Kyrone Davis understands his supposed position in his fight versus David Benavidez.

The comparatively unknown underdog has been brought to Benavidez’s hometown, on two weeks’ notice no less, to give Benavidez some work while the heavily favored fighter pursues the opponent he really wants, Canelo Alvarez. For Davis, however, this is his opportunity to prove that his performance against Anthony Dirrell on February 27 is a more accurate reflection of who he is than his unimpressive eight-round, unanimous-decision victory over Martez McGregor on September 5.

Davis settled for a 12-round split draw with Dirrell, a former WBC super middleweight champion Benavidez knocked out two years ago. Many fans and media thought Davis deserved an upset win against Dirrell, which has given the Wilmington, Delaware, native confidence entering this “Showtime Championship Boxing” main event at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

“Sometimes with stepping-stones, you trip,” Davis stated Thursday at a press conference. “We’ve seen it happen plenty of times. My job is to make sure Saturday night isn’t his night. I’m looking to have a good time and put my all into it.”

The 27-year-old Davis didn’t hesitate to replace Jose Uzcategui on short notice once Uzcategui (31-4, 26 KOs) failed a performance-enhancing drug test in October.

“I’ve been doing this my whole life,” Davis said. “Stepping up on two weeks’ notice is nothing for me. A guy trying to cheat is disrespectful to the sport. It’s my duty to the sport to step in.”

Davis was one of Terence Crawford’s primary sparring partners for his upcoming welterweight title fight against Shawn Porter. He therefore was in shape and getting great work, albeit against a much smaller fighter than Benavidez, when the call came to replace Venezuela’s Uzcategui.

“I’m always ready,” Davis said. “When they call me and tell me it’s time to fight, I’m ready to go. I’ve had some experience taking fights on short notice. Every time we go through something, we take it and apply it to everything we do going forward.”

The 24-year-old Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) and Davis (16-2-1, 6 KOs) will headline Showtime’s two-bout broadcast from the home arena of the NBA’s Suns. The telecast is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT with a 10-round junior middleweight match in which Benavidez’s older brother, Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-1, 18 KOs), will face Argentina’s Francisco Torres (17-3, 5 KOs).

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.