By Francisco Salazar

Timing is everything. For Javier Molina, this statement applies appropriately to his career.

Molina was highly-touted coming out of the amateur ranks, which culminated in fighting in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Everything was going well early on in his pro career until he suffered a defeat that derailed any momentum he was building towards becoming a contender.

Over four years later have passed and Molina is much wiser and has more motivated to finish what he started in March of 2009, when he made his pro debut.

He has an opportunity to jump into the welterweight mix with a win tonight, when he faces unbeaten Jamal James at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, Calif. The 10 round welterweight bout will be broadcast live on FS1 (formerly Fox Sports 1), beginning at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT.

Fighting is everything for Molina (17-1, 8 KOs). It is what he has known since he was a boy and it is something he has shared with twin brother, Oscar, and older brother, Carlos.

Both, along with other family and friends from nearby, will be ringside at Club Nokia.

"I'm excited to headline a card in Los Angeles," Molina told BoxingScene.com over the phone Monday evening. "My brothers have always been there for me and we help each other out. We work and push each other in the gym."

Molina prepared for his fight against James at the famed Maywood (Calif.) Gym, not far from his home.

James is unbeaten and is coming off a 10 round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Abreu on September 18. James survived a fourth round knockdown in route to the victory.

James also has wins over fringe contenders Mohammed Kayongo and Wayne Martell.

"He (James) is a good fighter who is tall and has a long reach," said Molina, who stopped Lenwood Dozier after the seventh round in his last bout on October 13. "He throws a lot of punches, but I have to stay focused on working the body and breaking him down. He's undefeated, but I'm focused on what I have to do and that's to win."

Molina won his first nine bouts as a pro before suffering his first and only defeat as a pro to Artemio Reyes in October of 2011. He has since won his last eight bouts in a row.

While no fighter likes to lose, Molina believes the Reyes fight was a blessing for him, in and out of the ring.

"I learned a lot from that fight. I don't believe I was disciplined as I should've been and it was mostly because of outside (distractions). Even in my previous fight, I wasn't myself and I didn't take things seriously. I had bad habits and it showed in the ring."

"Now I have a little girl (an eight-month old daughter). That has given me more motivation and drive than ever before. I'm 26 years old and I'm still learning. I just feel like I'm more level-headed now."

Molina believes a win would put him in the mix with welterweights. Whether he could compete with the upper-echelon of the division remains to be seen, but Molina has every intention of making good on second chances.

Molina may not have been ready to headline a televised fight card over four years ago, but he is more than ready to do so now.

"After this fight, I'm in a good position to fight the other welterweights in the division. Winning this fight will get me in the mix with other welterweights. This fight is happening at the right time for me."

"My family and team have supported me and I've learned from my mistakes. I still look to one day become a world champion."

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