Joshua Franco may be the underdog against Andrew Moloney, but he believes the amount of sparring against top fighters, learning from his first defeat as a pro and having the tutelage of Robert Garcia will play a major role when the two fighters square off tonight.

Franco will challenge Moloney for his WBA ‘Regular’ junior bantamweight title at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 12-round bout will air live on ESPN (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).

At Monday’s weigh-in, Moloney weighed in at 114.7 pounds. Franco had to strip to make the 115-pound limit.

In his last bout on January 11, Franco stopped Mexico’s Jose Alejandro Burgos in round 9 in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Franco recently fought a trilogy against former world title challenger Oscar Negrete, winning once and fighting to two split-decision draws.

The 24-year-old, who now trains in the Los Angeles suburb of Riverside, is unbeaten in his last five bouts since suffering a controversial loss to Argentina’s Lucas Fernandez Leone in March 2018. Franco was up decisively on two of the three judges’ scorecards until he was hurt in round 9, prompting an immediate and questionable stoppage by referee Jose Hiram Rivera.

Despite the setback and what he felt was an injustice, Franco relied on advice from Garcia to move forward with his career.

“The (loss) did open my eyes a lot,” Franco told BoxingScene in an interview over the phone on Friday. “It is what it is. I can’t go back in time, but it did make me a stronger fighter and that I have heart for this sport. I was able to come back strong and that’s what counts. Robert gave me words of encouragement and wisdom.”

Franco will face a fighter in Moloney (21-0, 14 KOs) who will be making his United States debut after fighting most of his fights in his native Australia. He is the twin brother of bantamweight contender Jason Moloney, who will be fighting Leonardo Baez on Thursday, also at the MGM Grand Conference Center.

Moloney is the favorite going into tonight’s fight, but the contrast in both styles may make it a closer fight than what Las Vegas or online sports books forecast. Franco believes he has the intangibles to beat Moloney.

“Since the fight is on ESPN, this is a huge opportunity for me,” said Franco, who is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. “I know Andrew is a tough fighter. He throws a lot of punches, but he gets hit a lot and has average footwork. I believe I have what it takes to expose him (tonight).”

Franco has benefited from the amount of work he puts in with Garcia in Riverside. He also credits improving his skill-set from the amount of sparring he has received from the fighters who also train at the gym.

The adage of ‘iron sharpens iron’ is what Franco has believed in since turning pro in August 2015.

“When I turned pro, I adjusted quickly from what I did as an amateur to the pro-style. By my sixth fight, I was sparring against (former world titleholders) Abner Mares and Evgeny Gradovich. The sparring sessions in the ring became wars. I saw what I did against the top fighters and I began to believe more in myself. I knew I was able to get a title shot soon as long as I kept winning and improving.”

Franco has the opportunity to pull off the upset against Moloney and has his sights set on facing the best in the 115-pound division.

“I believe in my abilities and I want to show what I’m capable of. A win would put me in possible fights against (WBA world titleholder) Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, (WBC world titleholder) Juan Francisco Estrada, and (IBF world titleholder) Jerwin Ancajas.”

Franco has come a long way from the loss to Fernandez Leone over two years ago to put himself back into title contention. A victory over Moloney will not come easy, and even if he falls short, Franco will have given it his all.

Which is why he wants to make a statement tonight.

“I’ve been in training camp with Robert for a while and I was always ready (to accept any fight offered). I’m taking this fight seriously. This was my best training camp. I was pushed to the maximum by Robert.”

“I know I have a tough fight, but I want to make a statement Tuesday night.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing