With a weight advantage of more than 13kg and a wealth of boxing experience, Francois Botha could be expected to take a canny tactical approach against young New Zealand heavyweight hope Joseph Parker in their clash at Auckland's Trusts Arena tonight.
The South African, however, says he will come out swinging.
Yesterday's weigh-in provided a clear picture of the gap between the pair.
Parker, 21, stripped down at 102.9kg, a little below his 104kg fighting weight in Las Vegas, where he easily outpointed expat Kiwi Brice Ritani - a Botha look-alike, fight-alike and weigh-alike.
Botha, 44, weighed in at 116.5kg but, in spite of his age and thickness round the middle, looked strong and durable.
Botha has fought the great Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Wladimir Klitschko, Mike Tyson and Michael Moorer - all world champions and all of whom beat the South African in a career spanning 61 pro fights in 23 years.
However, he is not a finished fighter, though he is clearly closer to the end of his career than the beginning.
He has lost his last four fights - though one was that highly questionable clash with Sonny Bill Williams which was suspiciously shortened and which generated accusations of corruption and failed drugs tests this year.
Another of his last four was against Michael Grant, now 40. Grant is a big man, bigger than Parker at 2.01m, and was a heavily hyped fighter until Lewis crushed him in 2000.
Most expect Botha to box clever against Parker - moving in close, clinching and leaning on the younger, lighter man, trying to drain him and get close enough for a telling shot.
But Botha, the White Buffalo, says it will unfold differently. "I will just come into the ring and take to him right from the start," he said. "I know he will try to jab and move but I will come in hungry; I will be looking to eat some rib and leg bones, maybe."
After someone made a joke about this fight not being suddenly shortened, as occurred against Williams, Botha said: "Let me tell you - Duco are honourable promoters and they have done a fine job but I will not be taking any chances this time. I am going to crack a few rib bones and a few jaw bones."
Parker looks as fit as he could be. He has sparred more than 90 rounds - the equivalent of nine 10-round fights.
He's worked so hard he has shed kilos since the Ritani fight and his corner have been encouraging him to eat freely to build up a little more weight.
Parker's chief weapons will be his speed, jab and ability to use his reach and ringcraft against the slower Botha. It shapes as a classic boxer v fighter clash and an intriguing contest between one nearing the end of his career (but still with a little to prove after the Williams debacle) and one just starting out, full of talent and promise.
"I have never seen a young man so driven and so focused ... even on his off days he has trained twice a day and has given it 100 per cent, then he has slept and got up and done it all over again the next day," the Kiwi's trainer, Kevin Barry, said.
"He is taking Francois Botha very seriously and I think we will see the best of Joseph Parker tomorrow."APN News & Media