2 of my all time favorites. To me this would be like 2 versions of Alexis Arguello fighting against each other. The pressure style version (Gonzalez) against the boxer-puncher version (Arbachakov). Hard to pick between these guys. Gonzalez has beaten better quality fighters, but Arbachakov was such a fine technician and looked almost perfect when on form. Gonzalez's swarming attack could play into Arbachakov's power and counterpunching, but Yuri had the tendency to be on cruise control from time to time. I'll pick either Chocolatito in a very close decision or Arbachakov KO. Arbachakov's right hand was like a missile, a punch that I don't think Chocolatito could survive from honestly.
Very difficult to know how Yuri would perform against truly elite opposition because he never bothered. Assuming he would look as good as he does against moderate opposition I think he’d drop a close decision here. But he might just snap.
I've seen more of Chocolatito, but I've seen quite a bit of both guys. Both have super fun styles, and both were uber-skilled. Chocolatito seems to be a bit more gifted athletically, and I'd say Yuri was a bit more skilled. Either way, it's a super close match up. I tend to think Chocolatito's pressure wins the day as it always did. His footwork is good enough, and more importantly quick enough, to keep on Arbachakov, and his head-movement may keep him safe when closing the gap from mid-range. Yuri's fine-tuned offence could cause disaster for Gonzalez, though. Those short, compact shovel hooks to the body would smash an incoming target to pieces. So would his nasty, counter right-hand. Yuri's defence was also pretty good, he slipped and parried beautifully. Interesting point re: Yuri's power. I actually don't think it's a huge factor here, since Arbachakov's hands offer no guarantee of holding up. Plus, even if they did I doubt he hits harder than Rungvisai. Srisaket is a collosal puncher, and aside from getting caught cold, Chocolatito took some massive shots off him in their first encounter. Although, there's literally no guarantee at all that Roman can take the shot which first iced Kittakesm. Ultimately this is a boxer-puncher vs a swarmer, and when the boxer-puncher doesn't have the power to put off, or in this case stop, the swarmer, I pick the swarmer. So ultimately, my pick does come down to whether Chocolatito can take Yuri's power. Chocolatito SD12
