Winston Guerrero can partially thank Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez for his unblemished record.
Now he hopes to blaze his own trail as a top fighter from Nicaragua.
Guerrero remained unbeaten on Saturday, June 29, defeating Wilver Hernandez in a clash of unbeaten fighters at Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort in Miami, Florida. Scores were 79-73, 79-73, and 78-74 for Guerrero, who improved to 21-0, 13 knockouts.
Hernandez was game, but Guerrero was the more effective fighter, outboxing Hernandez throughout much of the competitive fight.
William Ramirez, who manages Guerrero was impressed with the victory, and more so with Guerrero’s improving skill-set.
“It was a very good fight, but Winston was the better fighter,” Ramirez told The Ring last week. “He has gotten better over the last several months. What I’ve been impressed with is Winston is deceptively quick and able to find openings. I’m pleased with his progress.”
Part of Guerrero’s development may be the number of times he has sparred with Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, the four weight-division world titleholder. The sparring sessions took place in Managua, Nicaragua, where both reside.
Ramirez noted some of the mannerisms of Guerrero are from Gonzalez, whether by the sparring sessions or by watching Gonzalez’s fights.
“When you watch Winston fight, there are things you see that remind you of ‘Chocolatito,” said Ramirez, who also manages flyweight contender Felix Alvarado. “The left hook to the body. Winston likes to throw and land that punch. The ability to set up punches. Throwing and landing combinations. Winston looks up to ‘Chocolatito’ and has adopted some of his attributes to his skillset.”
Saturday marked Guerrero’s first fight of this year. In his previous fight on December 1, the 23-year-old knocked out once-beaten Charlie Clemente-Medina in the third round. Guerrero won a regional title belt at 115 pounds.
Guerrero has mostly fought at or near 118 pounds, but weighed in at 121.5 pounds for the Hernandez fight on Saturday.
Ramirez hopes Guerrero would be able to campaign at 115 pounds, given his 5’6” frame, and is at his best fighting at that weight.
“Winston believes he is both strong and quicker at either 115 or 118 pounds,” said Ramirez. “As a team, we will make a decision as to what weight Winston will fight at, and he’s also still growing. That’s something we have to factor in.”
A possible return to the ring for Guerrero is targeted for September. Ramirez hopes Guerrero is eventually able to fight on a significant platform.
“We’re keeping our options open. I hope he’s able to fight soon and often this year. We’re looking at any and all opportunities. If not, we will keep him active until a significant opportunity comes our way.”
Hernandez, who is originally from Acayucan, Mexico and currently lives and trains in Kansas City, Missouri, falls to 8-1, 2 KOs.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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