Drian Francisco in the biggest fight of his career (Photo : Jhay Oh Otamias)
Rarely do fighters ever get the opportunity to compete at the highest levels of the sport. Most fighters dream of someday making it big in the squared circle. Special fighters like Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, or, Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire, or even Brian "The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria are able to get the big fights and win at all costs, catapulting their careers and changing their lives.
When Drian "Gintong Kamao" Francisco (28-3-1, 22 KO's) finally steps into the ring with super bantamweight champion Guillermo "El Chacal" Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KO's), the fight will represent the biggest break in Francisco's career and also the toughest.
Rigondeaux is no joke and is probably the most talented fighter in boxing not named Floyd Mayweather.
Francisco arrived in Los Angeles the other night on short notice, ready to take the shuttle to Las Vegas to meet the Cuban conquistador head on this Saturday. The Filipino feels confident that he can claim victory, no matter how unlikely it would seem.
"If you think you can handle him you will but if you think you cannot, you will not," said Francisco in a recent interview with Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Francisco has fought valiantly throughout his career.
In 2009, he burst onto the boxing scene with a complete 10-round annihilation of then highly-regarded flyweight, Roberto Vasquez. With amazing, unorthodox skills, Francisco confused and bewildered his opponent via his awkward style.
With his hands down, sometimes even looking away from his opponent, Francisco tagged his foe over and over again with bombs -- a style which has earned him critical acclaim.
He then went on to score two straight knockout victories in the bouts after.
In search of a world title however, Francisco had to search outside the Philippines for international competition. He failed in his first bid, against Tepparith Kokietgym in Thailand, losing by unanimous decision.
Francisco went on the comeback trail shortly after, resuming his career in the Philippines but the allure of a world title still captivated him. In 2012, Francisco moved to North America in search of more fights and perhaps a title shot.
A couple of setbacks however, and the serious lack of opponents willing to face him in his weight class forced Francisco back to the Philippines where he's competed since.
Now, at 33 years of age, Francisco receives the opportunity of a lifetime against Rigondeaux, one that he just simply couldn't pass up.
Never mind that he had just one week's notice, or that he had never trained for Rigondeaux nor even thought about fighting Rigondeaux just days before the biggest fight of his career. It was just something that he had to do.
For Francisco, fighting Rigondeaux is the culmination of all the hard work and dedication he's put into boxing despite at times being in the highest perches or the lowest trenches of the sport.
With Rigondeaux being away from the ring for almost a year, the time is now for Francisco to catch him with an upset.
