What to expect from Nico Hernandez’s professional debut

Sean Wheelock estimates he has commentated around 3,000 combat sport bouts for television in his announcing career.

He says he has watched countless careers of promising fighters begin against outmatched opponents who are there to avoid serious injury and collect a paycheck, but that isn’t the case for Saturday night’s six-round, flyweight main event pitting Wichita’s Nico Hernandez against Patrick Gutierrez.

Friday was the official weigh-in for the bout, as the main-event fighters posed for pictures and exchanged some mild-mannered trash talk on stage in front of about 100 onlookers at the Kansas Star Arena.

“Patrick Gutierrez is not that kid,” said Wheelock, who will be a part of the broadcast team for CBS Sports Network on Saturday. “He sees this as the biggest moment of his life and he thinks he has the style and the game plan to win this fight, even if it is against an Olympic bronze medalist.”

Gutierrez, who has lost both of his professional fights, doesn’t have a decade of experience in amateur boxing like Hernandez. But amateur success doesn’t always translate to professional success, as Wheelock called amateur boxing “almost a different sport” from its professional counterpart.

But the one thing that should translate is Hernandez’s punching power, especially now the gloves become smaller and the headgear comes off.

“I’m excited to put on the little gloves,” Hernandez said. “I think it makes me better because they’re going to be able to feel my punches more and I’m going to be faster with the lighter gloves. Of course it’s going to hurt more if I get hit, but I don’t plan on getting hit (Saturday) night.”

“For someone making his debut at 115 pounds, he throws punches like someone who is 20-25 pounds bigger,” Wheelock said. “He doesn’t just hit the body, he rips the body with his punches.”

Gutierrez knows he isn’t likely to win by trading power shots with Hernandez, so he will attempt to counter with straight punches when Hernandez becomes aggressive. Avoiding flurries with Hernandez will also be crucial to Gutierrez, as he knows that will likely end with Hernandez on top.

He views Saturday’s fight as a chance of a lifetime.

“They picked me because of my record, but he’ll find out who I am (Saturday) night,” Gutierrez said. “I’ve been an underdog my whole life, so I’m used to upsetting people. This will be the biggest moment of my life, no doubt.”

Although the match doubles in length for Hernandez (from three rounds to six) and the gloves become smaller, Hernandez says he isn’t changing much of his game plan for his professional debut.

He has won at every level of boxing and he plans on making professional the next.

“I just have to be myself out there,” Hernandez said. “I have to be fast and be sharp and adapt and then the rest will take care of itself.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 6:51 PM with the headline "What to expect from Nico Hernandez’s professional debut."