By Steve Kim

Jesus Cuellar has not faced live bullets since losing a split decision to Abner Mares in December of 2016.

This Saturday night from the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York, he faces undefeated former world champion Gervonta Davis for the WBA 130-pound title as part of Showtime's televised tripleheader.

According to his trainer, Manuel Robles Jr., ring rust will not be a factor - "I guess it matters when you're not fighting but he's the type of guy - he's a gym rat. He's always in the gym, he's always training, fight or no fight. So he'll be ready."

Robles makes no secret of their game plan versus 'the Tank'.

"With Cuellar there's no secrets, Cuellar is a pressure fighter and that's what you're going to see come fight night," said Robles, who wants his guy to make this into a fight and not a boxing match.

"Definitely not, it's got to be an inside fight, a pressure fight, 12 rounds and that's what we're prepared to do."

For the past couple of months Cuellar (28-2, 21 KOs) has worked with Robles at Legendz Boxing in Norwalk, California.

"He looks in tremendous shape, he's in great shape," Robles said last week. "He just went 12 rounds with three different sparring partners last Friday. We're ready to go."

Davis (19-0, 18 KOs), who won the 130-pound IBF world title with a TKO victory over Jose Pedraza at Barclays Center in January 2017, has been out of the ring since scoring a knockout victory over Francisco Fonseca on Aug. 26 on the Mayweather vs. McGregor PPV undercard.

Davis made only one defense of the IBF title when he knocked out Liam Walsh, but then was stripped of the title when he failed to make the contracted weight prior to the Fonseca fight.

Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.