JAMESTOWN, Calif. – Welterweight Cesar Francis will try to reinvent his career on the same network that launched him when he faces undefeated 19-year-old prospect Emiliano Moreno at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort in Jamestown, California, in a ProBox TV show.
Francis, of West New York, New Jersey, established a name for himself on ProBox TV in 2022. Francis, 34, defeated former titleholder Raymundo Beltran and knocked out Francisco Armenta. The two stellar performances led to a January fight against Jesus Saracho, in which Francis lost by split decision. Since then, he has fought twice. Francis believes the harsh conditions and frigid weather in New York City helped him the most for this camp.
“Training in New York City in the winter is like training in Big Bear [California]. You got to actually put that work in,” Francis told BoxingScene. It’s negative-2 degrees in New York City. Do you want to get up and go running? Or is your body telling you to just relax, stay home and just go to the gym? I have to get up when it’s 10 degrees out there, nine degrees out there – it’s just a whole different monster.”
Francis is at a crossroads. After losing to Saracho, he was stopped by Rohan Polanco that same year. He has fought only once more since, against Windry Amadis Martinez in 2023. He turned down fights that he thought were too easy last year as he waited for a big opportunity. Now it’s here.
Francis was surprised at how Moreno looked at the weigh-in.
“He didn’t really look how I thought he would look at the weigh-in,” said Francis, 11-2 (8 KOs). “You’re 19. You should come in shredded, strong, furious, ready to take over the world. He didn’t look how I would look if I was fighting at that age.”
Moreno, of Long Beach, California, is currently undefeated. Moreno turned professional in 2021 and has already defeated two undefeated fighters, Axl Melendez and Daniel Lim. Those wins put the welterweight Moreno among the more interesting prospects under the age of 20. Moreno is 11-0 (6 KOs) entering this contest.
“I’m not going to say he’s doing something wrong,” Francis said. “He’s taking all the right steps. He’s just taking the wrong steps, with the wrong fighter tonight. I respect young fighters who want to test themselves early in their career. I took the fight because they called me out for the fight.”
Lucas Ketelle took an unconventional path to boxing, eventually finding his stride in gyms and media. For the past decade, he has hosted the “Lukie Boxing” podcast, filmed training camps for fighters like Arnold Barboza Jnr, Mikey Garcia and Caleb Plant, and worked with top professionals such as Mike Bazzel. Ketelle is also an author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for ProBox TV, BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @LukieBoxing.
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