By Francisco Salazar

Daniel Franco is a firm believer that things happen for a reason.

Like any boxer, he does not like to lose, but the unexpected knockout loss to Christopher Martin earlier this year might be a blessing in disguise.

The talented featherweight believes the loss to Martin will make him a better fighter in the long run and it is better to suffer a loss early at this point in his career.

Franco will square off against Jose Haro tonight at the WinnaVegas Casino & Resort in Sloan, Iowa. The 10 round bout will air live on CBS Sports Network, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.

The fight against Martin, a former fringe contender who is now a gatekeeper, was supposed to be a showcase fight for Franco on March 23. Everything was according to plan during the fight, with Franco dropping Martin in the opening round.

Then came the third round, when Martin ended matters, dropping Franco twice before the fight was stopped.

In the sink or swim business that is boxing, Franco (16-1-3, with 11 KOs) had no choice but to get up, dust himself off, and get on the proverbial horse that is boxing.

The 25-year-old Franco returned to the ring on May 12, knocking out Francisco Suarez in the opening round in Ensenada, Mexico.

What the previous 18 bouts did not teach him, the Martin bout was a wake-up call of sorts for Martin.

"A fighter getting a loss is not fun," Franco told Boxingscene.com on Wednesday afternoon. "But the loss did push me to work harder. I don't wish to go back to what happened. In a way, losing made me (realize) things about me and that is to see what I'm made of."

Franco was reportedly ill the night he fought Martin.

He will face a fighter in Haro who has fought and defeated modest opposition in recent fights, including one-sided decisions over former junior featherweight contender Efrain Esquivias and Juan Reyes (who lost to Jon Fernandez by knockout Friday night).

Haro, who hails from suburban Salt Lake City, is recovering from a knife attack in September of 2015 outside a grocery story.

"I'm 5'9" and he's 5'5," so we're going to see what he has," said Franco, who resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Riverside. "I'm sure he wants to stay low, but I want to take that away from him. I have a really good game plan to execute (tonight)."

Despite the loss, Franco, who is promoted by Roc Nation, is still considered a strong featherweight prospect. Franco comes from a fighting family (his older brother Michael boxed professionally) and he has gotten great sparring in gyms in and around Southern California.

All that and learning from the loss to Martin has given Franco more incentive to achieve his goals in the ring, including a decisive win over Haro tonight.

"Saturday night will show where I stand. I know I wouldn't be where I'm at with my father and brother (both train him). That is what it's all about: The fact we spend time in and out of the ring and we're close."

"I've always taken every fight as important as the last. Fighting on TV is pushing me to put on a good performance. It's a good pressure and I'm really excited."

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, RingTV.com, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing