The easiest fight to get excited about this weekend is Saturday’s main event on Fox. Tony Harrison and Jermell Charlo was a close, controversial battle the first time with a surprising outcome. The injury delay of the rematch, the trash talk, the seemingly genuine animosity; it will all come together as another piece in one of boxing’s most stacked divisions.

Being the easiest fight to get excited about doesn’t make it the only one.

Friday night at flyweight, on the undercard of Daniel Jacobs-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (DAZN, 7 PM EST), 25-year old former WBC titlist Cristofer Rosales (29-4, 20 KO) faces 24-year old Julio Cesar Martinez (14-1, 11 KO) for the vacant WBC belt. It’s got the potential to be the fight of the week.

Rosales won the WBC belt in 2018 by stunning undefeated knockout artist Daigo Higa and defended once before being upset by Charlie Edwards in the UK around this time last year.

He’ll face a Martinez coming off what looked like it was going to be a win over Edwards in August. Martinez, stronger and heavier handed, was getting to Edwards in a big way. Martinez sent Edwards reeling in the third from a fusillade of blows. The problem came when Martinez threw one blow too many, landing a body shot while Edwards was on a knee. What was initially ruled a stoppage win was reversed to a No Contest upon further review.

Edwards opted to move up in weight. Mexico’s Martinez has his second chance.

Among the men at flyweight right now, young Martinez looks like he has a real chance to emerge as a new face of flyweight. Since losing a split decision over four in his pro debut, Martinez has been moved with confidence. He’s faced some solid veterans to build his resume including former titlist Edgar Sosa and, one fight prior to Edwards, Martinez stopped previously undefeated Olympian Andrew Selby.  

It wasn’t long ago flyweight looked as stacked as Jr. middleweight does right now. The divisions around flyweight largely still are. Jr. flyweight and Jr. bantamweight are among the deepest and most competitive fields in boxing but that buzz hardcore boxing fans had about flyweight, specifically, thinned out as things moved on.

No division stays red hot forever.

Part of what makes Jr. bantamweight still so good are the players who used to be part of the flyweight field. Juan Francisco Estrada still reigns at 115 lbs. Roman Gonzalez, a future Hall of Famer and former pound-for-pound leader will resume his career later this month. The two of them were critical pieces of a fantastic run in the house Jimmy Wilde built. It’s understandable they took much of the buzz around flyweight with them.

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Martinez-Rosales is one sign flyweight still has things to be excited about. Three-division titlist Kosei Tanaka (14-0, 8 KO) has the WBO belt and is still learning at 24. His fights are regularly engaging. WBA titlist Artem Dalakian (19-0, 14 KO) has defended three times by knockout since winning the vacant belt against Brian Violria.

Some names from a few years back still linger on as well. IBF titlist Moruti Mthalane hasn’t lost in over a decade and reported management issues really hurt him when the division got hot. He faces former lineal champion Akira Yaegashi on December 23 in a clash of the aging that might sneak up and be fun.  

It might not be as fun as two young guns battling not just for a title but for a chance to widen their audience. Jacobs-Chavez doesn’t look like a particularly great fight on paper but the men in the main event have the name value to bring eyeballs. Jacobs should win but Chavez’s name still gets him fights because it brings eyeballs.

This is a chance to steal the show.

For Rosales, it’s also a chance to stay in the mix. He wasn’t expected to beat Higa. He certainly wasn’t expected to beat Selby, who defeated Rosales in lopsided fashion in 2017, to a title. Rosales, of Nicaraugua, made his own luck and can again here. While he’s been outboxed, Rosales has never been stopped and Martinez will bring the fight to him. At almost 5’7, and with a 71’ reach, Rosales is taller and longer than most of the men around him with some pop to go with it.

Rosales isn’t a defensive gem by any stretch, and he appears slower than Martinez, but he’s resolute and patient when looking for room to counter on men who come forward. Can he take the body assault of Martinez long enough to find a big right hand over the top?

It’s a question that should make tuning in Friday worth anyone’s while as 2019 speeds towards its conclusion. Eventually, what is a stacked field at 108 lbs. will lend itself to moves up the scale and flyweight will be ready to really heat up again. Will Martinez or Rosales be waiting for the new arrivals?

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com