LAS VEGAS – Shakur Stevenson has heard and read how Oscar Valdez intends to approach their fight more tactically than Valdez’s history in the ring suggests.

Stevenson still suspects his rival is bluffing.

The unbeaten WBO junior lightweight champion expects the typically aggressive Valdez to attack him Saturday night the way Valdez has pressured most of his opponents in 30 professional fights. As far as Stevenson can tell, that’s the only way the undefeated WBC super featherweight champion can fight.

“I expect him to go in there and, you know, like he said, he gonna try his hardest,” Stevenson told krikya360.com. “He gonna come and throw a lot of punches, try to put pressure on me, try to turn it into a fight. He said that he don’t expect this to be one of them type of fights, that he gonna be very technical. I disagree with that. I think he just talking to the media, trying to make me think that’s what he gonna do. But I think that he only got one choice, to go in there and try to press me out.”

The 31-year-old Valdez’s fan-pleasing style has helped him win world titles in two weight classes during a nine-year, 30-fight pro career. The Nogales, Mexico, native never was more impressive imposing his will than when he overwhelmed countryman Miguel Berchelt 14 months ago on his way to three knockdowns and a vicious 10th-round knockout during a bout Berchelt entered as a 4-1 favorite.

The 24-year-old Stevenson is the technician, though, in their 12-round, 130-pound title unification fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist from Newark, New Jersey, is certain that if Valdez deviates from what works for him and attempts to box that it’ll lead to an easy victory for Stevenson in a main event ESPN will televise (10 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. PT).

“There’s no way he can win that type of fight,” Stevenson said. “He’s not smart enough, he’s not technically sound enough to do that. I feel like he throw a lot of hooks. That’s his game plan. That’s who he is. That’s been who he was his whole career. It’s hook after hook after hook. He don’t throw a lot of straight punches. And that’s what he’s gonna bring to the table.”

Most sportsbooks have established Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) as at least a 5-1 favorite to defeat Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs).

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