By Thomas Gerbasi

Daniel Franco is proudly displaying his USBA featherweight title belt under the TV in his living room, but as he points out with a laugh, “I definitely have room for a few more.”

It’s an ambitious goal, but one you want to hear from any hot prospect, or should I say contender, as Franco’s victory over Derrick Murray last November earned him a top 15 IBF ranking. And with that ranking, “Twitch” is eagerly awaiting what’s next.

“When I got it (the USBA belt), I was really happy, but the next day after winning it, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I got a belt, but I want more.’ There’s always more that I want.”

Yet before he starts tackling the rest of the top 15 at 126 pounds, he’s got a Thursday date with veteran Christopher Martin at EXCHANGE LA in Los Angeles. The 30-year-old Martin has lost five of his last six, most recently getting halted by Jhonny Gonzalez last June, but he’s only been beaten by top level contenders or prospects, and if Franco can win impressively or stop his foe, it does make a statement. If he loses, well, to Franco that’s a doomsday scenario.

“I know if I beat a guy like this, it gives me a certain level of notoriety, but if I lose to a guy like this, it breaks my entire career; my career is over if I lose this fight,” he said. “So I know I have to beat him, I have to destroy him, I have to do exactly what I plan to do, which is break him down and put him out.”

Franco’s career wouldn’t be over if he was upset by Martin, and though it would be a blow to the rise of the 25-year-old, again, you want him to have the attitude that this is all or nothing for him. And Franco has the talent. So now it’s about tying up loose ends for the Roc Nation signee.

The first took place against the unbeaten Murray. In the past, Franco had a tendency to let opponents stick around when a push could have gotten them out of there. It’s a good reason why there are three draws on his 15-0-3 record. But when he got Murray hurt in the fourth round, he got him out of there.

“I think I’m at the point where I’m intelligent enough to know when they’re actually hurt or they’re not,” Franco said. “It may be a shot that the crowd thinks was devastating to the guy, but I’m right there next to the guy and I’m the one that hit him, so I’m able to see a lot more with the experience I’ve been getting over the years. I’ve been a pro six-plus years now, and every single fight, every single training camp, every time sparring, I can see more and I’ve been able to learn a lot more, and I think that’s shown in my most recent fights.”

The Riverside native expects to show even more against Martin, and it’s now that things are starting to get exciting for a fighter that has been waiting for moments like this for a long time.

“There were a few points like that in my career when I was just going through it, but it’s exciting to finally be able to get more skilled fighters and more challenging fighters and being able to show what I know in front of a crowd,” he said.

And there’s no turning back now. That could be scary for some, but Franco is all-in, and he’s ready to go after the big dogs in the featherweight division as soon as possible. At least that’s his plan.

“I don’t know what my manager wants or my trainer wants or what Roc Nation wants,” he laughs. “But I want a shot at a world title by the end of the year. This (the Martin fight) is just one of the steps I have to take to get there and you have to take those steps. You can’t just jump straight into it.”