Harris’ long time trainer Lennox Blackmoore made the prediction yesterday in a telephone interview from his Brooklyn home with Stabroek Sport. “I’m confident that we will take care of him before the end of the sixth round. Vivian is in such great shape,” Blackmoore said.

The 25-year-old Harris will be making his first defence of the title he won in October last year when he knocked out then champion Diosbelys Hurtado in the second round.

According to Blackmoore, a former Commonwealth lightweight champion, the gangly Harris covered over 65 rounds of sparring while preparing for the fight and is equal in preparedness to when he challenged for the title.

“We will close off sparring sessions this afternoon (yesterday) with a light four rounds,” Blackmoore informed.

The Harris camp has been studying several tapes of Mbaye’s fight in an effort to make his first defence a success story.

“Mbaye is a boxer-fighter. He is a counter puncher and is not a devastating puncher. I’m confident that we will take care of him inside seven rounds.”

“We were concentrating on speed and power for this fight and were able to blend both in perfectly,” Blackmoore added.

Mbaye has never been defeated in 27 fights while the hard-hitting Harris has lost once in 24 fights.

Harris and a 15-member entourage which includes Blackmoore, his brothers, sisters and other relatives will depart for Las Vegas this morning.

His father Herman Harris is due to join the entourage soon. The Harris/Mbaye fight is one of the preliminary bouts on a card which is headlined by the return bout between world welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga and former champion Vernon Forrest.

The lightning quick Zab Judah challenges World Boxing Organisation junior welterweight champion DeMarcus Corley in the main supporting bout.

Only the main and supporting fights will be televised live by Home Box Office (HBO).