Former two-weight, five-time world champion Corey Spinks takes on Sechew 'Iron Horse'' Powell in a final eliminator for a crack at the IBF junior middleweight title at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield, Missouri on Saturday night. Spinks, son of former world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks, the man who dethroned the great Muhammad Ali after just seven fights, is still one of the slickest boxers in the game, but in Powell he meets an extremely capable opponent who is himself a recent IBF light middleweight title challenger.

33-year-old Spinks [38-6, 11 KOs] of St. Louis, Missouri is something of a rarity in modern-day boxing, a genuine ''cutie'' who dispels power for slickness and defensive skill. Now in his 15th year as a professional, Spinks had to go five years and 30 bouts before getting his first crack at a world title in 2002, but when it came he was handed a controversial loss after his fight against Michelle Piccirillo in Italy.

Undeterred, Spinks went back to Italy the following year and this time won a close but unanimous decision over the Italian to lift the IBF welterweight title. In December 2003, Spinks surprised many boxing fans by winning a majority decision over heavy punching Ricardo Mayorga – hot off back-to-back victories over Vernon Forest - to lift the WBC and WBA belts as well.

Things got better and better for Spinks in 2004, when he became only the second man to defeat the great Zab Judah, then outpointed tough Mexican Miguel Angel Gonzalez, both in title defences. However, Spinks' world came crashing down when he was KO'd in nine rounds by Judah in a 2005 rematch.

Spinks proved that he was far from finished by bouncing back in 2006 to win the IBF light middleweight title with a decision over Russian strongman Roman Karmazin in 2006, and in 2007 he gave then undefeated world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor a scare, losing only on a split decision.

Since the Taylor fight, Spinks has boxed just four times in the last four years, losing his IBF light middleweight title on a split decision to tough veteran Verno Phillips in 2008, winning the vacant IBF light middleweight title with a split decision over dangerous punching Deandre Latimore in 2009, but losing his title on a fifth-round TKO to a 36 year Cornelius Bundrage shock upset in 2010.

Last year, Spinks boxed just once, winning a 10 round decision over journeyman Shakir Ashanti in June. He is 2-3 in his last five fights stretching back almost 5 years, and is ranked just eighth by the IBF, but will earn yet another world title fight if he can defeat Sechew Powell on Saturday night.

32-year-old Brooklynite Powell [26-3, 15 KOs] is now in his 10th year as a professional. A highly talented amateur who compiled a record of 149-7 and won the 2000 National Golden Gloves and 2001 United States Amateur championships at light middleweight, Powell went 20-0 before losing on a decision to tough Florida-based Ugandan Kasim Ouma in 2006.

Included in that hot streak was a sensational 22 second knockout over current IBF light middleweight champion Cornelius Bundrage. Both fighters came out swinging and immediately connected at the same time, resulting in both men hitting the deck simultaneously. Powell recovered the quickest, and delivered the KO blow that ended the fight in sensational fashion.

After bouncing back from the Ouma loss with three wins, Powell was TKO'd in seven rounds by big punching Deandre Latimore in June 2008. In 2010, he gained revenge over Latimore with a majority decision in an IBF light middleweight title eliminator, but came up short in his title shot against defending champion Bundrage last June.

Powell is currently ranked fifth by the IBF at 154 lbs, and is still a talented, hard punching fighter. He has proved that he can deal with a variety of boxing styles during his career, but it remains to be seen if he can handle a supreme stylist like Spinks.

The bookies cannot split these two, and have both fighters at 20/23, but I give the edge to Powell based on slightly more activity over the past two years, and the fact that he has not yet won a world crown, despite defeating many top light middleweights in his career.

Powell will be hungrier than Spinks on Saturday, and that hunger and desire should see him through to a close decision over his rival, and set up a rubber match with Bundrage for the IBF title in the summer.

Powell by unanimous decision.

Big Fight Odds: Corey Spinks 20/23, Sechew Powell 20/23 bet365