Former heavyweight world title contender Kali Meehan is predicting the toughest fight of his career against world-ranked New Zealander Joseph Parker, a man almost half his age.
Australian-based Meehan, 45, has returned to Auckland - his city of birth - for Thursday's clash with Parker, another descendant of the city.
The Kiwi fighter was recently namechecked by the esteemed Ring boxing magazine as one of the future prospects in the heavyweight division.
"I know this is going to be the hardest fight of my career because of his youth and explosiveness," Meehan told AAP.
Parker is rated sixth by the WBO, 13th by the WBA and 14th by the WBC and is coming off a first-round blowout of another Australian-based heavyweight, Bowie Tupou.
Meehan has no doubt the growing buzz and hype building around the slick, mobile, hard-hitting Parker is justified.
"It is - he's an exciting prospect," Meehan said.
"It's very refreshing to see a promotional company like Duco get right behind him, which is what's missing in a lot of fighters' careers, mine included."
Parker, 23, was only five years old, when Meehan had his first pro fight in 1997 in Auckland.
Normally, a huge gulf in age suggests a middle-aged sacrificial lamb being offered up on the altar of a hungry young prospect.
Meehan (42-5, 32 KOs), however, has fought a far higher standard of opposition than Parker and, despite his age, has enjoyed a recent resurgence.
In his last bout 11 months ago, he defeated New Zealand's last heavyweight prospect Shane Cameron.
Earlier that year, he won an eight-man one-night heavyweight tournament, with former British, Commonwealth and European champion and world title contender Michael Sprott among his victims.
Four regional title belts will be at stake, with Parker defending two and another two vacant titles on the line.
There will also be four regional titles up for grabs in the main support fight, with world-ranked Australian welterweight Jeff Horn fighting Argentina's Alfredo Rodolfo Blanco (15-3, 8 KOs).
Queenslander Horn, 27, (11-0-1, 8 KOs) holds WBO, IBF and PABA regional titles and will be fighting for an interim WBA Oceania title.
Blanco dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Horn's 2012 Olympic teammate Cameron Hammond.
"I haven't talked to Cameron really about it. I just believe if he can do it, I suppose I should be able to go it," Horn said.
Horn is hoping a win over Blanco will boost his ratings of seventh (WBO), 12th (IBF) and 13th (WBA).
