When Donny McCrary first returned to St. Joseph after appearing on ESPN’s “The Contender,” his stint on the cable television show was a hot topic.

Five months later, things have returned to normal for the super middleweight, and he is again ready to give fans something to talk about.

He spent the past few months training with Vince Phillips, who won the IBF Light Welterweight Title in 1997, and McCrary feels his recent progression will leave a much different impression than the image of him losing to David Banks in the finale of “The Contende” in Boston last November.

“I have improved so much in the last couple of months. I am ready to show everybody how much I progressed and learned in the sport as well,” McCrary said.

On Saturday, McCrary (23-7-2, 13 KOs) will fight in St. Joseph for the first time in 21 months when he faces Terrance Smith (5-5-1) in the headline bout at the American Legion. Smith is a 25-year-old cruiserweight from Oklahoma City whom local boxing fans might remember from a 2001 bout against Galen Brown, which ended in a no decision.

“He is a lot bigger than me, of course, a very hard puncher,” McCrary said. “But at the same time, I want to be able to showcase my skills and prove to everybody what a chance I’ve got and how much better I’ve gotten.”