By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Nicholas Walters’ last fight taught him something important about his chin.

The unbeaten Jamaican featherweight isn’t worried about Miguel Marriaga’s power approaching their 12-round fight Saturday night in The Theater at Madison Square Garden (HBO; 10 p.m. ET) because he wasn’t affected by the heavy hands of Nonito Donaire. Walters (25-0, 21 KOs) dropped Donaire (34-3, 22 KOs) twice and won their Oct. 18 bout by sixth-round technical knockout at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

“The Donaire fight, I did learn a lot from Donaire,” Walters said. “Donaire is a very excellent fighter. He’s an ex-world champion, a champion in [five divisions].

“He gave me the opportunity when he didn’t have to fight me. He exposed me to the world and to the boxing public more. I’m grateful for that. I learned a lot from that fight. If you can take a Donaire punch, you can take anybody’s punch. I can take anybody’s punch.”

Walters’ chin also held up well when he defeated faded former two-division champion Vic Darchinyan (40-8-1, 29 KOs). Walters floored Armenia’s Darchinyan three times on his way to a fifth-round knockout in May 2014, the bout before he stopped Donaire, of San Leandro, Calif.

Colombia’s Marriaga (20-0, 18 KOs) has knocked out 90 percent of his pro opponents, yet hasn’t fought anyone as good as Walters since he turned pro in June 2009. The WBA 126-pound title Walters won in December 2012 will only be at stake for Marriaga because Walters failed to make weight Friday.

He tried twice, but Walters was unable to get any lower than 127 pounds Friday and thus lost his championship. Marriaga weighed in at 125.2 pounds.

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.