NEWARK, New Jersey – George Arias intends to take a patient approach Saturday night when he encounters the hardest puncher he’ll have ever faced.

Arias saw how Jerry Forrest’s aggression early in his fight with Jared Anderson cost the veteran heavyweight dearly. Forrest landed four solid lefts hands within the first 25 seconds of their scheduled 10-rounder December 10 at Madison Square Garden, but those shots woke up Anderson (13-0, 13 KOs), who bombarded Forrest with punishing punches later in the first round before he hurt and stopped Forrest in the second round.

Forrest (26-6-2, 20 KOs) was essentially out on his feet when referee David Fields stepped between them to stop their bout at 1:34 of the second round.

“It was a big mistake on his behalf, but it was a great effort,” Arias told BoxingScene.com when asked about Forrest’s performance. “He showed that [Anderson] could be touched, so it helped me understand that as much as he can be a bully, you know, bullying him back can be effective against him.”

Arias also realizes that the 23-year-old Anderson isn’t accustomed to going rounds entering their televised 10-round co-feature on the Shakur Stevenson-Shuichiro Yoshino undercard at Prudential Center (ESPN; 10 p.m. ET). None of Anderson’s past five fights have lasted beyond the second round and only one of his 13 professional fights have gone past the fourth round.

Conversely, 11 of Arias’ 18 pro bouts have gone the distance, including each of his last six fights. The 31-year-old Arias (18-0, 7 KOs) is more of a boxer than puncher, which is another reason he’ll likely approach their opening round much differently than Forrest.

“I don’t think it would be the smartest thing in the world to bring the fight and go toe-to-toe with a knockout artist,” Arias said. “It would make the most sense to take him a little out of his element. I’d like to believe I’m going in with a well-rounded knockout artist. I believe he’ll know how to adapt, so it’s gonna be a very, very tough fight. I’m ready for everything.”

The Bronx’s Arias has beaten undefeated fighters in three of his past four bouts, but Gabriel Hernandez (then 10-0), Cassius Chaney (then 21-0) and Alante Green (then 10-0-1) weren’t as dangerous as Anderson. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Anderson, of Toledo, Ohio, has been touted as a future champion by none other than WBC champ Tyson Fury, the British legend who sparred regularly against Anderson for his second and third fights with Deontay Wilder.

“It’s a big opportunity,” Arias said. “I’m very excited about that. A victory would definitely put me on the map. But I see this as another fight. In every fight, somebody’s been trying to beat me. Except this guy has knockout power. That’s just another obstacle in the game. Somebody can have really fast hands. Somebody can have knockout power.

“It’s always something you’ve gotta worry about. So, I believe that’s just another obstacle to build my gameplan around. But the amount of credit that would come with beating him is tremendous.”

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