Former WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev takes on Trinidad's towering Kertson Manswell on Saturday night at the Grand Elysee Hotel in Hamburg, Germany. It will be Chagaev's first fight since losing against Russia's Alexander Povetkin in a fight for the vacant WBA regular world heavyweight title last August. Manswell is best known to British boxing fans for competing in the international heavyweight edition of Sky TV and Matchroom's Prizefighter last May, when he was the only fighter to last the distance with Cuban Mike Perez. Manswell also went the distance last year with recent WBA world title challenger Cedric Boswell.

33-year-old Ruslan Chagaev [27-2-1, 17 KOs] is currently ranked ninth by the WBA, and could still get into the world title mix with a couple of decent victories under his belt, starting with a win on Saturday on a bill that also features the return to the ring of Juergen Braehmer, and Russian heavyweight hope Denis Boytsov.

Chagaev will always be remembered for being the first man to defeat the gigantic 7'2" 330 lb Russian Nikolay Valuev, doing so on points in April 2007, a victory that gave him the WBA heavyweight crown. Prior to Chagaev's achievement, some experts had doubted if any fighter could cope with the Russian's sheer physical advantages, yet the 6' Uzbek proved that Valuev's massive bulk was no match for a speedy and skillful fighter.

Chagaev was an outstanding amateur who won every major honour bar an Olympic gold medal, and becoming the only foreign fighter to defeat the legendary Cuban Felix Savon twice.

Although nicknamed ''White Tyson'' due to a high knockout ratio early in his career, Chagaev has become more of a cagey counterpuncher over the years, and has not stopped an opponent since Michael Sprott in 2006. His last decent win was over New Zealand's Kali Meehan in 2010, but he has accounted for quality heavyweights like Sherman Williams, Mark Krence, Rob Calloway, Volodymyr Vyrchys, John Ruiz, Matt Skelton as well as Valuev, Sprott and Meehan over the years.

In his last outing against the undefeated Povetkin for a piece of the WBA heavyweight pie, and that night Chagaev was simply out-hustled by a younger, stronger, bigger version of himself, and lost a close but unanimous decision. His championship winning days may be behind it now, but Chagaev is still a genuine contender, and could be a worthy test for the likes of David Price, Tyson Fury, Boytsov and the American duo of Deontay Wilder and Seth Mitchell, and may even have the beating of a couple of them.

His opponent on Saturday will be 35-year-old Kertson Manswell [22-3, 17 KOs] of Trinidad and Tobago, a seven-year professional veteran with an imposing 6'4", 250 lb frame and 81'' reach. Manswell spent the first three years of his career fighting almost exclusively in his native country where his biggest victory was a 10 round decision over the giant American fringe contender Corey ''T-Rex'' Sanders in 2006. Since then, Manswell has boxed in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Belgium and England as well as Trinidad and Tobago, losing only to Canadian puncher Bermane Stiverne on a second-round TKO in January 2011, losing a three-run decision to Mike Perez in Prizefighter four months later, and dropping a 10 round decision to Cedric Boswell in June 2011.

Since then Manswell has scored two first-round KOs in Port of Spain over limited opposition. He is big enough and powerful enough to be a genuine threat to Chagaev, although his only chance of victory would be appear to be to go all-out for an early knockout. 17 KOs in 22 victories attest to the power of Manswell, but Chagaev has proved throughout his entire career that he can take a great punch and is sound defensively, and the only man to stop him was Wladimir Klitschko in a 2009 IBF title fight in which the Ukrainian floored Chagaev in the second round and stopped him in the ninth.

Chagaev has never boxed in less than tiptop condition, and was a trim 231 lbs for his bout against Povetkin last year. I expect him to come in to this fight in good shape, avoid Manswell's early attacks in the early rounds and then come on strong in the later stages of the fight. Manswell will do well to last the distance against Chagaev, but I feel that as this is only an eight rounder and Chagaev rarely chases the knockout these days, it will be a comfortable points win for the ex-WBA champ.

Chagaev by unanimous decision.

Fight Odds: Ruslan Chagaev 1/80, Kertson Manswell 16/1 bet365