Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Nicaragua, a country known for its large scale green mountains, its beautiful volcanoes and of course one of the best tasting rums (Flor de Caña) I have ever tasted if I do say so myself.
Nicaragua is also the largest country in Central America, so to hear that its biggest star is only 5’3″ and 112 pounds, might come as a bit of a shock. Roman “El Chocolatito” Gonzalez is easily the best boxer you don’t know about. Ranked by Ring Magazine as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Gonzalez is also a three-division champion. A feat matched by hall-of-fame boxer and former mentor to Gonzalez, Alexis Arguello.
Who Is Roman Gonzalez?
Born and raised in poverty stricken Managua, Nicaragua, Gonzalez grew up loving the sport of boxing and watching his soon-to-be friend and mentor Alexis Arguello. At a young age, Chocolatito stood out amongst other prospect fighters and he will be the first one to tell you that he wouldn’t be where he’s at today if it wasn’t for Arguello. I was able to catch up with Gonzalez recently while in Nicaragua and one of the topics he was most passionate about was his early years learning from Arguello.
“He [Arguello] was one of the first people to help me when I got started. He taught me my first combinations and footwork. I was like his son and he was like my father. I was crowned the Central American champion and he was there to train me. I turned pro when I was 16 and had my first professional fight and he was there for it,” said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez looks to continue in his mentors footsteps by becoming one of the best in the world and he is definitely on pace to do so. His last fight really introduced him to the some of the fans here in the U.S. on the undercard of the Gennady Golovkin vs. Willie Monroe bout. Gonzalez scored a very impressive second round knockout over Edgar Sosa in front of a electrifying crowd at The Forum in L.A.
Watching the fight with about 10 other “casual” fans who did not have a clue who Roman Gonzalez was, it was impressive to notice that as the bouts came to a close, all they were asking about was when Gonzalez would be fighting again.
Dan Rafael of ESPN recently confirmed that Gonzalez will be fighting on another electrifying undercard when Gennady Golovkin takes on David Lemieux in October at Madison Square Garden.
Gonzalez’s opponent has not been confirmed, but Chocolatito is ready for whoever steps up to the plate. “No matter where or who I fight just know that I will be ready,” said Gonzalez.
When asked if he preferred fighting in the States more than his home country or in Japan, Chocolatito pointed out that he enjoys fighting in all places for different reasons.
“I love fighting here at home. My family and friends are here and this is where it all started. I also love fighting in Japan because it is such a beautiful country. Honestly, at the end of the day this is a business and I will fight wherever I can make good money at. I loved fighting on HBO and in Los Angeles. I would love to do it again,” said Gonzalez.
Regardless of if this is your introduction to the Nica superstar or if you’ve been following him since the beginning, know that the future looks bright for El Chocolatito and he plans to keep on entertaining all of his current fans, while gaining new ones as well.
Here’s is our full interview with Gonzalez where he speaks on his times with Alexis Arguello, his aspirations in boxing, and his future bouts. One thing I can tell you for sure just from speaking with him for half an hour, is that Roman Gonzalez is one of the most humble fighters out there and one of his main focus is pleasing his fans.
“I train everyday like a champion. I stay in shape all year round and train everyday. I do it for my fans. I thank god that I am fortunate enough to have fought all around the world and have been able to make it to this level of the sport. I thank my fans for helping me achieve this,” said Gonzalez.
