By Francisco Salazar
Daniel Franco is all about seizing opportunities.
Fighting on the undercard in the hometown of an elite fighter is just the start.
The unbeaten Franco will fight Marcello Gallardo in a six round featherweight bout Saturday night at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. The fight will precede the main event bout between light heavyweight Andre Ward and Alexander Brand.
While the Ward fight will air live on HBO (10:30 p.m. ET/ 7:30 p.m. PT), the Franco-Gallardo fight will be part of the non-televised undercard.
And that is fine with Franco. He understands the game well to know where he lands in the pecking order of the sport.
He noticed how the fight game is first hand with his older brother Michael, who was an unbeaten prospect before he suffered his only defeat of his career at the hands of Orlando Cruz almost five years ago.
Saturday will be Daniel Franco's (13-0-3, 8 KOs) second fight of 2016.
"It's important to stay active," Franco told BoxingScene.com over the phone earlier this week. "I haven't been as active in the ring as I'd like to be."
"I do the best I can in the gym to be well-prepared. I enjoy the difficult fights because I work harder, in and out of the gym. I believe you defeat your opponent through the work you put in the gym."
Franco, who has won his last five bouts, will face a fighter in Gallardo who has won his last two bouts. Gallardo's three losses have been against unbeaten fighters, including Christopher Diaz.
"He's a tough guy," said Franco, who resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Cucamonga. "He's a pressure fighter. My job is to move him back and get him out of his comfort zone."
Franco has trained in multiple gyms throughout Southern California, sparring the likes of newly-crowned WBO featherweight world titleholder Oscar Valdez, junior lightweight prospect Carlos Morales, and others.
The 24-year-old Franco has held his own against top-level fighters in sparring. He believes he is ready to take the next step forward after the Gallardo fight.
"After this fight, I hope to fight twice more in 2016. I'm hungrier than ever and I'm focused on being amongst the best fighters in the sport. I'm really looking forward to 2017 and seeing what Roc Nation thinks is best for me."
That day could come as long as Franco continues winning. Maybe Franco could put himself in a situation where he could headline a network broadcast, similar to what Andre Ward is doing Saturday night.
"I have more confidence now than ever. I want to be at my best."
Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
