Joe Smith Jr. has earned a shot at the lightweight championship, but can he win the title?

Joe Smith Jr. has not taken the path of least difficulty to get to his second shot at the world lightweight belt. As he prepares to step into the ring on Saturday against Maxim Vlasov at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the vacant WBO belt on the line, Smith has gone through the gamut of high and low points that come with boxing at the championship level.

In 2017, Smith knocked down Sullivan Barrera in the first round and appeared to be on his way to carrying his momentum directly to a world title shot. But Barrera fought back and earned a decision victory, knocking down Smith’s hopes and breaking Smith’s jaw in the process. After another first-round knockout win, Smith returned to the spotlight against one of the light heavyweight division’s two outstanding world champions, Dmitry Bivol. Bivol completely smothered Smith and denied him throughout in a unanimous decision victory in March 2019.

But Smith, now 31, didn’t take the easy way back to the top. He defeated former world title challenger Jesse Hart, then knocked out former world champion Eleider Alvarez to close out 2020, setting up his showdown with Vlasov. That fight was scheduled for Feb. 13 before Vlasov tested positive for COVID-19 two days earlier and was postponed to Saturday.

Vlasov (45-3, 26 KOs) is no easy opponent. The 34-year-old Russian fought for a long time at cruiserweight and even fought for an interim title in a division that weighs 25 pounds more than the one he currently fights in. He gave undefeated former super middleweight world champion Gilberto Ramirez all he could handle when they met in 2015.

Smith and Vlasov’s combined stubbornness and unwavering determination project a high-stakes fight with plenty of tension. Smith’s style in the ring follows his brawling approach, moving forward at all times. Vlasov counters this with his counter-punching ability and his efforts to fight on the outside.

Nothing is guaranteed in boxing, and this fight represents everything Smith has been looking for in his career: world titles and big money fights. The only questions that remain are how Smith handles being the betting favorite in this one, and whether he can take the final step to the top.