Kingsley Ibeh will encounter the exact same scenario Saturday night that left him with a debatable draw on his record four months ago.

For the second time since October 3, the inexperienced Nigerian heavyweight will face a highly touted prospect promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. in a six-rounder ESPN will televise from MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Like Guido Vianello, Jared Anderson will enter the ring to battle Ibeh with a 7-0 record and seven knockouts.

If Ibeh’s frustrating experience versus Vianello taught him anything, it’s that he’ll have to knock out Anderson to win. The Phoenix-based Ibeh seemingly did enough to defeat Vianello, but he won on only one scorecard and settled for a six-round majority draw with the 2016 Italian Olympian.

Adalaide Byrd scored Ibeh a 59-55 winner over Vianello, but Chris Flores (57-57) and Patricia Morse Jarman (57-57) scored the action even. The 6-feet-4, 276-pound Ibeh, a former CFL defensive lineman who had just one amateur bout before turning pro 18 months ago, is convinced he cannot afford to go to the scorecards again Saturday night.

“If it goes to the judges, it doesn’t matter what happens, it’s gonna go his way,” Ibeh told krikya360.com regarding his fight against Anderson. “I’m obviously not gonna go in there looking for a knockout. But I intend on getting the show done before the end of the sixth round, before it gets to the judges, just because that’s what I’m up against and what I have to deal with. You have to completely knock him out to win. You can’t leave room for if.”

The 27-year-old Ibeh (5-1-1, 4 KOs) wanted an immediate rematch with Vianello (7-0-1, 7 KOs), but it wasn’t possible based on Vianello’s physical condition. Vianello suffered a nasty laceration along his left eyelid during the second round of their fight and he had surgery last week to remove bone spurs from his elbow.

The athletic, strong Ibeh out-weighed Anderson by 27 pounds when they stepped on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s scale Friday. Ibeh realizes, however, that he is in for a difficult fight against a powerful, 21-year-old opponent in the opener of a three-bout broadcast (10 p.m. EST; 7 p.m. PST).

“From what I’ve watched, it seems like Jared is a pressure guy,” Ibeh said. “He’s a good fighter, but everybody has some flaws and things you can exploit. I expect him to be 110 percent. I just plan on being 120 percent.”

After Anderson battles Ibeh, ESPN will televise a 10-round co-feature in which Adam Lopez (14-2, 6 KOs), a featherweight from Glendale, California, will box Albuquerque’s Jason Sanchez (15-2, 8 KOs). In the 10-round main event, Ghana’s Richard Commey (29-3, 26 KOs), a former IBF lightweight champion, is set to meet Dominican contender Jackson Marinez (19-1, 7 KOs).

Long Island’s Joe Smith (26-3, 21 KOs) and Russia’s Maxim Vlasov (45-3, 26 KOs) were supposed to square off in a 12-round main event Saturday night. Their fight was postponed indefinitely Thursday because Vlasov tested positive for COVID-19. 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.