night, and excellent night. What I gained from it was a lot of experience and I also get more famous in the boxing world. A lot of people get to know me better and it helped my career. Fighters respect me now. Fans respect me now. It was a great achievement but I have more that I want to do."
That includes making a successful fourth title defense when he faces amateur nemesis Miguel Marriaga in the main event of a "Boxing After Dark" card on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET/PT) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
In the co-feature, 22-year-old Puerto Rican lightweight sensation Felix Verdejo (17-0, 13 KOs), the 2014 ESPN.com prospect of the year, will be the heavy crowd favorite when he makes his HBO debut in a scheduled 10-round fight against San Antonio prospect Ivan "Bam Bam" Najera (16-0, 8 KOs), also 22, on the eve of New York's annual Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Walters (25-0, 21 KOs), the 29-year-old from Jamaica known as "Axe Man," will be fighting in the same arena where his father, Job Walters, was knocked out in the sixth round of his 19th and final professional fight by future featherweight world titleholder Kevin Kelley in 1991.
Walters is aiming for a different outcome against Marriaga (20-0, 18 KOs), a 28-year-old from Colombia, who beat Walters by decision in a 2008 Olympic qualifying tournament.
That amateur fight long ago has been a major point of discussion leading into their pro showdown, even though Walters claims he has no recollection of the fight.
"There's been a lot of talk about my opponent, Miguel Marriaga, beating me as an amateur," Walters said. "I began fighting as an amateur when I was a small boy, like 7 or 8 years old. You go to the amateur fights and they put you in the ring. They say I fought Marriaga around 2008 but I really, really -- so help me -- I don't remember the fight.
"I know I only had three or four losses as an amateur so if he said he beat me, so be it. Marriaga should be more concerned about fighting hard and putting on a good show against me on Saturday night. I am really a great featherweight champion in the fact that I plan to fight at this weight for a long, long time and defend my title for years."
So what does that amateur fight mean today?
"I don't know what it means. I don't think it means anything," said Top Rank's Bob Arum, Walters' promoter. "But this is a very dangerous fight. Both guys are easy to hit and both guys hit like sons a bitches. Fights like that gotta be very, very dangerous."
Walters said whatever happened in 2008, times are much different now.
"Those (amateur) fights are four rounds. On Saturday we will be fighting 12 rounds," Walters said. "He may be bringing his A-game but I am bringing my A-plus-game. I have trained for a knockout victory. I am going to destroy him.
"He's making a big deal about (the amateur fight). If he's living in the days back then, I leave it to him. I'm not living in the past. He's still not the champ. I'm champ."
In December 2012, Walters knocked out Daulis Prescott in the seventh round to win a vacant belt.
"I beat Daulis Prescott to win my title and he beat Marriaga in the amateurs. So what," Walters said. "Did Marriaga win a medal at the Olympics? No. Did he even make it to the Olympics? No. We both didn't make it to the Olympics and now I'm world champion. I'm ranked No. 1 at featherweight. I don't need the amateurs. We'll go in the ring and if he's the better man on Saturday, he will win.
"Everyone will know who the true champion is and nobody will look back at the amateurs. You know, in the amateurs, I was undisciplined. I'd train for two weeks for fights and go to the competitions. Now it's different. I train for two months for a fight."
Walters' memory may be foggy on the amateur meeting, but Marriaga's isn't. He boasted about the victory this week.
"I remember the fight. I was 21 years old and I was the better boxer in the ring," Marriaga said. "There was more boxing than slugging in the fight. There were no knockdowns. Today I think Walters is a good fighter, but that's it. He's nothing special.
"Of course, Walters doesn't remember me beating him - because he lost. He's not going to remember Saturday, June 13 for the same reason. I have the strength and the intelligence to beat him. I will use my strength and intelligence to beat him. After I beat Walters again on Saturday I look forward to unifying the titles in my next fight."
Marriaga will be fighting in the United States for the second time. Two fights ago, he made his American debut on ESPN2 and looked good knocking out Chris Martin in the sixth round in October.
Walters said he is not viewing Saturday's fight as an opportunity for revenge for the amateur fight seven years ago.
"I'm all about business," Walters said. "I'm not even thinking about revenge. At the end of the fight, you won't hear me talk about the amateurs. I'm all about kicking ass on Saturday and staying undefeated. I wasn't undefeated as an amateur, but I am as a pro and I plan to stay that way."
Should Walters win, Arum hopes to line him up for a unification bout with another titleholder he promotes, Vasyl Lomachenko (4-1, 2 KOs), the brilliant two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist.
"Lomachenko wants that fight very badly. He loves challenges and he loves to test his skills," Arum said. "That's why I love these guys. No jerking around."
So when would the fight take place?
"Next, next, next. No marination," said Arum, making referencing to his much-criticized plan in 2010 to let what would have been a big fight between then-featherweight titleholders Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa "marinate" only to see it fail to materialize because Arum waited too long and Lopez got knocked out.
Arum said he would like to make the fight in November, perhaps on a card that might take place in the United Arab Emirates. Walters said bring it on.
"Let's see the fight on Saturday and then let's do business," Walters said. "I want to be the best and to be the best, you have to beat the best, so if taking a fight with Lomachenko is a fight to prove who's the best, I will take a fight with Lomachenko. That's what I am here for.
"I am here to give my fans great fights, to do big fights and to make a lot money. That's what I want to do. That's what I'm in the game for. We are fighters, we are gladiators. We give our fans fights they want to see. Lomachenko has a title, I have a title, so when the time comes to meet, that's what will happen. At the end of my career I want people to say, 'Nicholas Walters was a world champion and he beat all the great guys.'"