Murodjon Akhmadaliev is still on the “monster” hunt and will face Ricardo Espinoza Franco on Saturday

Top bantamweight Murodjon Akhmadaliev, one of the few fighters brave enough to say out loud that “Monster” Naoya Inoue is running from him, will get a chance to secure an interim belt this Saturday night in Monaco. The once-beaten southpaw from Uzbekistan meets Ricardo Espinoza Franco for the interim WBA 122-pound title.

This fight could prove to be a lively fight, even if the 30-year-old “MJ” is the clear favorite to win. However, we know that all Mexican fighters are tough, so it would be very unwise to write off the 27-year-old from Tijuana, who is currently 30-4 (25), as Franco has only been stopped once, that by John Riel Casimero in April 2019. Franco, who has won five fights since his loss to Daniel Roman in May 2021, could be seen as a fighter with next to nothing to lose on Saturday, and that could be the In case he is dangerous.

Akhmadaliev, a former WBA and IBF super bantamweight champion, was only beaten by Marlon Tapales last April by a narrow decision. Since then, “MJ” has picked up a good, solid stoppage win against Kevin Gonzalez, the win coming almost a full year ago. It’s possible that Akhmadaliev will be a little rusty on Saturday, and that could potentially give Franco some opportunities early on.

It could be a firefight while it lasts. Both men love to fight, can punch, and often have fun fights. As long as Akhmadaliev doesn’t look past Franco, meaning a fight with you, you know who, he should be able to eke out a victory that comes either by way of a late stoppage or by a fairly large margin.

Assuming he gets the win, and an impressive win at that, you can imagine who Akhmadaliev will be calling out in the middle of the ring while being interviewed. Inoue will next face Sam Goodman on December 24th, but as long as he’s active and hasn’t lost, “MJ” will continue to shout “The Monster.”