By Keith Idec

Ray Beltran is in the same precarious position he occupied 14½ months ago.

The humble Mexican contender is in the hometown of the champion, preparing to fight for the WBO lightweight title. That first frustrating experience, which resulted in a controversial split draw with Scotland’s Ricky Burns in September 2013 in Glasgow, taught Beltran that it isn’t wise to allow such a fight to go to the scorecards. Though an 8-1 underdog, Beltran (29-6-1, 17 KOs) doesn’t intend to allow that to happen again Saturday night, when he is scheduled to challenge champion Terence Crawford at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb.

“I think I have to knock him out,” Beltran said. “But if it doesn’t happen I just have to focus on winning every round.”

That obviously is easier said than done against the undefeated Crawford (24-0, 17 KOs), who easily out-boxed Burns (37-4-1, 11 KOs) to win the WBO’s 135-pound crown by unanimous decision March 1 in Glasgow. After beating Burns, Crawford dismantled previously unbeaten Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa (24-1, 17 KOs) in his last fight, a ninth-round technical knockout win June 28 in Omaha.

“I’m not taking anything away from Crawford,” Beltran, 33, said. “He’s a really good fighter. But Gamboa went in there and opened up. He threw too many punches carelessly, and Crawford’s a good counter-puncher. And Gamboa hadn’t fought in about a year. He had one fight in two years. That bothered him, too.”

Beltran has fought just once since he boxed Burns in a fight he is certain he won. He defeated Afghanistan’s Arash Usmanee (21-2-1, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision in their 12-rounder April 12 in Las Vegas, which led to another shot at the WBO lightweight title.

“It’s been really hard and frustrating,” Beltran said, referring to the effect not winning the Burns bout had on his career. “But you’ve got two choices – quit or get stronger. I’ve gotten stronger and worked harder. … Beating Crawford would put me at the top of the lightweight division. Crawford’s the best lightweight and [beating him] would get me respect and recognition from the boxing world. It would be a dream come true.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.