LIGHTWEIGHT Oisin Fagan's career was given a turn in the spotlight when the news broke last week that he would fight Amir Khan on December 6 in London. Fagan (22-5), who returned to Dublin in July after spending 10 years in Oklahoma, is relishing the challenge that awaits him.

"I am going in there as the underdog. I am the rough and tough Irishman coming up against a flash and flamboyant Khan, the Olympic silver medalist," Fagan told the Irish Voice on Tuesday.

"He has got every advantage over me, but that is the kind of thing I like. I like the Irishman against the world thing, and I will fight off my big Irish heart and show everyone I have a huge amount of drive. They don't call me Oisin for nothing - it is an Irish warrior name and I hope to keep the Irish warrior spirit in good stead."

Fagan, who only took up boxing in Oklahoma after he left college and needed to earn money in a hurry, had four main trainers in the States - Eddie Autry, Gray Graham, Steve Miller and Steve Thomasson.

"The Gael Force," as he is known, was promoted by Stacy Goodson in America, and his main sparring partner was Carson Jones. It has been a huge transition for him to leave them behind and start afresh. However, things have picked up at home in the past few weeks.

"I got involved with (promoter) Brian Peters and he put me in touch with (trainers) Eamon McGee and John Breen and hopefully in the next few days I will be on my way up to Belfast for training camp," said Fagan, who hopes to spar with the likes of Paul McCloskey, Kevin O'Hara and Stephen Haughian to get in top condition for the bout.

The 34-year-old was last in action against Konstantin Sakara in Dublin on July 12 where he won a unanimous decision, and before that he stopped Brian Carden in round two at the theater in Madison Square Garden on March 15. The previous year he was far more active in the ring, fighting six times, including two close defeats to former world champion Paul Spadafora and Verquan Kimbrough.

Khan (18-1) was the Beckham of British boxing until Breidis Prescott knocked him out in less than a minute on September 6. Since then the Bolton-based Khan fired his Cuban trainer and is currently working with Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

Though Roach is training Khan, it will be his assistant Dean Powell who will man the 2004 Olympian's corner on fight night, as the renowned trainer will be working with Manny Pacquiao against Oscar De la Hoya in Las Vegas.

Fagan, who also worked full time as a phys ed schoolteacher and earned two degrees while based in the U.S., has traveled to the other fighters' backyards before in his career and is not fazed by heading to London.

"I've been in with world champions, and it seems like Khan is the golden boy of British Boxing. The Brits know how to hype a fighter, that's for sure. I half feel sorry for him because of all the hype and because he is under a lot of pressure, but it is up to me to exploit that at the same time," offered Fagan.

So what can Fagan do to upset Khan, and is the fight, which will be televised on Sky Sports PPV, a big chance to show what he is made of and a win-win situation for his career?

"It is only a win-win situation if I perform at my best. If I get in there and get sparked out in a round like he (Khan) did against Prescott, people will forget about me the day after," Fagan said.

"I have to do the things I am able to do right. I have get stuck in on his chest and I can't let him let him pot shot me at distance because he has a huge advantage on reach and hand speed.

"I might need to take a few shots to get in at his chest and start banging on his body. It could be a win-win situation if I can get in there and do what I do properly. If I don't do that he'll box the ears off me all night."

There is no doubt that Khan has slick skills and impressive speed, but he also has a suspect chin and is short on confidence after such a devastating defeat in September.

Fagan is a tough, come-at-you fighter who has a solid chin and a big heart. Fearless and with nothing to lose, the schoolteacher might teach Khan a thing or two in London on December 6.

Speaking of the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, light middleweight James Moore (16-1) left New York to prepare there for his December 13 showdown with Yuri Foreman (26-0) in the ShoBox televised undercard of Kendall Holt/ Ricardo Torres 3 in Atlantic City. Moore will work out with Scotland's Craig McKewan, a former amateur opponent who is now a 12-0 pro middleweight based in LA.

"I should be able to get a lot of work with Craig, as well as all of the other speedy fighters in LA," Moore said before leaving. "In order to beat Yuri, you have to chase him down and take away his legs. There are lots of fighters at the Wild Card who can emulate his style."

The 30-year-old is under no illusions as to what doors this fight can open for him.

"Fighting an unbeaten boxer on ShoBox is just what I need for my career right now. I've been looking to move my career to the next level for quite some time now. This is a very big step in the right direction, and I aim to fully take advantage of it."

In other news, Andy Lee might be out of action until the New Year as he recovers from an operation to remove some scar tissue from around his eye.

In an interview with the Irish Independent last week, Lee said he felt his opponents were targeting the area with and he decided to undergo the procedure to rectify the problem, adding that the operation had been a success and he was ready to move on the next phase of his career.

Meanwhile, John Duddy's preparations for his November 21 fight at the Roseland Ballroom are going to plan, according to Eddie McLoughlin of Irish Ropes. Tickets for the bout are available at usual outlets and are also on sale in Long Island at Paddy's Loft in Massapequa, 516-798-7660, and Molly Malone's in Bay Shore, 631-969-2232.

Finally, there has been a late change in opponent for Bernard Dunne for his November 15 fight in Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Eduardo Garcia was meant to be in the other corner, but a cut sustained during sparring means he has had to pull out.

Stepping into the breach is Uruguay's Cristian "El Terrible" Faccio (16-3 11kos).

"We've seen a couple of his fights and he's very aggressive and can clearly bang, but he can also be vulnerable himself so it should make for an exciting fight," said promoter Brian Peters.

The 25-year-old South American fought WBC

bantamweight champion Hozumi Hasegawa in Tokyo on June 12 and was tko'ed in the second round. Last month, in his return

fight, the heavy-handed Uruguayan knocked Darli Pires out in the first round. Faccio believes there is a blueprint to defeat the Irishman.

"I've seen Bernard Dunne's defeat to Martinez so I know he can be hit and hurt. I'm a very big puncher and if I catch Dunne it will be like the Martinez fight all over again," Faccio said.