Over the weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, live on DAZN, Golden Boy prospect Cayden Griffiths earned his eighth victory as he continues to grow his fan base in Southern California.
The 19-year-old Griffiths (8-0, 7 KOs), who lives in Coachella Valley, CA, quickly defeated Omar Munguia by knocking him out in the first round. Griffiths has a powerful punch, which has helped his fanbase grow rapidly as he competes in the welterweight division. His future in the sport will depend on his trainers, brothers Joel and Antonio Diaz, who are highly regarded as two of the best in boxing.
After Griffiths’ first-round knockout, I asked Joel Diaz what he thought about his young fighter’s performance, even though it lasted only one round.
“He’s learning, maturing with each fight and growing in the sport,” Diaz told FightsATW. “He started young and now, with eight fights, he’s learning to correct his mistakes after every fight. Obviously, there’s still a lot of room to learn, but he is only getting better. We go back after every fight and talk about the mistakes, what to do, and what not to do. We’re just trying to groom him after every fight.”
One thing that fans and media have noticed about Griffiths early on is that he throws every punch with the same speed and intensity, which isn’t a good thing because it can cause him to wear out early in the fight. I asked Diaz about that and whether it’s something that was discussed and worked on for this training camp, as Griffiths showed more patience and better punch selection on Saturday night.
“Actually, that’s something we talked about today,” said Diaz. “I told him not to smother himself. Get in there, be smart, patient, and try not to throw too many punches early on; you have eight rounds. In the beginning, you need to time your opponent and be patient. Start slow but be cautious.”
Since Griffiths only fought for one round and didn’t have a scratch on him, could he realistically return around Cinco de Mayo weekend if the opportunity arises? “This kid will be back in the gym on Monday. If there’s something in May and Golden Boy gives us the opportunity, we’ll be more than ready.”
Griffiths has a long career ahead of him, but there’s potential, and with the Diaz brothers backing him, he might become a well-known name in the sport within the next two years.
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