LAS VEGAS – Jose Uzcategui has been disqualified, assaulted by an opponent’s trainer and removed from a fight for failing a performance-enhancing drug test during an 11-year pro career full of ups and downs.

Never, however, has the former IBF interim super middleweight champion been knocked out in 36 professional fights. That trend, according to Vladimir Shishkin, is about to change.

Russia’s Shishkin intimated during a press conference Thursday at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas that he will knock out the Venezuelan veteran in their IBF super middleweight elimination match Saturday night. Showtime will televise the 12-round, 168-pound bout between Uzcategui (32-4, 27 KOs) and Shishkin (13-0, 8 KOs) as its co-feature prior to a 12-round lightweight main event in which Indianapolis’ Frank Martin (16-0, 12 KOs) will face the Dominican Republic’s Michel Rivera (24-0, 14 KOs).

“I’m ready for 12 rounds,” Shishkin said, “but I don’t think that it’ll go 12.”

Shishkin, who was a decorated amateur, will take a step up in competition against Uzcategui. Tijuana’s Uzcategui has won three straight bouts by knockout since American underdog Lionel Thompson (22-5, 12 KOs) dropped him in the first round and upset him by 10-round unanimous decision in December 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

“I like [it] because he’s a tough guy and he wants to win,” said Shishkin, who trains in Detroit. “He goes forward. For me, it’s perfect. Like it suits for my style, Kronk style. … I’m ready. It’s a tough fight. He has good experience. We will see.”

The 31-year-old Shishkin has fought only once in the past 22 months, but he is the IBF’s ninth-rated contender in the 168-pound division. Uzcategui, who is also 31, is ranked seventh by the IBF.

The Uzcategui-Shishkin winner will become the IBF’s number two contender for one of fully unified champion Canelo Alvarez’s four super middleweight titles.

Uzcategui was dismissive of Shishkin’s prediction during the press conference afterward.

“You can say whatever you want outside of the ring,” Uzcategui told krikya360.com, “but in the ring it’s a totally different story.”

Showtime’s three-bout broadcast is scheduled to start at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday night.

In its opener, Russian bantamweight contender Nikolai Potapov (23-2-1, 11 KOs) and the Philippines’ Vincent Astrolabio (17-3, 12 KOs) will meet in a 12-round IBF eliminator. The winner will become the IBF’s mandatory challenger for fully unified 118-pound champion Naoya Inoue (24-0, 21 KOs).

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