El Paso boxer Abie Han has underdog shot vs. Anthony Dirrell

El Paso boxer Abie Han has been down the underdog road before.

He was the underdog vs. J'Leon Love last September. He was the underdog vs. Sergio Mora in 2015. He was the underdog vs. Fernando Guerrero also in 2015.

Against Love, he suffered an unfortunate cut and unfortunate draw in a fight many who saw the fight had him winning. Against Mora and Guerrero, he suffered close, disheartening losses.

Boxing is a sport that can be heartbreaking for fighters, trainers, managers. It's not easy on one's psyche.

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But the 33-year-old Han (26-3-1, 16 KOs) has always landed on his feet and on Saturday night at the Don Haskins Center vs. Anthony Dirrell (31-1-1, 24 KOs), Han gets another chance in the underdog role vs. Dirrell, who is a former world champion and who is on "A" side of the fight card, which will be televised on Fox and Fox Deportes. Han is on the "B" side of the card, which means he's not the one the promoters are highly invested in.

Han will be taking a risk when he moves up to 168 pounds to fight Dirrell. Han has generally fought at 154 or 160 pounds.

But Han has proven he will take on risks in his career. He has always had to go on the road to face his biggest challenges, but for once he gets the big fight in his hometown.

It won't be easy for Han. Dirrell, who hails from Flint, Mich., is no pushover, he's going to enter this fight with the mentality that this fight could lead to bigger and better things.

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But so is Han. Han reportedly had a good training camp in Houston and is now back in El Paso/Las Cruces to finish up camp with trainer Louie Burke.

One thing is for certain with Han, he will always give his best effort and he has enough skill level to bother Dirrell.

Han is going to have to use his boxing skills to win this fight. I don't believe he has the power to knockout Dirrell in the 10-round scrap. But If Han is able to use his quickness, his boxing ability and if his conditioning is good, he'll have a chance to win a decision.

Han knows he has to be better than average to beat Dirrell, he knows he has to keep the pressure on the entire fight to pull out a win.

There is no question that a big crowd can help Han in this fight. He is 8-0 in his career while fighting in El Paso and he'll likely have an extra bounce in his step when he enters the ring in the co-main event of the televised triple-header.

At age 33, this is a big fight for Han. Who know how many more opportunities will be left after Saturday night?

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But Han has a legitimate shot to earn the win. His team wouldn't have put him in this fight if they didn't believe he could pull out the win.

A win on Saturday night will likely push Han's career forward into another big fight. I'll go with Han by 10-round split decision.

Felix F. Chavez may be reached at 546-6167; fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter