Heath Nichols is casting friendship aside -- at least for one night.

Heath Nichols lands a punch to the face of Willie Diamond during their bout in Lafayette. Nichols will face his sometime sparring partner, Jason Doucet, in a bout tonight at the Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville.

Nichols, the Alexandria pro boxer, will fight sometime sparring partner Jason Doucet of Lafayette in a junior welterweight fight that is scheduled for six rounds Saturday at Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville.

"I have to go after him in the first round," Nichols said. "I have to let him know that he's only there for a paycheck."

"I know Jason's style," Nichols said. "He must think he can beat me or he wouldn't have taken the fight. I have to believe that he is going to be in top shape.

"I can't make any mistakes or I will get embarrassed fighting near my hometown. I don't want that to happen."

In his last fight, Nichols overwhelmed Willie Diamond, knocking him down three times before the fight was stopped early in the second round.

Doucet has lost six of his last seven fights, but two of those losses were to highly regarded Tyrese Hendrix, who is 11-0-1, and a third was to John Jackson, who is 9-1.

Nichols and Doucet have fought one common opponent in Cory Stephens. Doucet earned a TKO over Stephens when the fight was stopped in the second round on Oct. 24, 2006, in Shreveport. Nichols opened his pro career by claiming a second-round TKO over Stephens on Aug. 12, 2006, at Paragon.

"I've been working hard," Nichols said. "My sparring has been excellent. I have had a lot of good sparring."

Although Nichols and Doucet often work out at the same gym in Lafayette, Nichols said he has not seen Doucet since the fight was scheduled.

"I don't want to see him and I don't want to talk to him," Nichols said. "He's the opponent now."

Nichols and Doucet will be meeting on the undercard of the first major world championship bout at Paragon.

Kasha Chamblin (10-1, 5 KOs) of Lafayette will fight Ada Velez (15-3, 6 KOs) for the IBA women's world super bantamweight championship.

"I am more than ready for this," Chamblin said. "It's special because all of our team has worked so hard for this. They deserve this."

This is the second title fight for Chamblin, who lost to Ina Menzer in Germany last December for the WIBF championship.

"When I look at footage from the Menzer fight, I can't believe it," Chamblin said. "I've never fought like that. I was so awkward. I don't know why. I know I'm better than that. I'd love to be in a ring with her again ... in a title fight, in the gym, out behind a building somewhere.

"But it was an experience for me. I think I learned more about myself in that fight than any other fight."

Chamblin put herself back in contention for a title fight with a unanimous victory over world-ranked Donna Biggers in an eight-round non-title bout in August in Lafayette.

Chamblin won every round on all three judges' cards over a fighter who won a world title in 2005 and has been in seven world title bouts.

"I think I learned to trust myself in that fight," Chamblin said. "In the past, Beau (trainer/manager Beau Williford) had backed off in training, and I kept saying there has to be something else I need to work on and I didn't accept that. That time I accepted it. When they said to relax, I relaxed, and I felt relaxed throughout that fight."

Velez took more than three years off after losing a title fight to Anita Christensen of Denmark on Jan, 17, 2004.

She returned to the ring in August, losing a six-round decision to Jeri Sitzes then rebounded the next month to win a six-round decision over Jackie Chavez.

"I am back to finish my unfinished business in the boxing world and set the stage as one of the best in my weight division," Velez said. "This is the beginning of a new career and this stop in Louisiana is going to set the stage for everyone to know who Ada Velez is.

"I wish all of my Puerto Rican fans could be there but I will be fighting with them in my heart."

Dan McDonald of Louisiana Gannett News contributed to this report.