As days go by, things keep getting better and better for Román “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Gonzalez fulfilled a lifelong dream of performing in front of the world on premium cable when he made his HBO debut last Saturday and disposed of his opponent Edgar Sosa in less than six minutes. That victory has opened plenty of doors for Gonzalez such as more potential fights on HBO, bigger money for fights, worldwide recognition of his skills, and most recently moving up to the number two position in the Ring Magazine pound for pound rankings, but it was not an easy road to get to where he’s at today.
Throughout his career, Gonzalez has had many obstacles in his way to keep him out of the spotlight. One of the main obstacles was his size. Small fighters do not get the recognition that fighters from bantamweight or higher end up receiving. Gonzalez also hails from a country with a small population in comparison to its land size. Aside from his countrymen and other Latin countries and Japan, he did not have the support that he needed to reach stardom, but it has not stopped him and has pushed him even harder. Things changed though for Gonzalez when there was a shift in who would promote him and a change in management. When Carlos Blandon took over managing Gonzalez, he was able to secure a title shot for Gonzalez in Japan, which would get Gonzalez his third title in three different divisions. Since that victory, things have gotten better and better.
Who would have thought that a small fighter would be at the point to be next in line to become the pound- for- pound king of the world in boxing? It just goes to show that with hard work, talent, will, determination, and the right people looking out for you, the sky is not the limit.
