Being compared to a legend like Floyd Mayweather can elevate a boxer to the upper echelon of the sport. Super lightweight prospect Hendri Cedeno (15-0) of the Dominican Republic appears to have earned that distinction during his clash with Luis Hernandez Ramos on the Most Valuable Prospects 10 card at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Florida.

‘La Bazuca’ Cedeno showcased his sharp jab and rapid hands to put himself a level above his Mexican opponent, claiming victory after eight rounds via a unanimous decision. The fight was scored 79-73, 78-74, 79-73 after Cedeno bombarded Ramos’ head back with a third-round blow and knocked out his mouthpiece in the fifth round. However, that’s not why fans are talking about him.

Hendri Cedeno: Smiling through the storm

After the fight on the undercard of Antonio Vargas vs. Winston Guerrero wrapped up, Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, the event organizers, shared a clip from Cedeno and Ramos’ bout on Instagram. They captioned the post, “He was SMILING the whole time.” As the caption suggests, Cedeno remained as calm as a cucumber throughout the fight.

During one of their exchanges, while Ramos unleashed combinations and landed heavy blows on the 26-year-old, ‘La Bazuca’ was all smiles—completely unfazed, as if he wasn’t in the middle of a boxing match. This marked Cedeno’s fourth eight-round fight and the fourth time he went the distance.

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Notably, he is coming off a fifth-round stoppage win over Enriko Gogokhia in September. Regardless, his unshakable composure and infectious smiles seem to have stunned the boxing world, sparking a flurry of chatter in the comment section of the post.

Floyd Mayweather must be proud

Cedeno’s surprising actions during the fight didn’t take long to get heads turning. One user felt despite his smiles, the 26-year-old was getting beaten up. “Idk why he’s getting his a** whooped,” the user wrote. There doesn’t seem to be much power behind Ramos’ punches, plus, if you look closer, a lot of Ramos’ punches were either blocked by Cedeno’s hand or grazed past the 26-year-old.

The next user seems to have had similar feelings. “Did he win lol,” the user asked. As mentioned before, Cedeno won the fight very comfortably on all three judges’ scorecards.

Someone else praised Cedeno’s defense, suggesting that’s why he was smiling. “That was good defense that’s why,” the user commented. Notably, boxers often use such tactics to taunt their opponents and force them to make a mistake.

Another user compared Cedeno to legendary Floyd Mayweather. “Mini Floyd Mayweather,” the user wrote. ‘Money’ was notorious for staying out of reach and his counterpunching abilities.

One user speculated Cedeno was smiling because of a special reason. “Loves it,” the user wrote, emphasizing Cedeno’s love for the sport. However, only Cedeno knows the real reason he was all smiles during the bout. 

That being said, Hendri Cedeno seems to have caught the public eye with his latest fight against Luis Hernandez Ramos. Now, the question is, what will he do next? What did you think about Cedeno’s grin during the bout?