Super bantamweight Danny Roman (12-2-1, 5 KOs) recently took in a world-class boxing lesson, courtesy of three intense sparring sessions totaling sixteen rounds against Leo Santa Cruz.
“Defensively, Leo was spectacular,” said Roman, who fights the veteran Giovanni Caro in Friday’s 8-round “Locked n’ Loaded” co-main event from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif. “Half way through our first sparring session, it finally hit me. I’m going at it with a world champion.
“I was excited, but not anxious. I learned how to keep my distance, but still be active. Leo can pour it on basically whenever he wants. I learned a lot and it definitely was a confidence booster.”
The 24-year-old Roman lives and trains in Los Angeles and has been feverishly preparing for his toughest fight to date. Caro (23-14-4, 19 KOs) is far more experienced than Roman, and has a frustrating style to adjust to.
“Caro likes to charge at you,” said Roman, who signed with Thompson Boxing earlier this year. “We won’t be standing in the same place for very long. The key is to move into areas that we like and go from there. It’s going to be a tough fight, but one that I can win.”
Roman is coming off an 8-round unanimous decision win in March in which he dropped Miguel Tamayo in rounds four and six. He likes to work off his jab and hit the body early and often. Trained and managed by Eddie Gonzalez, Roman is beginning to hit his stride as a professional.
“Roman is starting to learn how to control the pace of a fight,” Gonzalez said. “It’s something that we’ve been working on. He knows how to time opponents now better than before, and he’s starting to change the complexion of a fight by landing more combinations.”
Roman-Caro precedes the “Locked n’ Loaded” main event, which features lightweight standout Jose Roman (19-1-1, 13 KOs) against Martin Cardona (18-4, 13 KOs).anny R
