When Vladamir Klitschko and Samuel Peter meet Saturday night at Atlantic City' s Boardwalk Hall, it will be a clash of the big men, a trainwreck between a young prospect and a once-prospect trying to salvage his derailed career. And it won't go the distance, you can be sure as that.

Once considered the heir apparent to Lennox Lewis, Klitschko, 44-3 (40), suffered a major setback when he was knocked silly by journeyman South African southpaw Corrie Sanders. Then, after beating up Lamon Brewster early on, he punched himself out and was knocked out again. In his fight with DaVarryl Williamson, another fighter with a suspect chin, he was knocked down before wininng a technical decision. His last win came against the smaller Cuban Juan Carlos Gomez who offered only token resistance.

Peter, 24-0 (21), known as the "Nigerian Nightmare", is what Klitschko once was, that is, the "next big thing", albeit with cruder skills. He hits like a Mack truck and has quick hands; when he throws a punch it looks more like he is trying to bludgeon his opponent. Although he hasn't near the experience of Klitschko and his resume is weak, to say that Peter has a "puncher's chance" against the chinny Klitschko is the understatement of the century. If Peter lands, Klitschko is going down, there's no doubt about that; the only thing we don't know is how strong is Peter's chin?

There is no reason for Klitschko to lose this fight. He has better skills, better defence, is a better combination puncher, and more experienced. Yet, Emanuel Steward, Klitschko's trainer, has been more of a hindrance in trying to transform Klitschko's Eropean stand-up-straight style into that of an American heavyweight. The bottom line is that Klitschko has not shown an ability to clinch or recover from a punch, and that won't change anytime soon. If Peter can take what Klitschko dishes out, any clean punch he lands will be disastrous for the Ukrainian.

Prediction: Peter KO 5

On the undercard, Miguel Cotto,25-0 (21), takes on fellow undefeated prospect Ricardo Torres, who replaces Cotto's mandatory Gianluca Branco (who was injured during training). Torres, 28-1 (26), represents an upgrade from Branco in calibre of opponent, and should be another test for the young Puerto Rican star. Will Cotto ace the exam as he did against previously undefeated Brazilian Kelson Pinto, or will it be a more gruelling fight like his 12-round battle with Lovemore N'dou?

Look for Cotto to box more cautiously, in order to avoid the turbulence he experienced in his previous two fights against Muhammed Abdullaev and especially Demarcus Corley, in pulling out a clear decision victory.

Prediction: Cotto by unanimous decision