Vincent Thompson has been spoiling for a fight.

The Federal Way heavyweight boxer was supposed to have fought last month at the Silver Reef Casino in Ferndale, but prospective opponents shied away.

"This fighter is in this thing to fight," said Thompson Sunday. "I'm willing to take on anyone. This dude is not playing."

Thompson, unbeaten in five fights, has got his wish.

He will take on a fighter who might prove to be his toughest opponent yet, Charles Ellis, also undefeated, winning five of his six fights by knockout.

Thompson will match up with Ellis, of Vancouver, Wash., on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Emerald Queen I-5 Casino in Tacoma. It is on the undercard of a five-fight Battle of the Boat 79 event.

"Both of these guys are going to show up to fight," said Joseph Sayatovich, Ellis' manager, on Monday. "This is going to be a lot better fight than they show on TV."

Sayatovich, who managed four-time junior middleweight champion Terry Norris, said it's unusual to have two up-and-coming fighters square off so early in their careers.

"This kind of fight is rare, having one with a 5-0 record and the other, 6-0," he said, adding that most promoters wouldn't go for this kind of fight because of the stakes involved so early in boxer's careers.

Ellis, 35, who fights at 225 pounds, won the 2003 National Golden Gloves Championship. He started his professional career in 2004 when he was 29 years old.

"He got into a lot of trouble when he was young and dropped out," Sayatovich said.

"He's 35 but he's 23 biologically, added Sayatovich, pointing to fact that because Ellis turned pro late he hasn't taken the punishment a heavyweight fighter normally takes.

"You have one fighter who's 35 years old who's going to test the 24-year-old," he said. "If you can't beat the older fighter you know you're not going to win the world title."

Sayatovich said he abided by this strategy with Norris' and his other fighters' careers: to take on all comers no matter how good.

"It made them much better fighters," he said. "If you don't test them, they will (eventually) lose the big fight."

Ellis likes to mix it up inside, as evidenced by a technical draw in his sixth fight last March. He pressed the action against Emerson Chasing Bear in the third round, opening up a cut above Chasing Bear's eye on an accidental head butt.

"He's a boxer-puncher," Sayatovich said. "He has good boxing skills. He knows how to deal with southpaws (Thompson). He doesn't have trouble with them. He'll just lay his head on their chest."

That kind of a style doesn't worry Thompson at all.

"I'm just going to slip (the punches) and counter," Thompson said. "I'm going to hit and not get hit. I'm going to get in and get out."

Thompson said that Ellis' age is a major disadvantage for his opponent, considering Vincent's hand speed, foot speed and stamina.

"I'm going to be a workhorse," he said. "I'm going to go pow, pow, pow and work his ass off."

Sayatovich begs to differ.

He says Ellis runs six miles six days a week, not unlike Thompson's training regimen.

"Charles is a fighter who likes to keep his opponents busy, forcing them to make mistakes and then knocking the (bleep) out of them," he said. "He's not going to let you hang out and try to conserve your energy. He will not run out of gas."

In Thompson's last fight Aug. 28 at the I-5 Casino, he cruised to a five-round unanimous decision over Vili "The Tongan Warrior" Bloomfield. Thompson didn't have to press the action much because the wary Bloomfield stayed away from him, slipping and ducking.

Thompson was aware of some of the boos from fans. They wanted him to finish Bloomfield off.

"The fans might see a little different style from me," he said.

He said he has been working on his power punches in his sparring sessions.

"The crowd likes the power, the knockout," he said. "If I see he's hurt I'm going in for the kill."

Thompson's trainer, his father Calvin Thompson, said Vincent has been training hard these past few months.

"The hand speed is there, the foot speed is there," he said. "He's been sparring frequently at various clubs around the area. He's been training okay."

He said Vincent might have been bothered by a cold recently, seeing him tire in the sixth round of a sparring session. But, regardless, Vincent said he will be healthy and ready for his fight with Ellis.

"And if he bull rushes me, I've got to show him I have power," Thompson said.

Other fights on the program, promoted by Brian Halquist Productions, include the light welterweight main event: David Torres (22-2, 13 KOs) vs. Santos Pakau (27-6-1, 10 KOs); super middleweight co-main event: Lafarrell Buting (16-3, 16 KOs) vs. Junior Moar (8-2, 2 KOs); superfeatherweights Rob Diezel (3-1) vs. Marc Candero (1-2); and welterweights Miquel Garcia (2-1-1) vs. Virgil Owen (pro debut).

Tickets can be obtained at the Emerald Queen box office (1-888-831-7655; 253-594-7777) or online at ticketmaster.com. Tickets range from $25 to $100.