By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Nicholas Walters can’t believe how much Miguel Marriaga is making out of his amateur victory over Walters.

Colombia’s Marriaga (20-0, 18 KOs) defeated Jamaica’s Walters (25-0, 21 KOs) in an Americas Olympic Qualifier fight in April 2008, which helped prevent Walters from competing in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Walters swears he has no recollection of their fight, but Marriaga doesn’t believe the man he’ll challenge for the WBA featherweight title Saturday night in The Theater at Madison Square Garden (HBO; 10 p.m. ET).

Regardless, Walters thinks Marriaga might be putting too much stock in what occurred during a four-round amateur fight seven years ago. Since then, Walters has knocked out former champions Vic Darnchinyan and Nonito Donaire on his way to headlining an HBO “Boxing After Dark” show.

“Maybe he’s too caught up in the amateurs,” Walters said. “He needs to let the amateurs go and think about the pros. This Saturday, it’s not the same Nicholas Walters he fought back then, in 2008. It’s a whole different ball game now.”

The 28-year-old Marriaga has knocked out 90 percent of his professional opponents, including 12 of the past 13. Walters, however, is more talented and accomplished than anyone Marriaga has boxed since he made his pro debut in June 2009.

“I don’t remember the amateur fight,” Walters said. “That took place some years ago. That was one fight. Don’t blame me if I don’t remember. That was in 2008. We’re in 2015 now. But I hear him bragging about the amateurs. But let’s see if he can do what he did in the amateurs. In the amateurs, it was just four rounds. Now we go 12 rounds. And I’m not preparing to 12 rounds with him. I’m training to knock him out. He needs to know that. I’m coming to knock him out.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.