Undefeated flyweight world champion, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0 38KO) has been making a statement in the world of boxing. The fighter from Nicaragua has been captivating interest and giving recognition towards the often looked down upon lower divisions in boxing. When boxing is most sought after, fans generally turn to watch epic encounters and pay per view events that the higher divisions have on offer. However, there is just as much action and talent in the lower divisions. Gonzalez has fought his way out of poverty back home in Nicaragua to rise to the pinnacle of the sport, he has been said to be the best in the business by effectively everyone.
The current flyweight scene has some highly rated fighters and prospects that are yet unbeknown to the general boxing audience. There are some amazing potential match ups on the horizon that hardcore fans are roaring for. Roman Gonzalez has been the recent catalyst of the spark to the lower divisions and now pundits and fans are keeping a close eye on the division as there may be another pound-for-pound fighter around the corner.
Chocolatito has reached superstar status in his hometown of Nicaragua, and hopes to be involved in bigger events to come. Gonzalez was recently the co-star to middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and he claims that his time will eventually come, when he can top his own televised bill on a major network and be the star of the show. Gonzalez was also the co-main to Golovkin’s fight with David Lemieux in October and in both outing’s impressed the audience.
It is without question that if Gonzalez was in a higher weight class he would be the main attraction in every event. In my personal opinion, I feel that this is due to the fact that there aren’t many other pound-for-pound fighters in the lower divisions that we yet know of. That is where Gonzalez comes to play, in the upper echelons of the pound-for-pound rankings and belonging to a lower division in the sport, he is certainly giving the less sought after divisions some recognition in the sport of boxing.
“It motivates me because God gives me the will to win on Saturday,” Gonzalez said to ESPN. “I know that after my fight [with McWilliams Arroyo] there will be a lot higher purses and bigger fights, and that motivates me.” It seems inevitable that Gonzalez will soon hit the commercial sides of boxing, all he has to do is keep winning and retaining his status as the best fighter in the world.
This proves to show that within every division stars can be made, to generate revenue and assemble cult like followings that Gonzalez currently has. Gonzalez, who is without a doubt the best fighter to have ever graced Nicaragua, alongside his late and great mentor Alexis Arguello, was the main reason that last Saturday’s event at the Forum was sold out. Yet the question still stands, when can Chocolatito, along with other fighters from lower weight classes top their own pay per view bills. The answer? Not very much longer.
Despite the fact that Gonzalez, who has captured world titles at both strawweight and junior flyweight, is accepting and content at what he is doing at the moment, he does want to be on the top of his own bill and be the main attraction.
I believe in due time we will be seeing Gonzalez as well as the likes of the other talents and prospects in the lower divisions topping bills at iconic venues around the world.
While the smaller divisions get less recognition and promotion than others, Gonzalez has made strides in getting the lesser known, yet highly rated fighters, have their dream to also feature on a huge card and get the acknowledgement they deserve.
– Armaan Hussain / @armaticc
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