Jonnie Rice’s research has convinced him that he’ll need to be better Saturday night than the last time he upset an undefeated fighter.

Rice considers Guido Vianello a more complete opponent than Michael Coffie, whom Rice has beaten in back-to-back bouts. The situations are similar in that Rice has taken this televised fight versus Vianello (10-0-1, 9 KOs) on short notice, much like he did when the veteran heavyweight stopped Coffie (then 12-0, 10 KOs) in the fifth round of a main event FOX aired in July 2021 from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“He’s definitely gonna be a bigger challenge,” Rice told BoxingScene.com. “Michael Coffie, before I beat him, he lived up to a lot of the hype. Michael Coffie definitely did hit hard. But obviously in the heavyweight division that’s not enough. Guido has more weapons. He’s got speed, he’s got a high punch count, he’s got good movement. You see what I’m saying? Obviously, Guido’s a better all-around fighter. Anybody would see that. So, I would say that Guido’s definitely a bigger challenge. That’s just obvious.”

Las Vegas’ Rice (15-6-1, 10 KOs) hasn’t boxed since in the 12 months since he conquered Coffie (13-3, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision in their 10-round rematch last January 1 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

After a lengthy layoff, Rice happily replaced Stephan Shaw (18-0, 13 KOs) as Vianello’s opponent late last month. St. Louis’ Shaw moved up to the main event versus Nigerian puncher Efe Ajagba (16-1, 13 KOs), whose original opponent, Colombian contender Oscar Rivas (28-1, 19 KOs), suffered a detached retina while training.

ESPN will air Ajagba-Shaw and Vianello-Rice, both 10-round bouts, from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York (10 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. PT).

“I’m coming in to knock Guido out,” Rice said. “That’s exactly what you all are gonna watch me try to do. So, let’s all enjoy the show because he’s gonna try to knock me out, too.”

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Vianello, who represented Italy at the 2016 Summer Olympics, is 3-0 since he fought to a six-round majority draw with Kingsley Ibeh (8-2-1, 7 KOs) in October 2020 at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Though some critics contend Ibeh deserved a victory over Vianello, the 6-foot-5, 270-pound Rice believes he’ll deal Vianello his first legitimate defeat.

“I do think that Guido got the draw, and here’s why – Kingsley was winning,” Rice said. “He had the edge going into the sixth. I felt like that was apparent. But the thing that made me see Guido for what he really was is he never stopped. He just kept going. He kept throwing the punches, and especially as the fight was ending, he still kept pushing it. Kingsley kind of stopped pushing, and that’s what I feel like gave Guido the draw. I don’t think Guido won, but I don’t think he lost. I think the draw was deserved.

“You watch the final minute of that fight, that’s where I feel like he got the draw. And it’s obvious Guido has the heart of a champion, heart of a warrior. I’m not here to take away from anybody. Kingsley had an incredible performance. Unfortunately, that last minute, what it was boiling down to, Guido stepped it up. Kingsley kind of stayed the same. That’s what got him the draw. I think it was a draw.”

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