Roman Gonzalez: Is There a Superfight for “Chocolatito”?
By Tony “The Fighting Writer” Luis
I consider myself a boxing purist. Someone who is more informed than your average fan, because I live the lifestyle of a fighter and have become well-accustomed to the business side of the sport. I can appreciate different styles of combat, understanding the little things that set up the big things, inside the squared circle. My entertainment for the sport doesn’t depend strictly on blood and guts battles. My interest in the sport doesn’t just depend on a big name being involved. I’m aware that the fighter signed by a big network with big promotional backing, isn’t always better then the fighter who isn’t signed by a big network with big promotional backing. Cream always rises to the top, so they say. If you’re good, people will know, sooner or later. Hard work, dedication, God-given talent, and also a little bit of luck. Being in the right place at the right time.
On October 17, 2015, WBC Flyweight titleholder and Ring Lineal champion, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez was in the right place at the right time. With the HBO PPV platform to display his world-class skills, as co-feature to Gennady Golovkin-David Lemieux, now was his chance to gain his long-awaited recognition and bring some popularity back to the small weight classes. Golovkin-Lemieux was not the superfight fans had hoped for but I was happy I doled out my hard-earned money to watch it, because, I got to witness another outstanding fighter in his prime, for the first time, and found a new fighter to follow. Watching Gonzalez whip former Olympian and still very credible Brian Viloria was a thing of beauty and worth every cent. Furthermore, for the first time in a long time, I was ashamed I had only discovered this incredible fighter now, 10 years into his career. How did I miss the rise of a 3 division world champion with a 44-0, 38 KO’s record? Luckily, I don’t have to put all the blame on myself.
Like many before Roman Gonzalez, it is very difficult, and in some cases, nearly impossible, for a fighter below 126 pounds, from a poor foreign country, to enjoy the kind of media attention and notoriety, some of the top fighters in the higher weight classes enjoy. Though one could not deny the skills of Ricardo Lopez, or the excitement that Michael Carbajal provided, those are exceptions, not the norm, for small fighters. Most of them slip under our radar, fighting their hearts out and perfecting their skill sets, for menial paydays on low budget cards, with little to no publicity. They retire with stellar resumes and accolades but still ultimately unnoticed by the majority of boxing fans, and little to show financially for their efforts. It is unfair and sadly common practice in boxing, to under-publicize and under-pay the sport’s smallest warriors. So when one does find himself on your HD flatscreen, you know you’re about to watch somebody special.
Thankfully, the man they call Chocolatito, is becoming a regular on HBO and fans will have the pleasure of seeing him perform again on April 23, as co-feature to Gennady Golovkin-Dominic Wade. If you haven’t seen him yet, you can expect this young fiery champion from Nicaragua to display skills that will make you reminisce of his predecessor, the late great Alexis Arguello. But he is not a mere carbon copy. This kid is the complete package, who fights equally well on the inside as he does on the outside. His brutal arsenal of punches, ring generalship and combination punching is on par with the best in the sport.
His good looks, humbleness, charismatic personality, and ability to dominate opponents and still be exciting, is the mark of not only a great fighter, but a marketable fighter who deserves paydays that the other stars of the sport get, regardless of his weight. Assuming Chocolatito wins his next fight, who is there to offer him the kind of challenge one could call a real superfight? In and around his weight of 112 pounds, that will be hard to find. But another fighter, just 10 pounds north of Chocolatito, and yearning for recognition himself, is one Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux. Rigo barely hovers over the Junior Featherweight limit between fights, and rumors circulate that making 118 pounds wouldn’t take much sacrifice on his part. Since Rigo’s plans of garnering a payday vs Lomachenko have fallen apart, due to him not wanting to compromise on weight, perhaps he will concede to dropping a few pounds, and still enjoy a size advantage, while Choco moves up a few pounds?
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