MONTY MEZA-CLAY vs FERNANDO OMAR LIZARRAGA

Monty Meza-Clay, whose high-energy performance was impressive when he stopped Eric Aiken on Friday Night Fights in February, tops the bill on Friday’s Telefutura show against Mexican Fernando Omar Lizarraga in what should be a lively featherweight 10-rounder.

We know that Meza Clay will keep coming forward and keep the punches flowing, and Lizarraga doesn’t look the type who will back down.

This is a meeting of crowd-pleasers who started out as junior lightweights.

Meza-Clay (the “Meza” is his mother’s maiden name and he uses it to honour her Mexican heritage) was far too strong for Aiken, who simply could not hold him off.

Lizarraga, 32, has lost only one of his last 10 fights, which was when he suffered a broken right hand against the world-class Jorge Solis.

In his last fight Lizarraga fought a gruelling 10-round draw with Tomas Villa, whose style — pressure and volume punching — is a lot like Meza-Clay’s.

Lizarraga dropped Villa with a right hand in the opening round but tired in the heat of an outdoors show in Tucson’s sizzling summer. Lizarraga would have won, though, had he not been deducted two points, one for holding, the other when he let his mouthpiece drop out for the third time in the fight.

I am expecting Lizarraga to meet Meza-Clay with jabs and right hands, trying to hurt him and slow him down, but of course this is going to be easier said than done. Meza-Clay is fighting on home turf in PA, and after the big win over Aiken I am sure that he will be eager to put on another dynamic display.

Lizarraga enjoyed considerable success against Villa but he was the naturally bigger man in that fight — a featherweight meeting a boxer who was moving up from the 122-pound division. On Friday, Lizarraga will be up against a very strong featherweight who will be setting a scorching pace.

I believe the early rounds will be well-contested but I envisage Meza-Clay steadily wearing down Lizarraga for a stoppage victory in the eighth or ninth.

RESULT: Wow, that was quick! Meza-Clay KO 1.