Sportsticker

MIAMI (Ticker) - It will be the devil looking to take away the title from the "Pretty Boy" on Saturday night when Angel Manfredy challenges Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for his World Boxing Council 130-pound super featherweight title.

On the undercard, a pair of promising hard-hitting heavyweight prospects -- David Tua and undefeated Hasim Rahman -- meet in a 12-round crossroads bout.

It is a rarity for two of boxing's brightest stars to meet so early in their careers, but Mayweather and Manfredy hope to settle the score on who is the best 130-pounder in the world.

"Mayweather, that's going to be my war," said Manfredy, who is 25-2 with 19 knockouts and a no-contest. "I am going to war, I am going to boot camp. Mayweather is already a beaten fighter."

The 21-year-old Mayweather (18-0, 14 KOs) is a boxing prodigy. He literally learned how to box while in diapers and has the pedigree from father and trainer Floyd, Sr. and uncles Jeff and Roger, all of whom were successful boxers.

A heralded amateur and a member of the United States Olympic boxing team in 1996, Mayweather had to settle for a bronze medal after dropping a controversial decision to Bulgaria's Serafim Todorov. But Mayweather left his mark in the quarterfinals, becoming the first American in 20 years to defeat a Cuban with a decision over Lorenzo Aragon.

As a pro, the flashy Mayweather has dazzled his opposition with blazing hand speed, solid boxing skills and ring generalship. In his last bout, he captured the WBC 130-pound belt, outclassing two-time junior lightweight champion Genaro Hernandez.

Hernandez came in unbeaten at 130 pounds but was dominated by the multi-talented Mayweather, who forced him quit on his stool before the start of the ninth.

The only question regarding Mayweather is if he is taking too big a chance in meeting the battle-tested Manfredy so early his career.

The 24-year-old Manfredy came out of obscurity to become one of boxing's rising stars. The heavily tattooed Manfredy, who wears a trademark devil's mask for his ring entrances, made his debut in 1993 and was stopped in the second round. He was just 2-2-1 after five bouts and headed towards journeyman status before he rededicated himself to his craft and found religion.

Manfredy has not lost in over four years, going 23-0 with 18 knockouts, one no-contest and a career-defining win over Arturo Gatti in January. In his last bout in September, Manfredy posted a hard-fought victory over John Brown.

"You are going to see a new champion," added the confident Manfredy. "The belt is changing hands. Into my hands. Finally you are going to see a true champion beating another champion who is not ready for this champion."

In the heavyweight feature, Tua and Rahman both are hoping that an impressive win will move them one step closer to a shot at the heavyweight title.

They were scheduled to meet in September, but Rahman withdrew because of promotional problems, later claiming he was injured in training.

Rahman (29-0, 24 KOs) has the size and knockout power to present problems for Tua (32-1, 27 KOs), who possesses one of the best left hooks in the heavyweight division.

The bouts will be televised on HBO beginning at 9:45 p.m. EST.

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