British super middleweight Paul Smith has been toiling on the fringes of contendership for many years but has never been able to get over the hump and win the big one.
A professional fighter for 11 years, Smith gained some notoriety as a competitor on the 2007 edition of the reality series "The Contender," but he did not advance far.
In late 2009, he outpointed Tony Quigley to win the British super middleweight title, but lost it a year later in his second defense when countryman and 2008 Olympic gold medalist James DeGale, now a top contender, knocked him out in the ninth round.
Three fights later, George Groves, another top contender from England, crushed Smith, dropping him twice in a second-round knockout victory in a 2011 defense of the British and Commonwealth titles.
Smith has won four fights in a row since, but that pattern has been set in his career: When he steps up to face a world-level opponent, he has lost.
So there's a reason that Smith is a big-time underdog as he get his first shot at a world title when he meets 168-pound titleholder Arthur Abraham on Saturday at the Sparkassen-Arena in Kiel, Germany, Abraham's home country.
"I think Paul has a great chance in Kiel on Saturday," said Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, Smith's promoter. "For sure he is the underdog, but he has plenty of experience and great pedigree. He is smart; technically solid and can really punch. I feel this could be the right time, right place. We have over a thousand traveling fans making the trip, and the whole of the city of Liverpool and the U.K. are behind him."
Smith (35-3, 20 KOs), 31, faces an uphill battle to be sure, but he is confident.
"This is the fight I have been dreaming of," Smith said. "Now [that] I'm here in Germany, I'm not going to let this opportunity pass me by. This is my time. I will be bringing the belt back to England with me.'' Abraham, after all, has been beatable in recent years, including losing three of four fights during his disastrous participation in the Super Six World Boxing Classic in 2010 and 2011 as he was outclassed by Andre Ward and Carl Froch in world title fights as well as by Andre Dirrell in a nontitle bout.
The 34-year-old Abraham (40-4, 28 KOs), a former middleweight titleholder, eventually rebounded to win two of three fights against rival Robert Stieglitz in world title bouts, including a split decision to reclaim the belt on March 1. Abraham will be making his second title defense against Smith.
"I have not underestimated Smith," Abraham said. "If anything, I have overestimated him. I always expect to face the best when I step into the ring and prepare accordingly. I'm in top shape and ready to defend my title on Saturday night."
Abraham surprised many when he said at this week's final news conference that he planned to retire when his 72-year-old trainer Ulli Wegner calls it a day.
"When Mr. Wegner decides to call time on his career, I will follow him," Abraham said. "I wouldn't want to train with anyone else. On Saturday, it is my job to show him that there is still much more we can achieve together. I will do this by beating Smith in style."
Said Wegner, "Arthur has the ability to beat anyone in his weight class. He just needs to live up to his potential. The most important thing for him to do is follow my instructions. If he listens to what I tell him the fight won't go the distance. He will knock Paul Smith out."
Smith would love nothing more than to give the Liverpool faithful who have made the trip memories of a title victory.
"This is my first and last chance to become world champion,'' Smith said. "I will not let this opportunity slip through my hands. I have had the best training camp ever, and my coach, Joe Gallagher, has devised the perfect game plan. Now it is up to me. I'm going to grab this opportunity and the title with both hands."
Said Gallagher, "Arthur is a tough nut to crack. But Paul has reached new levels in training, and I believe he has the power to force an early stoppage. There are going to be fireworks from the first bell to the last. This could well be a contender for fight of the year."
Macklin returns on undercard
In one of the undercard bouts, longtime middleweight contender and former three-time world title challenger Matthew Macklin (30-5, 20 KOs), 32, an Irishman from England, will face Jose Yebes (12-4-1, 5 KOs), 35, of Spain, in a scheduled eight-rounder in which Macklin is the prohibitive favorite.
Macklin is just looking to get active again, having not fought since outpointing then-undefeated Lamar Russ last December. Macklin has had a hard-luck road since. He was supposed to face former titlist Daniel Geale on HBO on May 24, but when an injury caused the heavyweight main event between Bryant Jennings and Mike Perez to be postponed the fight was called off.
That left Macklin to look for another fight, and he and promoter Lou DiBella worked out a co-promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, who planned to bring Macklin to Ireland for his first fight there since 2009. Macklin was due to fight a world title eliminator against Jorge Sebastien Heiland of Argentina on Aug. 30 at the National Stadium in Dublin, but when Macklin's trainer, Jamie Moore, suffered gunshot wounds, the fight was called off. So now Macklin will face Yebes with the hope that it will lead to a bigger fight in 2015, likely in Ireland.