By Victor Salazar

Nicholas Walters (25-0, 21 KO’s) has got the attention of many with his knockouts of Vic Darchinyan and Nonito Donaire. He has gone from televised undercards on HBO 2/HBO to now headlining an HBO Boxing After Dark telecast. One step at a time says the WBA featherweight world champion.

“Everything is a process, I went from undercards to main events,” Walters told BoxingScene.com. “It’s a step and it’s taking its process.”

His opponent, Miguel Marriaga has an amateur win over Walters. The champion says the pressure on Saturday is on Marriaga and not on him to avenge that loss.

“I’m okay,” Walters said. “If he has something to prove, he does because he did beat me in the amateurs, now he have to beat me in the pros for him to prove he can beat me here. I’m okay and relaxed, pressure is on him.”

Another step in Walters’s process is a unification showdown with Vasyl Lomachenko which could headline another HBO telecast, maybe in Dubai.

“Listen I’m going to take care of business on Saturday and when Top Rank and HBO make the fight between me and Lomachenko, we fight the fight. I know this fight with Lomachenko is a good payday for me and I’ll be ready for that fight.”