Ringside Report Picks the Top Five Best Matches for Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez
WBC Super Flyweight Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, 46-0, 38 KO’s was recently presented with an offer to meet WBO king Naoya “The Monster” Inoue, 11-0, 9 KO’s in a mega-showdown clash to unify the titles. Gonzalez is represented by Teiken Promotions, while Inoue’s promoter has close ties to the head of Teiken.
However, boxing’s pound-for-pound king Gonzalez is not happy with the money that is being offered for some possible fights, and believes he can make more money by giving Carlos Cuadras a rematch. “I do not care if Estrada asks me for a rematch. If he is not going to offer me good money, it won’t happen.
A rematch with Cuadras would be tremendous, there would be more money. I do not know if people from HBO are interested in a fight with Inoue in the United States. I’ve been offered a fight with Inoue, but with a low purse, which does not suit me. The problem is the purse. It all depends on the people from HBO”.
The Super Flyweight division is heating up and the list of options for Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez continues to grow. Here are the top five options for best fighter in the world today.
5. Luis Concepcion, 35-4, 24 KO’s is the current WBA Super Flyweight champion, who defeated Kohei Kono last month for the title. The Panamanian started at super-flyweight (where Gonzalez just won the WBC world title) though dropped down to flyweight in 2008 and picked up an interim world title. However, he twice fell short when attempting to WBA Flyweight championship against Hernan Marquez. Nevertheless, he did avenge those two losses at 115lbs when he defeated Marquez for the interim WBA Super Flyweight belt.
4. Shinsuke Yamanaka 26-0-2, 18 KO’s is the current WBC Bantamweight Champion and is ranked 9th in the pound for pound listings. Probably the most unlikely option on this list, but maybe the most fascinating. Gonzalez, Nicaragua’s first ever four-weight world champion, may be interested in winning number five. Yamanaka, who has made eleven successful title defenses, reigns supreme at bantamweight with his WBC belt and is coming off a thrilling stoppage win over Anselmo Moreno.
3. Carlos Cuadras, 35-1-1, 27 KO’s is the former WBC Super Flyweight Champion, who just lost his belt to “Chocolatito” earlier this month. Despite the unanimous decision win for Gonzalez, the twelve-round war was undeniably close and arguably the hardest the Nicaraguan has been pushed so far in his forty-six fight career. Gonzalez, with his face swollen and his energy reserves maxed out at the final bell, had to dig deep to defeat a naturally bigger man.
2. Juan Francisco Estrada, 33-2, 24 KO’s is the former WBA (unified) and WBO Flyweight champion. In 2012, the Mexican dropped a unanimous decision to Gonzalez for the WBA light-flyweight title in another barnburner. In his last fight a year ago, Estrada defeated Hernan Marquez by technical knockout (TKO 10) in a title defense of his titles. Since then, he has taken some time off from boxing due to surgery on his right hand.
1. Naoya “The Monster” Inoue, 11-0, 9 KO’S may be biggest top secret in the boxing world. A mega-shown down between Gonzalez and Inoue would be a clash between two multi-weight undefeated champions and undoubtedly two of the most outstanding fighters in the world. The 23-year old Inoue is already a two weight world champion. In 2014 he captured the WBC Light-Flyweight belt, beating current WBA champion Ryoichi Taguchi along the way. He then leapfrogged the flyweight division (which Gonzalez was ruling at the time) and blitzed WBO super-flyweight champion Omar Andres Narvaez in two rounds.
Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez has many fighters knocking on his door nowadays. Remaining the pound-for-pound king in boxing may become a little more difficult if he were to face any of these five fighters.
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