By Steve Kim

Back in October, unbeaten Antonio Orozco moved his record to 23-0 (15 KO's) by out-pointing the respected Humberto Soto over ten rounds at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. The fight was his debut on HBO.

This coming Friday, Orozco takes a step back as he faces former lightweight belt-holder, Miguel Acosta from the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California on a card that will be broadcast by Estrella TV.

But the junior welterweight contender swears he will not overlook Acosta.

''Regardless, a fight is a fight," said Orozco, who is ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies.

"Some people would say - and I'm a true believer of this - that whatever they call like a 'stay-busy fight', there's no such thing because sometimes these 'stay-busy' fights they're like the meanest fights you can have throughout your career.

"So I always have full respect for any fighter that steps into the ring and Acosta has proven himself. That's why he's a former world champion and like I said, he has KO power."

Acosta (29-8-2), the former WBA lightweight champion is coming into this bout on a four fight losing streak, dropping decisions to the likes of Richar Abril, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Art Hovhannisyan and Michael Perez. He was on a real hot streak until facing Brandon Rios in February 2011. He was controlling that fight early and appeared at one point, in the fourth, to dominate the action. But the tide changed when Rios hurt and dropped him in the sixth, and then knocked him out in the tenth.

Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.