LAS VEGAS – Robert Diaz doesn’t agree with Jorge Linares’ detractors.

Golden Boy Promotions’ experienced matchmaker doesn’t see a shopworn fighter when he looks at the 35-year-old former champion. Diaz definitely doesn’t think Linares is “done,” as those that don’t expect the Venezuelan veteran to truly test Devin Haney on Saturday night have suggested.

From Diaz’s standpoint, it is Haney, not Linares, that has something to prove when they fight for Haney’s WBC world lightweight title. The 22-year-old Haney is undefeated (25-0, 15 KOs) and will make the third defense of his title, yet Linares represents the Las Vegas resident’s toughest test to date, at least on paper.

“Devin Haney, my respects to him,” Diaz told BoxingScene.com. “He’s a tremendous talent, but he hasn’t gone through the fire. Let’s see when the fire starts if he can get through it. I’m not saying he won’t become a very good fighter, but he needs to fall in order to grow.”

Diaz predicted Linares will upset Haney in a 12-round main event DAZN will stream from Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena (8 p.m. EDT; 5 p.m. PDT).

“Everybody is gonna say, ‘Oh yeah, you’re gonna say that because that’s your Golden Boy fighter,’ ” Diaz said. “OK, but if I put Jorge today, this version, versus the undefeated Jorge that we all saw come here and beat [Oscar Larios in July 2007], I’d bet on this one. When you’re young and you have all the talent in the world, you feel like, ‘Hey, nobody can beat me.’ You need a couple losses. You need to hit rock bottom. You need to grow that second layer of skin to come back hungrier. I’ve never seen him hungrier. That’s what I like. I love the hungry fighter, one that has his back against the wall.”

Tokyo’s Linares has been stopped inside the distance five times since he made his pro debut in December 2002. Those tough technical-knockout losses limited Linares’ progression at times, but ultimately made him a stronger fighter, especially mentally.

Diaz envisions Haney learning similar lessons from losing to Linares.

“They all want that name on their record and they all need that name,” Diaz said in reference to young, undefeated fighters. “And that’s great. You’ve gotta applaud Haney, Teofimo, Ryan [Garcia] fighting Luke Campbell. They need to start beating former world champions. But what’s the worst that can happen? They lose at a young age and come back, learn from it, same thing [Linares] did.

“But if they keep building these records that are fake, fighting nobody, they’re never gonna become great fighters. But I really, really feel mentally and physically – the talent was always there with Jorge. It took a while for him to grow mentally. Today, he’s mature, but the talent is still there.”

Most handicappers have made Haney at least a 12-1 favorite to conquer Linares (47-5, 29 KOs), who has won world titles in three weight classes.

“If Haney can beat this Jorge Linares, then Haney has an amazing career,” Diaz said. “I just don’t think you can buy experience. You have to go through it with years, and that’s gonna be the difference, the experience.”

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