LAS VEGAS -- After back-to-back losses Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez (46-2, 38 KOs) will look to get back on track in the opening bout of the Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin HBO pay-per-view card on Sept. 15. Gonzalez will go 10 rounds against Moises Fuentes (25-5-1, 14 KOs) in the junior bantamweight division.
Gonzalez made a name for himself by being one of the most devastating punchers of the lighter divisions. He fights out of the orthodox stance and uses his jab to set up his power shots. Having power in both hands has made Gonzalez a very dangerous fighter and he's been offensively brilliant at times. His right hand can do serious damage and his left hook is just as dangerous for his opponents. Also making him dangerous is the fact that he fights well from the outside or in the pocket and is great at sneaking in uppercuts. Defensively 'Chocolatito' isn't as brilliant. He can definitely be hit and he was dropped in his last two fights, getting stopped in his most recent.
Coming into 2017 Gonzalez was considered by some to be the best pound-for-pound talent in boxing. Then disaster struck in the form of back-to-back losses to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Those were the first two losses of Gonzalez's career and he's been out of the ring since the second loss just over a year ago. It can be argued that Gonzalez actually won the first fight despite being dropped in the first round but Rungvisai left no doubt in the rematch, stopping him in the fourth round. Gonzalez also didn't look like his usual self when he eked out a decision win against Carlos Cuadras. It is clear that Gonzalez isn't the same fighter at junior bantamweight as he was at flyweight and junior flyweight. However, a solid win on Saturday would put him right back into title contention and he still has a tremendous resume with wins over fighters like Juan Francisco Estrada and Brian Viloria.
Fuentes is an orthodox fighter why typically fights as a flyweight but will be moving up in weight for this fight. Despite having to move up in this fight Fuentes actually has a significant height and reach advantage on Gonzalez. One issue Fuentes has is that he doesn't use his jab nearly enough and often just walks straight in. He relies on his power punches and tends to really load up on them. The 30-year-old does tend to get a little wide with his punches but he does a good job of banging the body and can do damage with left hooks and right hands. Defensively Fuentes is far from good though and he has been stopped three times in his five career losses.
Fuentes has not looked good as of late. In his last four fights he's gone 1-3 and he's been knocked out twice. The biggest fights of his career came years ago when he beat Ivan Calderon, fought Donnie Nietes to a draw, and then lost their rematch. His biggest recent fight was his last one, when he was knocked out by Daigo Higa. A win over Gonzalez wouldn't just be the biggest win on Fuentes' resume, it would also revive a fading career.
Gonzalez really needs and a win and he really needs to look good in victory. Despite being substantially bigger than Gonzalez, Fuentes might actually be a perfect opponent for him. He comes straight ahead, doesn't jab his way in, and has been knocked out numerous times. Both Gonzalez and Fuentes like to exchange heavy leather but Gonzalez is the better fighter on the outside and in the pocket so Fuentes should really have his hands full in this fight. However, Gonzalez has been through a tremendous amount of brutal fights and they have clearly taken their toll on him so he needs to be careful not to get too confident or there is a chance Fuentes makes him pay.
PREDICTION: Moises Fuentes is the perfect opponent for Roman Gonzalez right now. Sure, Fuentes will have his moments and Gonzalez definitely isn't the fighter he once was but he will be plenty good enough on Saturday night. Expect Gonzalez to look strong on his way to a sixth round stoppage victory.
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| Gonzalez exchanging blows with Carlos Cuadras |
Coming into 2017 Gonzalez was considered by some to be the best pound-for-pound talent in boxing. Then disaster struck in the form of back-to-back losses to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Those were the first two losses of Gonzalez's career and he's been out of the ring since the second loss just over a year ago. It can be argued that Gonzalez actually won the first fight despite being dropped in the first round but Rungvisai left no doubt in the rematch, stopping him in the fourth round. Gonzalez also didn't look like his usual self when he eked out a decision win against Carlos Cuadras. It is clear that Gonzalez isn't the same fighter at junior bantamweight as he was at flyweight and junior flyweight. However, a solid win on Saturday would put him right back into title contention and he still has a tremendous resume with wins over fighters like Juan Francisco Estrada and Brian Viloria.
Fuentes is an orthodox fighter why typically fights as a flyweight but will be moving up in weight for this fight. Despite having to move up in this fight Fuentes actually has a significant height and reach advantage on Gonzalez. One issue Fuentes has is that he doesn't use his jab nearly enough and often just walks straight in. He relies on his power punches and tends to really load up on them. The 30-year-old does tend to get a little wide with his punches but he does a good job of banging the body and can do damage with left hooks and right hands. Defensively Fuentes is far from good though and he has been stopped three times in his five career losses.
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| Fuentes catching an opponent with a hard right hand |
Gonzalez really needs and a win and he really needs to look good in victory. Despite being substantially bigger than Gonzalez, Fuentes might actually be a perfect opponent for him. He comes straight ahead, doesn't jab his way in, and has been knocked out numerous times. Both Gonzalez and Fuentes like to exchange heavy leather but Gonzalez is the better fighter on the outside and in the pocket so Fuentes should really have his hands full in this fight. However, Gonzalez has been through a tremendous amount of brutal fights and they have clearly taken their toll on him so he needs to be careful not to get too confident or there is a chance Fuentes makes him pay.
PREDICTION: Moises Fuentes is the perfect opponent for Roman Gonzalez right now. Sure, Fuentes will have his moments and Gonzalez definitely isn't the fighter he once was but he will be plenty good enough on Saturday night. Expect Gonzalez to look strong on his way to a sixth round stoppage victory.
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