Gonzalez hopes to give a “P4P” type of performance against Moises Fuentes September 15
Roman Gonzalez , better known as “Chocolatito,” was once considered by many the most technically sound fighter of the modern era. Then, most of that hype came to an abrupt end in his rematch against Sor Rungvisai; where he suffered a devastating defeat. Chocolatito is taking on another former top fighter in Moises Fuentes; who gained his recognition by knocking out boxing legend Ivan Calderon. As of recent, Fuentes has won only one fight in his last four outings. This fight will be an excellent opportunity for either fighter to restore faith in the eyes of the public and potentially line them up for another shot at becoming a world champion.
Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez
Chocolatito (46-2, 38 KOs) is regarded as one of the most technically sound active fighters today. His mentor, the legendary Alexis Arguello, earns some credit here. Gonzalez applies “effective” aggression coupled with guided-missile precision-point accuracy. It is likely he is also one of the sport’s best active fighters at cutting off the ring. He complements his excellent power with wisely chosen his punch placement; akin to a heart surgeon performing a double bypass operation.
Roman’s only two losses were at the hands of Sor Rungvisai; a fighter that many pundits rank in their top five, pound-for-pound. Gonzalez’s great footwork allows him to find his range while effectively using his great defense to avoid major damage. His first loss to Runvisai is a debated one. Many experts feel that Roman deserved the nod in a very “closely” combated contest.
The second fight ended with a tragic knock out. However, many are unaware that Roman had a lot going on before the match. Before the losses, Gonzalez was considered the very best pound for pound fighter. Yes, he was even ranked above the now-legendary Andre Ward. Following the defeat, Gonzalez was unable to return to the US. Further, a VISA issue (on the contingency of a Brain scan) resulted in his long layoff from the sport.
The California State Athletic Commission issued that Roman undergo a brain scan before they would allow him to set foot inside the squared circle in the US. He was recently cleared, and now the fight against Fuentes will officially occur on the undercard of the Canelo – Golovkin rematch.
Moises Fuentes
Fuentes (25-5-1, 5 KOs) hasn’t won a significant fight since his impressive KO victory over the faded legend Ivan Calderon. He might not be as technically sound as Chocolatito, but he is no slack of a fighter either. Fuentes loves to attack the body and doesn’t mind taking a shot to land several devastating body blows. His footwork isn’t the fanciest, but he displays adequate skill at remaining in the mid-range – where he does the most damage. Fuentes loves fighting forehead to forehead. Fortunately for him, I doubt he will have a hard time luring Chocolatito into that type of fight.
He will need to bring his A-game and hope to land a big shot if he genuinely wants to win this fight and set up a bigger payday in the future. In his battle against Calderon, Fuentes applied constant pressure to where he was able to wear out the faded legend. Fuentes effectively used his size and tenacity to overwhelm Calderon and walked away with the TKO victory.
Conclusion
Chocolatito is not as passive as Calderon and won’t be hard to find. Both fighters are straight-forward, with Chocolatito being the better of the two at everything. This is a “do or die” type of fight for both fighters, and both will come and lay everything on the line. A loss at this stage will most appropriately end all hopes for becoming a world champion. If many people are hesitant to purchase the Pay-Per-View rematch between Canelo and Golovkin, this fight should restore your confidence in having to fork over the $59.99 US dollars it costs to purchase for the standard definition.
Tune in on September 15th as Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez takes on the always-tough Moises Fuentes.
By: Cesar Rivas
