FRANCISCO BELIEVES BEATING NUNEZ IS KEY TO TITLE SHOT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 16 Apr 2010
Drian Francisco.
WBA No. 3 ranked super flyweight Drian Francisco believes that Panama?s Ricardo Nunez, who is ranked one notch higher than him at No. 2 and is also the No. 1 contender in the WBC, is the main hurdle in a bid for a title shot at champion Vic Darchinyan.
Francisco told us in the buildup to the showdown of ?Young Guns? promotion of Solar Sports at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig City ?I know I have to win so I can go for the championship. because he (Nunez) is the key.?
Francisco said he was confident because he had trained hard and sparred some 200 rounds and although he knows that Nunez is a ?strong opponent but I am well prepared.?
The super flyweight whose style was compared to that of two division world champion Lusito Espinosa said he believes that Nunez would be an easier opponent than former champion Roberto Vasquez who he beat via a 10th round TKO in his last fight.
He said that while Nunez is quick he too has been working on his hand-speed but was sure that he hits harder than the world No. 2. He said his power was mainly in the left hand but he has been working on developing his right so that they will both have the same awesome power.
Francisco admitted he had changed to an unorthodox style to confuse a good technical fighter like Vasquez but he would likely return to his former style of using the left and putting combinations together against Nunez. However, Drian said he would see what happens early in the fight and then adapt to the situation.
Nunez, speaking through Panamanian boxing aficionado Carlos Costa who travels around the world to watch fights and has visited the Philippines to watch fights on quite a few occasions said Nunez would ?try to set him (Francisco) up for a knockout and if he can knock him out he will do it but he is prepared to go twelve rounds if he has to and is in great condition having trained for three months for this fight.?
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