LAS VEGAS – Armando Resendiz respects Elijah Garcia’s willingness to fight anyone in the middleweight division.

Resendiz sees the 20-year-old contender as a dangerous opponent as well, but he doesn’t think Garcia will present a greater challenge than the former champion Resendiz defeated in his last fight. Mexico’s Resendiz knocked out Jarrett Hurd in the 10th round six months ago to move himself into position for this type of high-stakes showdown on the Canelo Alvarez-Jermell Charlo undercard Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

“We’re not taking away from the fact that he’s a strong opponent, but I just don’t think that it’s gonna be a harder fight than Hurd,” Resendiz told krikya360.com through a translator Thursday after a press conference at MGM Grand. “I’m not about giving predictions, but styles make fights and perhaps I’m gonna win this fight just as convincingly, but in another way.”

Resendiz (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated Hurd very convincingly. He led the former IBF/IBO/WBA 154-pound champion on all three scorecards – 89-82, 87-84 and 87-84 – when referee Ray Corona, on the advice of a ringside physician, stopped their scheduled 10-round fight as soon as the 10th round began due to a grotesque, gushing gash across Hurd’s lip.

“That win opened the door for me to be on this card,” Resendiz said, “and also it gave me the experience and the confidence I needed.”

The 24-year-old Resendiz’s revitalizing victory also gave his handlers confidence that he can become what they initially expected in the 160-pound division. Two bouts before he defeated Hurd (24-3, 16 KOs), Marcos Hernandez (16-6-2, 3 KOs) upset Resendiz by unanimous decision in a 10-round bout in September 2021 at The Armory in Minneapolis.

Hurd had not fought in almost 21 months by the time he stepped into the ring to face Resendiz. The Accokeek, Maryland native also lost his previous bout to Luis Arias (20-4-1, 9 KOs), who upset Hurd by split decision in June 2021 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Garcia, meanwhile, made the most of his first opportunity in a televised fight when he knocked out then-unbeaten Uruguayan contender Amilcar Vidal (17-1, 13 KOs) in the fourth round March 4. Showtime aired Resendiz’s win against Hurd immediately after it broadcast Garcia’s stoppage of Vidal from Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.

Garcia (15-0, 12 KOs), of Wittmann, Arizona, was less impressive in his following fight just seven weeks later – a 10-round, unanimous-decision defeat of Mexico’s Kevin Salgado (16-2-1, 11 KOs) on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia undercard April 22 at T-Mobile Arena. Garcia, listed by DraftKings as a 4-1 favorite over Resendiz, was displeased with his performance against Salgado and intends to atone for it in a 10-rounder Showtime will televise as the opener of its four-fight pay-per-view show Saturday night (8 p.m. EDT; 5 p.m. PDT; $84.99).

“I hope to see the version of Garcia that fought against Vidal,” Resendiz said. “That was a great fight and I hope that he’s at that same level, to be at his best. And then against Salgado, it was a good fight, too. He looked prepared. He’s a guy that’s ready, so I respect that.”

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