Ricardo Adolfo Núñez Pérez vs. Ricardo Espinoza Franco

Headlining the Boxeo Telemundo card on Friday night. Cuevas vs. Paredes, which I had originally believed to be the main event, is actually the co-main. (very good, interesting card overall)

This is last chance saloon for the athletically blessed and intelligent - but glass-jaw accursed - Panamanian. He is riding a two loss slump, and is overall 5-6 in the seven years since being vanquished in an epic war against Moruti "Babyface" Mthalane for the IBF world flyweight title. He's now at bantam, and not having much luck. Both of those consecutive losses were for essentially the same belt in different organizations (disqualified against Leosdan Núñez for the WBA Fedelatin bantamweight title, and then beaten up and bailed out with a technical decision loss to Carlos "Principe" Cuadras for the WBC Latino bantamweight title) - and he's now challenging Espinoza for, you guessed it, his WBO Latino bantamweight title.

Now, if you're confused, and thought Ricardo Núñez the Panamanian boxer had been doing fairly well for himself of late - you're thinking of Ricardo Antonio Núñez Pérez, whose nickname is Científico (the Scientist) - he is the little brother of "Matemático" (the Mathematician), younger by half a dozen years, and campaigns way up at super feather & lightweight. That is the Ricardo Núñez who still has plenty of upside.

This one, however, is facing a tough and heavy-handed young Mexican slugger whose only pro defeats came during failed attempts to make the super flyweight limit. A big natural bantam now in his comfort zone, Espinoza is taking a big step up here on paper, in terms of Núñez being the biggest name on his record so far, but this is the iron-fisted 21 year old's fight to lose. Núñez will need to bring all his craft and veteran guile to bear if he's going to last ten, let alone score the upset this late in his career.

 

The younger Núñez, incidentally, has been absent from the ring since last June, with nothing lined up...

 

Title at stake for Espinoza only - he made the weight limit on the nose, but Núñez missed it by FOUR POUNDS. (just barely avoiding stepping over the super bantam limit)

 

Card goes live in 95 minutes. Remember on Telemundo it always starts with the main event first, THEN undercard...