MANCHESTER, England — On paper, the matchup between the relentless Jack Rafferty and the heavy-handed Mark Chamberlain seems certain to ignite quickly. And during a respectful final press conference, both fighters promised that the junior welterweight fight will deliver the expected fireworks.

On Saturday night, Rafferty (26-0, 17 KOs) will defend his British and Commonwealth titles against the dangerous Chamberlain (17-1, 11 KOs). DAZN will broadcast the 12-round fight from Planet Ice in Altrincham.

Rafferty holds the longest unbeaten run in British boxing. After establishing himself on the small hall circuit, the 29-year-old from Shaw has adapted quickly to life on the big stage.

In October he introduced himself to a wider audience by grinding down Henry Turner to win the British title and has since stopped Reece MacMillan and Cory O’Regan.

“The Demolition Man” has an exciting, television-friendly style and has quickly been entrusted with headlining his own show.

“It’s a bit of a pinch-me moment, but I know why it's a pinch-me moment; because I've worked hard to get in this position,” he said at Thursday’s final press conference.

Chamberlain’s official nickname is “Thunder” but, over the past 18 months, he has most regularly been described as Turki Alalshikh’s favourite fighter.

His Excellency took a liking to Chamberlain’s hard-hitting style and granted him the chance to perform on a series of Riyadh Season events. He looked outstanding during his dismantling of former European lightweight champion Gavin Gwynne and then brutally dispatched Joshua Wahab inside a round.

In September, however, he looked flat and lacking in imagination as Josh Padley soundly outpointed him on the undercard of the heavyweight title fight between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua.

Rafferty isn’t looking into that performance. He is expecting the best possible version of Chamberlain.

“You can take something from it if you want, but you’ve got to look at the other 99 percent that he'd done well to get there before that, making himself a good name at lightweight,” Rafferty said.

“I heard he was pushing on to good things, so he'll be trying to push on to good things at super lightweight and trying to take these titles off me.

“After the hard work that I've put in to get myself in this position and be sat where I am at this table with these belts around my waist, that won't be happening on Saturday night."

Chamberlain will be the third southpaw Rafferty has faced over the past 10 months.

Turner and O’Regan were clever, slick boxers who were unable to handle Rafferty’s constant pressure and thudding power shots. The 26-year-old from Portsmouth presents an entirely different set of problems for Rafferty. Although this will be his first genuine test at 140 pounds, Chamberlain is a tall, rangy fighter who carried legitimate power at lightweight.

If Chamberlain can find his timing and accuracy, he has the weapons to make Rafferty second guess every forward step. He knows that he can’t afford to concede ground easily and is preparing to meet Rafferty head on.

“Expect an explosive fight between the pair of us,” Chamberlain said. “Styles make fights. Jack’s explosive and comes forward, and I'll be the same. I certainly won't be doing what the previous opponents have done. They hit and run and then knacker out after a few rounds and then they get caught up with Jack. Just expect a war.”

In the evening’s chief support bout, Rafferty’s gym mate and Commonwealth featherweight champion, Zak Miller (16-1, 3 KOs), defends his title against Leicester's Lyon Woodstock (16-4, 7 KOs).

During a colourful build up, Woodstock, 32, has described placing himself in a mental prison ahead of what is likely his final opportunity to claim a major title. To hammer home his point, he arrived at the press conference bedecked in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs.

“When I was in the gym with my coach, he said, "You've always had these moments in these fights where you're doing the right things, but there's something missing,” Woodstock said.

“Sometimes we have a lot of noise going on in our heads — especially myself — so I had to put myself into prison. Not physically, obviously. Mentally. I have to put myself in solitude so I can get what I need to do done.”

Miller, 28, hasn’t bought into Woodstock’s antics. The former British champion recently signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Queensberry and is solely focused on his own game.

“I understand the logic behind what Lyon's had to do to get himself in the frame of mind in camp and through the training, but Lyon putting himself in that frame of mind isn't going to affect me,” Miller said.

“That's just him doing what he needs to do for himself. That's not affecting me. Zak Miller's just going to get in there and do what Zak Miller does.”

In February, Miller produced an outstanding display to outpoint the highly rated Masood Abdulah to win the British and Commonwealth titles. He has since vacated the British belt. But the Mancunian knows that a win over Woodstock will move him closer to the top of a congested domestic featherweight scene.

That won’t be straightforward. The aggressive Woodstock has lost to quality operators such as former IBF junior lightweight titleholder Anthony Cacace and former European champion Zelfa Barrett, but has never been stopped and always puts in a whole hearted effort.

Miller is expecting Woodstock to be as dangerous as ever and has prepared accordingly.

“I believe you're gonna get the best version of Lyon Woodstock, and that's why we've trained the way we've trained," Miller said. "I’ve not underestimated no one in my career. Lyon's a good fighter. I’ve seen Lyon coming up. I’ve seen him fight the likes of Zelfa and Cacace. I’ve seen him fight for many many years and I think it's a great fight.

“I respect Lyon as a fighter. I respect anyone who gets in there. That's why we've trained the way we've trained. Me and Jack got in the gym, knuckled down and we've done our thing. I’ve left no stone unturned.”