Joe Smith Jr. in no-lose situation against Bernard Hopkins

— -- 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, Smith's 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 Fonfara's 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 Fonfara's 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.

Philadelphia's Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) liked Smith's 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 that's 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 I'm not going to do that to my legacy. I have too much pride as a man, and that's why I chose the most dangerous opponent out there that really nobody wants to jump over and fight. I love the challenge, and I'm 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, it's 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.

"It's 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 won't matter because it'll 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. I'm excited for the night to come, and I'm ready to put on a great show."

DeGuardia, Smith's longtime promoter, has been nothing but respectful to Hopkins, but said he believes Smith can pull off another upset. He praised Smith's 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. He's a proud member of the laborers' union, Local 66, and he's 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 we're going to be seeing the final night for Bernard, and it's 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 he's 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 it's a legend or a nobody," Smith said. "They're there to hurt me and take everything I worked for. That's how I look at every fight. It doesn't matter who he is."