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Since turning pro in 2009, Joe Smith Jr. has fought in relative anonymity.A union man and laborer by trade, Smith became a bit of an attraction on small club shows in New York and nearby Long Island, where he is from.Smith could punch a bit; he was fearless, and his local fans turned out to watch him. He had not lost since a fourth-round knockout in his seventh fight in 2010. But other than a 10-round decision victory in December 2015 against Will Rosinsky, who is not that big of a name either, Smiths resume was devoid of a recognizable opponent.But in June, Premier Boxing Champions came calling and made a deal with Star Boxing promoter Joe DeGuardia for Smith to face Polish light heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara on NBC in prime time in Fonfaras adopted hometown of Chicago.Fonfara, obviously, was the huge favorite. He had given light heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson a life-and-death fight in 2014 in a decision loss but was coming off two significant wins in a row. In April 2015, Fonfara beat up Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and made him quit after the ninth round. Then he outpointed former titleholder Nathan Cleverly in a tremendous slugfest six months later.Smith, 27, was supposed to be nothing more than a showcase/pit stop on Fonfaras way to another title shot. But Smith destroyed Fonfara, knocking him out in the first round in a huge upset.Suddenly, Smith had arrived, and a few months later he was the hand-picked opponent to face the great Bernard Hopkins, the 51-year-old legend who needed a dance partner for what he says will be his final fight.Philadelphias Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) liked Smiths aggressiveness, the fact that he had a good record and that he was a young, hungry fighter -- but one the future Hall of Famer would be favored to defeat.And so they quickly made a deal -- a very easy one to do, both sides said -- and Hopkins will bow out -- win, lose or draw, he claims -- after their scheduled 12-round fight on Saturday (HBO, 10 p.m. ET/PT) at The Forum in Inglewood, California.Joe Smith, Jr., dares to be great. But this is something thats important to me, to end it my way and go up against not a cream puff, Hopkins said. I could have picked anybody to have went in there, and it would have been a joke, but Im not going to do that to my legacy. I have too much pride as a man, and thats why I chose the most dangerous opponent out there that really nobody wants to jump over and fight. I love the challenge, and Im taking the challenge head-on.The co-feature will pit 24-year-old featherweight up-and-comer Joseph JoJo Diaz (22-0, 13 KOs), a 2012 U.S. Olympian from South El Monte, California, against Horacio Violento Garcia (30-1-1, 22 KOs), 26, of Mexico, in a scheduled 10-rounder.In the opening bout, cruiserweight world titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (10-0, 9 KOs), 29, the 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist for Ukraine, will make his first defense and his American debut against Thabiso The Rock Mchunu (17-2, 11 KOs), 28, of South Africa.The low-key Smith (22-1, 18 KOs), who born in 1989 -- the year after Hopkins turned professional -- is well aware that this fight represents the opportunity of a lifetime.If he wins, its even more career-making than the victory over Fonfara. If he loses, well, he lost to one of the best fighters of all time and will have raised his profile and have made a nice payday in the process. It really is a no-lose situation.Its a privilege to be on this card, Smith said. To take on a legend like Bernard is an opportunity I would have never expected. That said, come fight night, that wont matter because itll just be me and him in the ring. My team and I have been training to take on any of the styles Bernard may bring. Im excited for the night to come, and Im ready to put on a great show.DeGuardia, Smiths longtime promoter, has been nothing but respectful to Hopkins, but said he believes Smith can pull off another upset. He praised Smiths determination and his working-class spirit.I am proud to be associated with this fight. DeGuardia said. Joe Smith Jr. is symbolic of the American spirit. He gets up every morning working that sledgehammer, working with the union. Hes a proud member of the laborers union, Local 66, and hes going to bring over that hard work and dedication into the ring, and I think everybody is going to see a great night of boxing. After Joe Smith Jr. wins this fight, many doors will open, but he has to get through Bernard Hopkins first. Once he does that, every door in the world is his.I know were going to be seeing the final night for Bernard, and its going to be something really fitting, that a legend like Bernard is going to be taking on a young, hungry lion like Joe Smith, Jr. I think Bernard certainly deserves a lot of credit for taking on Joe Smith, and hes really going to be in for I think maybe a little bit of a surprise, the same way Fonfara was when Joe upset him and knocked him out this past June in the first round.Smith said that while he is grateful for the opportunity, he will not be in awe of Hopkins come fight night, nor will he get caught up in the hoopla surrounding his farewell.I just look at the person in front of me and just know that I need to do everything I can to beat that person, whether its a legend or a nobody, Smith said. Theyre there to hurt me and take everything I worked for. Thats how I look at every fight. It doesnt matter who he is.Vapormax 2019 Suomi . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Nike Vapormax Suomi . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. http://www.vapormaxsuomi.com/ Vapormax Flyknit 2 Suomi .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Vapormax Plus Ale . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No.Laurie Hernandez keeps insisting shes too young to know better. That shes so new to this whole Olympics thing, she doesnt know shes supposed to be scared.You just kind of have to act naive to it, the 16-year-old said with a shrug. Its just another meet. The arena is just a little bigger than usual.The stakes, too. Yet the youngest member of the powerhouse U.S. Olympic womens gymnastics team hardly seems intimidated. Hernandez is too busy putting on a show, her effortless charisma and dare you to look away performance during last weeks Olympic trials erased whatever doubt remained in national team coordinator Martha Karolyis mind about Hernandezs ability to handle the big stage.If anything, Hernandez is trying to own it. Ask her what she considers her biggest talent and she doesnt point to any particular physical attribute but something decidedly more abstract.Im confident, she said. Im a crowd pleaser.It shows, particularly when Hernandezs floor music starts. What follows is 90 seconds of attitude and athleticism. Hernandez doesnt dance so much as strut, every move joined by an electric smile that doesnt seem plastered in place but an organic byproduct of the joy shes feeling. Shes having a good time out there. And she wants you to notice.Hernandez describes her gymnastics as sassy but thats underplaying it. Her tumbling is on par with anyone on the planet not named Simone Biles -- the three-time world champion who is the heavy favorite to come back from Rio with a luggage full of gold medals -- and her steady, detailed work on balance beam the result of thousands of hours spent with longtime coach Maggie Haney trying to get over a small bit of stage fright.No, really.Hernandez admits there was a time early on she was scared of the beam. When she hopped on shed settle into a squat because she couldnt summon the courage to stand. Haney didnt baby Hernandez to get her going. If anything, Haney went the other way, putting Hernandez through countless pressure sets designed to force Hernandez into a choice: get mentally tough or find something else to do with your free time.Sometimes Haney would play Hernandez and teammate Jazmyn Foberg against each other, the difficulty of Fobergs next routine based on the quality of Hernandezs. The worst for Hernandez, however, is when Haney would tell all the kids in the gym to stop working and gather around the beam, while her star student tried to hold it together in the stillness.I was like, `Why are you doing this to me? Its so annoying, youre really really making me anxious, said Hernandez, who easily posted the top score on beam at the trials. But then I look back and I can only thank her for that because its made me so calm today.A place that slowly came into focus over the last four years as Hernandez learned to harness her considerable talents.dddddddddddd She rose from 21st in junior nationals in 2012 to junior champion last summer despite wrist and knee injuries that sidelined her for most of 2014. When a knee sprain threatened to derail Hernandezs momentum this year, Haney offered a very brief, very pointed pep talk.I looked at her, `It is time. Now, Haney said. She snapped and went into kind of crazy ... mode. Every practice, every time on the floor was important to her.The eye-opener came at the Pacific Rim Championships in April, when she came in third behind Biles and three-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman. It wasnt just the praise from Karolyi that she noticed -- it was the way people seemed to respond to her.You hear cheering and clapping and youre thinking `I dont even know these people, she said. It brings a lot of energy, a lot of positive energy.Energy that practically radiates off Hernandez, the youngest of Wanda and Marcus Hernandezs three children. A second-generation Puerto Rican, Hernandez is proud of her heritage and aware shes suddenly become a role model, even if she doesnt quite consider herself one.I think people are people, she said. If you want something, go get it. I dont think it matters what race you are.Hernandez considers herself a gymnast above all else. Sure that smile makes it look easy, but its also hard earned from years and years of falling and picking herself back up. Dont let her playful demeanor fool you; she may be the bubbliest workaholic around. Shes home-schooled and spends most days working out with Haney at one of the two gyms near her home in Old Bridge, New Jersey, about an hour south of New York City. Pressed if she has friends outside the gym, she laughs and says not really.Thats changing by the day. Biles considers her a little sister. Twitter verified her account ((at)lzhernandez02) after the trials. The mayor of Old Bridge threw a party for her this week. Everyone is looking to come up with a good nickname. The leaders are The Human Emoji and Baby Shakira. She cant help but laugh at the idea while simultaneously trying not to get ahead of herself.As for college, she has verbally committed to competing at Florida whenever shes out of high school (she still has at least two years left). She downplayed the idea of turning professional even as NBC cameras tripped over themselves following her every move at the trials. Hernandez wont decide until after Rio so there wont be any distractions.Its all happening really fast, she said. This is a really cool part of my life.One getting cooler by the day. ' ' '