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On September 10, 2016, flyweight superstar Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0 38 KOs) will face off against WBC World Superflyweight Champion Carlos “Principe (The Prince)” Cuadras (35-0-1 27 KOs).
Chocolatito faces tough competition in Carlos Cuadras, as he is facing a heavy-handed champion in a weight-class above his current class.
He has a great amount to gain from defeating The Prince; depending on the Brook vs. Golovkin outcome, Chocolatito could remain the No. 1 pound for fighter in the world with a victory here.
Keep reading for three keys to Roman Gonzalez’s victory over Carlos Cuadras.
1. Fight Your Fight, not His
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Carlos “The Prince” Cuadras has an ability that I have only seen a handful of fighters exhibit. He has the both the power and intensity to force his opponent to completely abandon their original game plan and brawl with the more powerful Cuadras.
This skill was shown in his eighth round TKO of Richie Mepranum. Prior to facing Cuadras, Mepranum was primarily a boxer, only ending eight of his 31 victories in a knockout.
In his clash with The Prince however, Cuadras forced him to exchange on the inside and forced him against the ropes for most of the bout.
After teeing off on Mepranum for eight rounds, the referee saw no reason to further the punishment Mepranum was taking and called the bout before the start of the ninth.
In order for Roman Gonzalez to avoid ending the night looking like Richie Mepranum, he will have to match Carlos Cuadras’ intensity by punishing him with heavier blows and quickly sliding out of his opponent’s reach whenever Cuadras attempts to force his way inside.
2. Stay Outside
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Unlike other greats who have exhibited the ability to force others, such as “Iron” Mike Tyson, Carlos “The Prince” Cuadras lacks one skill that could prove to be his downfall: he does not set up his punches.
Mike Tyson, although feared for his shocking power punches, was known at a time to have the best jab in the boxing business. In other words, Tyson was not just a left hook, or a right uppercut, he had an entire arsenal and knew how to set it up for maximum effectiveness.
Cuadras is not like this however. In his bout against Richie Mepranum, he fired off a great amount of punches, but not often his jab. Instead of sneaking inside Mepranum’s reach under his jab, The Prince muscled his way inside on Mepranum behind his uppercut.
If Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez can keep Cuadras outside with his one-two combinations and circle out of the corners, his opponent will have a difficult time landing any lasting punches and find himself frustrated.
3. Keep Active/Build up your Damage
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Although he has phenomenal intensity and solid power, Carlos “The Prince” Cuadras’ weakness is that he is not proficient at remaining defensively sound, especially when pressing his attack.
When Cuadras begins to press his attack, he drops his hands to his waist to and try to coax his opponent into opening up so he can fire off a barrage of uppercuts.
In doing this however, he leaves himself wide open to straight, shorter punches. This defensive lapse can be exploited easily given Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez’s speed, power and natural counter-punching style.
If Gonzalez can make Cuadras take short powerful shots to the body and jaw, it will add up as the rounds progress. As Cuadras continues walking into Chocolatito’s punches throughout the fight, The Prince will be forced to abandon his offense and cover up.
If Chocolatito can wear down the chin of his opponent, as the fight continues, he can eventually wear down his opponents will as well and come out of the night victorious.
