Roman Gonzalez, “El Chocolatito” started boxing at the age of twelve. He knew boxing was the sport for him because it ran in his blood. His father and uncles were boxers. His father started showing him how to throw punches and he fell in love with the sport. Roman turned pro at the age of 17 and you could say the rest is history but Roman is far from done in the boxing business.
In the beginning of Gonzalez’ career he faced what could have put a tremendous amount of doubt into his mind… he was knocked down in the first round of his fight against Roberto Meza from Chinandega, Nicaragua. Gonzalez was able to regroup himself and knock Meza down three times and KO him within that same round. But what was going through his head? The first knockdown of a young fighter’s career can be devastating. “I was scared at the moment. I was able to regroup myself, analyze the situation and use my strength to knock him out,” said Gonzalez.
In a career so bright there are two moments that stand out and mean the most to Gonzalez. His first title win over Yutaka Niida from Japan in the minimal weight division back in 2008 and one of his most recent bouts with Mexico’s Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada. “I demonstrated that I had the strength to endure that battle and come out victorious.”
In Gonzalez’ most recent fight he had moved up in weight. Not because he wanted to but more because there was no other choice. None of the top fighters in the division wanted to fight him. “They think I will beat them so they don’t want to fight with me,” said Gonzalez. Can he make 108 pounds still? Of course he can but there are not really any opportunities for him. But there are opportunities for him at 112 pounds. One of the biggest fights that can be made for Gonzalez right now is against one of the last opponents that he defeated, “El Gallo” Estrada. “We offered to fight Estrada at 112 pounds but he does not want the fight,” said Gonzalez. With Estrada turning down the fight, Gonzalez is considering not even fighting at 112 pounds even though he felt good and powerful at the weight.
A fight against Brian Viloria is still possible but how would it go? Gonzalez is sure that if Estrada was able to do that much damage to Viloria, then he could knock out Viloria.
Recent rumors have swirled around on the internet about a possible fight between Gonzalez and Akira Yaegashi from Japan. Gonzalez confirmed these rumors in a recent phone interview. “It is in the process. We are seeing if it is going to go through or not.” A fight of this caliber would be big in Nicaragua but it would also be really big in Japan where one of Gonzalez’ promoters is located. Gonzalez gets paid very well and is very well respected in Japan.
As bright of a star as Gonzalez is, he still lacks exposure by the big premium networks in the U.S., HBO and Showtime. Gonzalez has been pushing to get onto the networks but to no avail and still gets ignored by the big networks. The fan base is there for Gonzalez, not just Nicaraguenses but most to all Latin cultures love the guy. He has a tremendous amount of heart, power and passion. He has beaten everyone put in front of him and has a KO percentage of 82. “We would love to come out on Showtime and HBO. It hasn’t happened yet but we believe in time we will,” said an enthusiastic Gonzalez.
Roman Gonzalez came from humble beginnings and stays humble to this day. He is not out there flaunting money or doing anything to embarrass himself. In his spare time he goes out with his wife and kids and loves to receive the word of God at Mass (church).
