Katie Taylor will need to find “her very best” if she is to beat Natasha Jonas in one of the most “eagerly anticipated” women’s fights ever held in Britain, according to the 5 Live Boxing team.

Their bout has captured the imagination on a card where another Briton faces an uphill battle in a world title shot, where the engaging Chris Eubank Jr says his return to the ring is worth a fortune, and where big names put their status at risk at heavyweight.

‘Wafer thin to call’

Jonas’ team truly believe they will inflict Taylor’s first defeat in a bout which will be aired live on BBC Radio 5 Live.

But Taylor’s trainer Ross Enamait offered a chilling reminder of the task Jonas faces on Saturday, stating: “This is Katie’s 12th world title fight. This is Jonas’ 12th fight period. Katie will be as sharp as ever.”

There have been suggestions from Jonas’ corner that 34-year-old Taylor is slowly starting to look vulnerable and fans are curious to see if an opponent of such pedigree can cause her problems.

“I’m always the underdog on the big fights,” said 36-year-old Jonas, who drew her only other world title bout to date. “The more you tell me I can’t do it the more I’ll prove I can.”

BBC Sport boxing correspondent Mike Costello said: “This is one of the most eagerly anticipated women’s fights we’ve seen in this country. I don’t think Jonas will necessarily beat Taylor but this for me is a fascinating contest.”

And 5 Live Boxing’s Steve Bunce says: “We should never, ever underestimate what Taylor has achieved and what she is doing.

“If this isn’t a tight, hard, close fight I’ll be amazed. I think Taylor will win but she will have to pull out the very best of Katie Taylor. It’s wafer thin.”

Rock and roll for Del Boy (again)

The themes around the night’s main event are both pretty straight forward. Both Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker are beginning life with new trainers and both know a defeat will throw them down the heavyweight pecking order and away from big pay days.

Parker, a former world heavyweight champion, holds hope he can again compete for a title and he is now trained by former world middleweight champion Andy Lee, who also forms part of Tyson Fury’s training team.

“We know Andy Lee will make Parker more aggressive,” added 5 Live analyst Bunce. “I think Parker wins and I think he may win very, very well.”

Costello also believes Parker’s “freshness will win the day” but it is worth remembering that Chisora has a knack for keeping his story going against the odds. He has now lost 10 times in 42 outings and yet still headlines a pay-per-view card, such is his draw.

“I expect I will do what I do best,” the 37-year-old said. “I’ll come forward, fight, chuck hell, roll the dice and rock and roll.”

A ‘giant’ leap for Richards

While Taylor-Jonas and Chisora-Parker look set to be tight affairs, Costello says Britain’s Craig Richards faces a “giant step up in class” when he faces Russia’s Dmitry Bivol for the WBA world light-heavyweight title.

Bivol, 30, has 17 wins in as many fights and has put solid names on his record while Richards has campaigned at domestic level, losing once in 18 outings. To use a boxing phrase, the Londoner is ‘in deep’ and will need to produce one of the biggest shocks by a Briton in recent years.

“I have momentum in my career and I only took this fight because I believe I can win,” said Richards, 30.

“I’ve had loads of experience, so when is the time to move on? I believe the time is now. I believe I was getting overlooked. Beating someone like Bivol – he’s a great champion and respect to him – I’ll get the credit I deserve.”

‘A multi-million pound return’

Around 17 months have passed since Chris Eubank Jr last fought and in that time he says his move to train under the legendary Roy Jones Jr has “lit a fire” inside him.

Eubank – now 31 and a decade into his professional career – takes on Manchester’s Marcus Morrison, who admits the challenge is “levels above” where he has competed before.

“He will put his life on the line to win,” Eubank said of his opponent. “I am not underestimating him. He is the stepping stone to the massive fights.

“The end goal is Gennady Golovkin, he’s the top dog in the middleweight division and I want that crown.

“This is a multi-million pound fight as if I don’t win I don’t get the big names afterwards. A loss would cost me hugely, so this is massive.”