Tussle of the revered sub-flyweight midget beaters, 12 rounds at light-fly. The textbook technical mid/long-range perfection of Lopez against the slow-burning but skilled and inexorable forward march of Gonzalez. Can Lopez matador Gonzalez, light him up on the way in or drive him back, or does Roman edge and slip his way inside Ricardo's comfort zone and lay on the pressure with those heavy accurate combinations to head and body? Have at......
This is very very far from anything remotely of me being any kind of authority of this division. I've seen more of Lopez on film and I do favor him to the best of my knowledge to take a decision. Sorry I cant give you a better answer TR.
I don’t even want to...this is a rabbit hole. What I’d prefer (and sorry to hijack this but I need help!) is a dissection of their combined resumes at both 105 and 108 (and achievements) to decide who the greater fighter was? P4P: Chocolatito, clearly. But just up to 108? That’s a real debate IMO
Lopez was the better fighter and quite clearly for me but Chocolatito’s career is more impressive I think. I’d pick Finito at their respective bests via a close decision.
Love both fighters. But I think people forget that Finito struggled against Rosendo Alvarez twice and only winning narrowly in the rematch. Chocolatito was a much better version of Alvarez who also fought better competition and showed better inside skills. Hard to pick but I think Gonzalez would have edged Lopez, similar to his fight with Estrada.
Yeah I remember. I actually had Lopez edging Alvarez in the rematch. Alvarez should have been given the win in the first fight, mainly because of the KD.
They’re different fighters, Alvarez probably had the harder dig and a sharper overhand right, he also beat some excellent fighters down at 105. Of course, Gonzalez was far more skilled and versatile and had better defence and more punches in his arsenal. The overhand right is a punch I’ve always felt Lopez struggled to see.
I wouldn't argue that Alvarez hit a shade harder than Roman with one punch nor that his overhand right was a tad better. He was an excellent fighter and beat better fighters than Lopez did if anything. I thought he narrowly deserved the nod in the rematch as I recall it. You're right that Lopez was vulnerable to right hands, most of the notable Romanza fighters were imo, overhand or straight down the old pipe. Moreso than jabs and hooks at least, though it's hardly an uncommon vulnerability. Lopez, Rafa and especially Humberto. Even JMM was open to them though less so at his best than the aforementioned guys. Roman less so but I'd still say he was better at defending against hooks and such.
I think I'm favouring Gonzalez lads, thinking about it. Not by light years, but I think I'd have a few quid on him to turn the trick in a brilliant fight. It mostly hinges on if he could handle Lopez 's power I think and not shell up too much under fire on the occasions that Lopez has him in the long to mid-range firing zone. Keep his composure and tight guard to slip and shift in that minimalist way to mostly avoid the variety of Lopez 's offence and impose himself with his own precision, heavy combos and superior size/strength off the back of his overhand right. Up closer where Finito was more vulnerable. I reckon he could.