By Miguel Rivera

After suffering a crushing loss to Japanese star Daigo Higa last May, Mexican boxer Juan "Churritos" Hernández has a new goal for 2018 - and that is to become a world champion in the super flyweight division.

Having left behind the Japanese setback in the past, which saw him fall in his aspirations to get the world title, Hernandez is aware that in boxing you have a life of contrasts.

"Not everything happens, let's take it as another new challenge. I want to be world champion in the upcoming year, although first we have to place ourselves in the rankings," Hernandez said.

Last March, "Churritos" was crowned the flyweight world champion of the World Boxing Council (WBC) after beating Nawaphon Kaikanha by technical knockout, but after two months he was dethroned by the Higa in his first defense.

"I will start talks with the promoters to schedule fights, since my desire is to win a position with the best in the world, I want to be a challenger to a title again," he said.

The mission of the fighter (34-3, 25 knockouts) is difficult, since Carlos Cuadras, Juan Francisco Estrada and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai are the main players in the division.

Regarding Higa, he says that he's planning to go for a rapid knockout victory against Moisés "Felino" Fuentes to continue the winning streak against Mexican fighters.

"My next fight is based on the major premise that I'm going to knock out my Mexican challenger," said the 22-year-old Asian power hitter.

The boast by Higa is based on the last confrontation involving Fuentes when he was knocked out in the fifth round by Japan's Kosei Tanaka for the world junior flyweight title of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in 2016.

Higa, who is 14-0 with all 14 wins by knockout, will face Fuentes on February 4, 2018 at the Budokan Arena in the city of Naha in the capital of the Okinawa province.

Moisés "Felino" Fuentes (25-4-1, 14KOs) is 30 years old; his last on Japanese soil saw him get knocked out by Tanaka in the city of Gifu, on December 31, 2016.