ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – Marquis Taylor agrees that his fight versus Yoelvis Gomez on Saturday represents a step up in class.

Taylor believes it is Gomez, not him, however, that will encounter a different caliber of opponent in their “Showtime Championship Boxing” co-feature Saturday night (9:30 p.m. EDT; 6:30 p.m. PDT). The highly regarded Gomez is consistently listed as a 4-1 favorite to defeat Taylor in their 10-round middleweight match, Taylor’s debut at the 160-pound limit.

The confident Taylor views Gomez (6-0, 5 KOs) as a skillful puncher who will be dangerous during their televised fight. He just doesn’t think the Cuban southpaw has been tested at the professional level.

The 29-year-old Taylor, meanwhile, has beaten four previously undefeated fighters. The Galena Park, Texas resident is 6-0 against southpaws as well.

“Our resumes don’t compare at all,” Taylor told krikya360.com. “It’s safe to say he had a very easy road to a co-main event on ‘Showtime Championship Boxing,’ and I had a very hard road. I fought six undefeated fighters. Our experience doesn’t compare. The levels that I’ve fought on doesn’t compare. Everybody keeps telling me that it’s a huge fight on my end. In all actuality, it’s a huge step up for him. All the pressure’s on him.

“It’s just another day in the office for me. I’m looking to out-class him. I’m looking to stop Yoelvis Gomez. I don’t feel he’s even on my level, so I’m actually looking to get him up out of there in the third or fourth round. This will be as good a showing as I’ve ever had in a fight, the best I’ve ever looked in any fight.”

The 25-year-old Gomez will end a 13-month layoff when he encounters Taylor (14-1-2, 1 KO, 1 NC) on the Jaron Ennis-Roiman Villa undercard. A right wrist injury is largely responsible for Gomez’s inactivity since he unanimously outpointed Mexican veteran Jorge Cota (30-6, 27 KOs) in their 10-rounder in May 2022 at Gila River Arena in Glendale, California.

Gomez was supposed to face former IBF/IBO/WBA 154-pound champ Jeison Rosario on November 5 at The Armory in Minneapolis. Taylor considers himself a much stiffer test than Rosario (23-4-1, 17 KOs), who announced his retirement in the immediate aftermath of his fifth-round knockout loss to Gomez’s replacement, Brian Mendoza (22-2, 16 KOs).

“You have to look at his lack of real competition,” Taylor said. “When you look at his record, OK, he’s 6-0, with five KOs. His first four fights were in Mexico. The first two guys were [in their pro] debuts. The second two guys were coming off knockout losses. So, of course, they got in the ring with Yoelvis and he’s an aggressive power puncher. I wanna give credit where credit’s due. He’s an aggressive power puncher and he did what he was supposed to do, he got those two guys out of there. Then he fought Clay Collard, who lost a fight [21] days before he fought Yoelvis. [Collard] got in there with an aggressive power puncher, and he got Clay Collard out of there in one round.

“And then he fought Cota, who just got stopped by Sebastian Fundora in the fourth round. That was [Gomez’s] first 10-round fight and, as we seen, he didn’t look the same as he looked when he fought those four fights in Mexico or when he fought Clay Collard. And he fought a Jorge Cota who was past his prime and had been knocked out several times, and fought to survive.”

Taylor soundly defeated Detroit’s Marlon Harrington (then 8-0, 7 KOs) in their eight-rounder last October 21 at Bally’s Grand Ballroom in Atlantic City. He appeared to do more than enough to defeat Philadelphia’s Paul Kroll (then 9-0, 6 KOs) in his previous bout, but Taylor was forced to settle for an eight-round split draw in February 2022.

Taylor’s fights against Harrington and Kroll were televised as part of Showtime’s prospect series, “ShoBox: The New Generation,” thus this is the biggest opportunity in nine years as a pro.

“I will be [Gomez’s] first fight against someone who’s, one, not scared of him, and two, is going to hit him,” Taylor said. “You know, he’s actually gonna get touched in this fight. In his career, he hasn’t really been put through any adversity at all. He’s kinda been able to control the pace of all of his fights. He’s finally fighting another ring general. And, you know, I’ve been a lotta rounds against tough fighters. Marlon Harrington was 8-0, seven KOs, 30 years old, coming for my head. So, I fought a real power puncher. I’ve been hit by real power punchers before. I’ve also beaten six southpaws. I fought four southpaws in a row at one point in my career. So, I’m battle tested, I’m proven. This guy, his resume doesn’t compare to mine.”

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