
Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez has praised his twin sparring partners Leonardo and Eduardo Baez ahead of their separate bouts on the Ring City USA card from Plaza del Quinto Centenario in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Thursday night.
Leonardo Baez 18-3 (9) will take on Carlos Caraballo Rodriguez 13-0 (13) while Eduardo Baez 18-1-2 (6) will clash with Abimael Ortiz 8-0-1 (4) in a pair of eight round bouts at super bantamweight.
Leonardo will be having his first fight since his seventh-round knockout loss to world title challenger Jason ‘Mayhem’ Moloney 21-2 (18) in Las Vegas last June. Eduardo was last in action in December when he won an eight-round unanimous decision over Narek Abgaryan 14-1 (6) in Freddie Roach’s carpark outside the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Gonzalez, who is less than two weeks removed from his disputed split decision loss to WBC and WBA super flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada, is expecting a strong showing from the twins.
“They are very strong, and they know how to combine their punches very well,” Gonzalez said during a media conference call. “On top of that, they have a great work ethic. They always push forward in the ring and have great conditioning, so that is a great factor.”
Gonzalez said the sparring with the Baez twins was the perfect preparation for his rematch with Estrada because they could mimic his style perfectly.
“Yes, definitely,” said Gonzalez. “The combination of punches and their strength. They’re very strong. They always push forward like Estrada also. They have great conditioning, which is definitely a great factor.”
Gonzalez still hasn’t watched the Estrada fight back in full, although he has viewed some small snippets.
“Only highlights,” said Gonzalez. “The game plan that we focused on in the gym was well executed, but the decision wasn’t there.
“I feel well. I feel happy and loved with my family. I am happy with the outcome of my preparation even though the decision wasn’t there.”