By Jake Donovan

From the moment he captured a Bronze medal for the United States during the 2016 Rio Olympics, Nico Hernandez knew that big things awaited him back home in Wichita, Kansas.

He just didn’t realize his star power would blow up so early into his pro career.

“It’s all still a dream come true to me,” Hernandez (6-0, 2KOs) told BoxingScene.com of the extra attention paid to the developmental portion of his career. His box-office appeal in the Midwestern state has prompted event handlers to bring this Friday’s ShoBox telecast to his neck of the woods at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kanas.

For his part on the show, Hernandez won’t appear on the Showtime portion of the card but instead serving as the main event of the five-fight undercard which will stream live on UFC Fight Pass. The 23-year old flyweight will take on Victor Trejo Garcia in a scheduled eight-round contest in front of what is expected to be another big crowd in Mulvane.

The tradition began with his pro debut less than two years ago, drawing more than 3,200 fans to this very arena for a 4th round stoppage of Patrick Gutierrez.

From there, his star power only continued to grow, evident most recently in an eight-round win over Josue Morales also at this venue last November. His box-office appeal convinced lead event promoter Eddie Hearn to move the DAZN-streamed card to Kansas from its originally scheduled Atlantic City destination.

Judging by crowd reaction, it was clear that fans turned out to catch their local hero in action. Many fans attendance began to file out the moment Hernandez’s points win was in the books, effectively turning separate fights featuring unbeaten middleweight titlist Claressa Shields and heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller into walkout bouts.

“You can say I’m one of the biggest names to come out of this area,” Hernandez notes. “There’s actually a lot of boxing talent in Wichita and Kansas in general. Sadly, though, it’s just become wasted talent as they either didn’t get the right push or just convinced themselves that they are opponents.

“My goal has always been to put my home state on the boxing map, do for Kansas what (unbeaten three-division champ) Terence Crawford has done for the state of Nebraska.”

Of course, with the benefit of fighting in front of large crowds at home comes the pressure of making sure everyone leaves as a satisfied customer.

So far, so good, as Hernandez’s undefeated pro record clearly indicates. Still, there’s plenty of work left to do.

“Each fight I’m getting better, but I’m still learning every time I’m the ring and in the gym,” notes Hernandez. “I can’t just fight as good as last time, I have to be better every time I step in the ring. It’s what the crowd expects of me, so there’s a little bit of pressure there. Nobody wants to lose in front of their hometown fans, that’s embarrassing.

“So, I always make sure to step up my game every fight. I like that pressure to perform at the highest level, it’s good motivation. It’s a good kind of pressure to have.”

While his bout on Friday will appear via livestream, his goal is to make sure the Showtime team on hand thinks enough of him to put him on their airwaves next time out, even if it means fighting in another state—or country.

“I love fighting at home, don’t get me wrong; but I’d also love to experience fighting somewhere else in the future,” admits Hernandez, who by Friday will have spent all seven pro bouts in his Kansas home state. “It doesn’t matter to me where else in the country or even wherever in the world it takes place.

“For now, though, I’ll just keep finding ways to make sure my fans at home remain entertained every time I’m in the ring.”