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THE RING heavyweight champ, who stands 6-foot-6 to 6-4 for rival Pulev, will be in his 17th consecutive world title fight as well as his 26th title bout overall.

“I really like Klitschko,” said Dong, 26, who stands “almost, but not quite” 7-feet. “Klitschko is also very tall, like me. He’s also very powerful, and he fights well. That’s why I like him.”

Dong (1-0, 1 KO) will try to pin the third consecutive loss on Tommy Washington Jr. (3-6, 2 KOs) on the undercard of a “Golden Boy Live!” event to be televised on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes.

“I’m really excited about my second fight. I’m looking forward to doing my best,” said Dong, who has a background in the practice of Sanshou, a form of Chinese kickboxing.

“I feel like my height is my advantage, and, of curse, I want to use that. But I’m also going to show all of the people not only that I’m tall, but also, that I have technique.”

Trained by former two-division titleholder Buddy McGirt in Burbank, Calif., Dong debuted in July by dropping Alex Rozman three times en route to a second-round knockout.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but as long as he keeps his head on right, then, there’s incentive,” said McGirt, who trains Dong out of the Powerhouse Gym. “If he keeps the focus that he has going now, then he’s going to be something, man. He’s just unbelievably strong and he’s so dag gone big. But for a guy his size, he’s quick.

“He tightens up every now and then, and he can be plodding. But I think he’s growing in confidence and we’re trying to keep him relaxed. We’re trying to get him to understand that when you’re relaxed, you’re at your best and your punches are more effective. We need him to be more technically sound, but I think that we’ll get there.”

Dong is part of a card that will also feature junior featherweight prospects Joseph Diaz Jr. and Diego De La Hoya in separate bouts, plus unbeaten featherweight Julian Ramirez, on Thursday.

“Everybody knows that with all of us basically being in the same weight class, that, eventually, we’re bound to fight each other sometime in the future. So I think that with all of us being undefeated, it brings the big crowd to the fights,” said Diaz.

“I’m pretty sure that I’m going to stay at this weight for a long time, and that Julian Ramirez and Diego are going to stay at the weight for a long time. Eventually, down the road, man, it’s going to be war when we face each other. Right now, we’re all just focused on taking care of our opponents.”

In September Diaz (12-0, 8 KOs), a 2012 U.S. Olympian who turns 22 on Nov. 23, floored Raul Hidalgo four times on his way to a seventh-round knockout. Diaz will face Roberto Castaneda (21-7-1, 15 KOs), a 23-year-old loser of six of his past seven fights who was last in action for a majority decision loss to Jose Lopez in August..