by David P. Greisman

Ishe Smith is 36 years old in a sport where that age typically marks the beginning of the end of a fighter’s career. His lone title reign came at last in 2013, when he scored a majority decision over 154-pounder Cornelius Bundrage, but it lasted less than seven months and ended in a split decision defeat against Carlos Molina.

He’s since bounced back with a stay-busy knockout of Ryan Davis this past May and will challenge World Boxing Association “regular” titleholder Erislandy Lara on Dec. 12 in San Antonio as part of a Showtime broadcast. But Smith declines to look at this bout — which could very well be his last big opportunity — as being a make or break fight.

“In life you’re going to come up to the plate, you’re going to be sitting on the fastball, you may get a slider or curve or changeup. You may strike out,” Smith said on a media conference call on Dec. 4. “In life you go back to the dugout, you realize what you did wrong and you get another at-bat.

“I never put myself in a make or break fight,” he said. “Who’d have thought when I lost to Molina last September I’d be back on this stage a little over a year later? You want to go out and perform, but as an athlete you always want to come up to the plate and do your best when you get there.”

Whether he sees it as a make-or-break fight, the bout’s result could dictate the direction of the fighters’ respective careers. Lara is coming off a disputed split decision loss to Canelo Alvarez this past July in a fight that took place slightly over the 154-pound limit. In that fight, Lara sometimes boxed and sometimes was on his bicycle. A former standout amateur, Lara is still seeking the respect and spotlight he feels would be commensurate with his talent.

Smith is 26-6 with 12 KOs. Lara is 19-2-2 with 12 KOs.

Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide. Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com