By Jake Donovan

Given the style matchup here, the only real disappointment is that Nicholas Walters couldn't make weight for Saturday's showdown with Colombia's Miguel Marriaga at Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York City.

The unbeaten featherweight caught flak for the scale snafu, but it was bound to happen as Walters (25-0, 21KOs) has been fighting at the same weight dating back to his amateur days. The knockout artist from Jamaica was forced to vacate his title at the scales, no doubt disappointed after the hard work put in to get to this point.

What still makes Walters—and this fight—so appealing is the threat of violence. It was on full display in each of his two ring appearances in 2014. Walters picked apart what was left of Vic Darchinyan last May, on the same show in Macau that saw Nonito Donaire win a title in his fourth weight class. 

Donaire's reign didn't last very long at all; Walters stopped the Fil-Am star in the 6th round of a thrilling slugfest that came with a savage ending in the form of a highlight reel knockout. 

Looming overhead is the haunting presence of past amateur losses. Or so Marriaga (20-0, 18KOs), his team and event handlers have reminded the boxing world in the buildup to their HBO-televised main event. 

Still, there is plenty more to the Colombian slugger than what took place back in the day. 

His time in the pros has been divided between Colombia and Mexico, but it was his stateside debut that produced his most favorable result to date. Marriaga became the first to stop durable veteran Christopher Martin, scoring a 6th round knockout last October in California. 

Saturday's bout represents a big step up in class—though as mentioned previously, a test with which he's well familiar.

Will it be enough to translate into one more win and his first major title? Or will Walters go out with a bang before venturing into junior lightweight and beyond? 

Read on to see how the staff at BoxingScene.com believes the action will go down. 

BOXINGSCENE.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS: NICHOLAS WALTERS vs. MIGUEL MARRIAGA

Ryan Burton (Walters TKO): Both men hit the canvas in an all action brawl. Walters avenges his amateur loss to Marriaga. 

Jake Donovan (Marriaga TKO): Even before the weigh-in follies, this fight gave me a Forrest-Mosley type-feel. It's possible Walters held back in truly trying to get to featherweight, but I still like Marriaga to repeat his success over his old amateur rival, this time forcing a stoppage in the second half of a vicious slugfest. 

Lyle Fitzsimmons (Walters KO8): Walters has erased a couple of marquee names and earned himself the premium-cable shot from the small room in midtown Manhattan. Now he’ll make it pay off. 

Michael Gibbons (Walters TKO9): Axe Man chops down worthy foe. 

Peter Lim (Walters TKO4): Given the combatants' knockout rates of 84 and 90 percent, it's safe to bet this matchup will not go the distance. But while Marriaga remains largely an unknown entity, Walters has tangled with and prevailed against much better competition, most notably, Nonito Donaire. It takes Walters a few rounds to figure Marriaga out but once he does, the tide quickly turns and the Jamaican systematically catches the Colombian flush with hooks, crosses and uppercuts to deliver a fourth-round TKO in a suspenseful and action-packed fight. 

Takahiro Onaga (Walters TKO6): The Jamaican looks like a destroying machine right now. Marriaga puts up a good fight before being stopped.

Cliff Rold (Marriaga KO): Walters showed he could be hurt against Donaire and Marriaga has pop and skill to go with more size than Donaire. Marriaga might not have the chin. Guessing he does and calling the upset in what could be a war.

Victor Salazar (Walters late TKO): This is an underrated fight. Walters suffered defeat to Marriaga in the amateurs and its something he wants to redeem. Walters had had a nice run at 126 but this might be his stiffest test because Marriaga is more of a natural featherweight than the likes of Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan. I saw a war playing out with Walters getting the stoppage late.

Alexey Sukachev (Walters KO4): It'll be fun for as long as it lasts. Marriaga is undefeated with two amateur wins over Walters. But he is too inexperienced as a pro while the Jamaican can take a punch. And he will do it. he will absorb some bombs before knocking Marriaga out cold with a left bomb.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox