Junior welterweight prospect Cain Sandoval had been preparing to meet fellow unbeaten Jesus Madueno this coming Saturday when the call came in last week that a new opponent was being sought. Madueno was out, citing unforeseen family circumstances, something that Sandoval himself is unfortunately no stranger to, but the show must go on. Luckily for Sandoval and his fans, the Sacramento native will still get to ply his trade this weekend, as he takes on veteran Yonathan Eniz as part of the UFC Fight Pass-broadcasted event from the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.
Sandoval (15-0, 13 KOs) of Sacramento, California was in the midst of winding down his second full camp with new trainer, Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, preparing to take on Madueno and his flashy record of 21-0, when the change had to be made. Although Madueno would have been taking a major step-up in competition by meeting Sandoval, the ability to take someone’s “O” is always a great motivator.
“Honestly, there was a little letdown and a little anxiety,” admits Sandoval regarding the change in opposition. “I had been getting ready for that guy for so long. My job is to go out there and beat whomever they put in front of me. It is not my job to pick or choose my fights. It was a last minute replacement, but it is all good and I am going to go out there and get the job done.”
Eniz (36-22-1, 17 KOs) of Dolores, Buenos Aires, Argentina is not only a much more experienced fighter than Madueno, but also a southpaw instead of an orthodox fighter. The last minute change did not rattle Sandoval however.
“This camp, I didn’t just spar orthodox fighters, I sparred southpaws too,” explains Sandoval. “I didn’t discriminate. I didn’t do that this camp and I’ve never done that in my career as a matter of fact. So it is nothing to me that he is a southpaw and shorter [than my original opponent] too. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Despite the crooked number in his loss column, Eniz has gone rounds with many unbeaten fighters on the rise and one of the few to stop him eventually became a world champion in Subriel Matias. While a win over the Argentinian might not look as showy at first glance in the record books, it would provide a gauge of where Sandoval stands amongst the other contenders and prospects that have met Eniz in the past.
“I saw he fought Subriel Matias, who knocked him out,” says Sandoval, who admittedly does not do a deep dive to study his opponents. “But he’s been in there at that level with champions and world title challengers and I want to show that I am on that level with those guys and beat him in the same fashion.”
In his last fight, the first with a full camp with Roach at Wild Card, Sandoval scored a fourth-round knockout of Mark Bernaldez at the Chumash Casino Resort. While everything went smooth on fight night, Sandoval had to work hard in camp to get on weight. Originally slated to fight last December, Sandoval had to withdraw from the event early in the promotion to take care of his ailing daughter. With the extended absence from the ring and time away from the gym, Sandoval understandably got heavy between fights.
“After everything that happened with my daughter, I wasn’t training at all,” recalls Sandoval, whose daughter is progressing in her recovery from leukemia. “So for my last camp, it was hard to cut the weight. Due to my daughter, I was at the hospital with her for weeks at a time. I took time away from the gym and I got down into a dark place mentally. It took me a little while to get back from that. But for this camp, it was much better. I am back mentally and physically.”
On Saturday, three of Freddie Roach’s star pupils will all be sharing the bill, as along with Sandoval, Gor Yeritsyan and main eventer Callum Walsh will also take to the ring. The trio all fight between 140 and 154-pounds, so to have all three training alongside one another and peaking simultaneously is a great benefit to each fighter.
“This is my second camp with Freddie and my first camp with Callum,” explains Sandoval, who was able to stay close to weight between camps this time around. “It has been great sparring with him and working alongside him, fighting on the same event. “With Callum, Gor and I, I see us as like a Fantastic Four kind of. I have sparring every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the top people here in L.A. People from all around the world come here to spar too. It has probably been my best camp so far.”
With the best camp of his career winding down, Sandoval is confident that he will put on a show this coming Saturday in Santa Ynez.
“Honestly, I do [see this potentially as a short night.] I feel like I am too powerful, too smart and too fast for this guy,” says Sandoval of the Eniz match-up. “I don’t know exactly what is coming, but my job is going out there to get that win and whatever happens, happens, but I am going to knock him out.”
Photos by Lina Baker/360 Promotions
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
