By Victor Salazar

Featherweight contender Miguel Marriaga is unknown to many casual fans, but to many boxing insiders the undefeated fighter might pose a stiff challenge to rising dangerous, Nicholas Walters later tonight at The Theater in New York's Madison Square Garden. On top of being 20-0 with 18 knockouts, Marriaga has defeated Walters in the amateurs - says that victory only makes him more confident.

“I’m in great shape and knowing that I beat him already makes me confident,” Marriaga told BoxingScene.com.

Much of the other talk from fight week is the potential showdown between Nicholas Walters and Vasyl Lomachenko - should Walters win. But Marriaga plans to be a spoiler to those discussions, and he even intends to replace Walters by facing Lomachenko in the fall.

“I don’t think about that,” Marriaga said in regards to a potential Walters-Lomachenko fight. “I’m thinking about winning the fight and getting that title. If I win I like the fight, if I win the title I want Lomachenko.”

Walters was overweight during Friday's weigh-in and was forced to vacate his WBA featherweight title after being unable to squeeze down any lower than 127-pounds. The title is only at stake for Marriaga in the contest.