By Jake Donovan

Adrian Hernandez traveled halfway around the world for the second defense of his light flyweight title last year. The free-swinging Mexican came home empty-handed, as Kompayak Porpramook stopped him in the 10th round of an instant classic in Thailand last December.

The loss snapped a nine-fight win streak for Hernandez in addition to sending him home depressed for the holidays.

Two wins later – albeit against severely limited competition – has the ex-champion in positive spirits heading into this weekend. Porpramook has agreed to travel to Hernandez’ hometown of Toluca, Mexico for Saturday night’s rematch, which airs live on TV Azteca.

Given the thrilling nature of their first fight, an equally entertaining rematch could pave the way for a lucrative third fight should Hernandez come out victorious.

"I will gain revenge for the defeat I suffered in December in Bangkok and will clearly beat him, either by decision or the quick route (knockout),” vows Hernandez (24-2-1, 15KO). “I'm in great physical shape to not fail the people who believe in me.”

Hernandez has spent the past two months holed up in Romanza Gym, absorbing knowledge from Hall-of-Fame trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain. The time and dedication in the gym, he believes, will prove to be the biggest difference between last year’s outcome and this weekend’s rematch.

“I absorbed the teachings of my coach. I'm ready for what I hope is a very intense fight,” said Hernandez. "I'll go all out to recover the WBC green belt, with the support of my fans. We will see this Saturday who is the best light flyweight world champion.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter: @JakeNDaBox