By Jake Donovan

Alejandro ‘Payasito’ Hernandez aims for another title run while Isao ‘Kato’ Carranza looks to avenge a past defeat. With that come high stakes for both ahead of their rematch this Friday at Auditorio Blackberry in Mexico City, from where both fighters hail.

The pair of Mexico City boxers first met in Jan. ’14, with Hernandez (30-11-2, 16KOs) claiming a competitive but clear 12-round decision to kick off a terrific 2014 ring campaign. Following were standout wins over Marvin Mabait and Daniel Rosas, the latter netting an interim bantamweight title and putting him directly in line for the real thing.

Hernandez came up short in his title pursuit, dropping a strangely scored split decision to then-unbeaten titlist Tomoki Kameda in Oct. ’14. He has since rebounded with two straight wins, both of which aired live on Telemundo from this very venue.

Carranza (15-6-1, 9KOs) has continued to struggle since the loss to Hernandez, as the 29-year old is 2-3-1 in his past six starts. Still, he believes Friday’s rematch comes at a better point in his career, claiming to have not been fully aware of the sport’s politics heading into the first fight and having adjusted his training camp accordingly.

“This should be a really strong finish to our Spring season,” promoter Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala, Jr. told BoxingScene.com. “Obviously, ‘Payasito’ has to keep winning in order to get another title shot. ‘Kato’ has wanted a second crack at [Hernandez] from the moment they’re first fight ended two years ago.”

TICKET AND VENUE INFO

Doors open at 7:00 p.m. local time, with first bell at 7:30 PM. Seven more bouts are scheduled for the show. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster as well as at the venue box office.

Telemundo Network will televise in the US starting at 11:35 PM ET. 52MX MVS Networks televises in Mexico at 11:30 PM.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox