In boxing, spread throughout the weight classes, some fighters become champions multiple times, but a select few reach the elite status to become a legend amongst mere mortals. Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (51-4, 41 KOs) is a man whose career has been filled with a high level of success from minimumweight to super flyweight in a career that has spanned over 19 years. As the 37-year-old Gonzalez from Managua, Nicaragua approaches the end of his career, he looks to add another title before he leaves the sport for good. On July 12, streaming on ESPN+, Gonzalez faces veteran Rober Barrera (27-5, 17 KOs) of Monteria, Columbia, at a contracted weight of 117 pounds, a pound under the bantamweight limit.
It’s been 19 months since Gonzalez last stepped into the ring: a much-debated majority decision loss to Juan Francisco ‘Gallo’ Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs), the last fight in their legendary trilogy. Afterward, Gonzalez was rumored to be part of several fights, but time passed, and nothing came to fruition. Boxing fans wondered what happened to Gonzalez as they missed seeing the future hall of famer in the ring. FightsATW checked in with Gonzalez during his training camp and he explained the reason for his absence.
“After the last Gallo (Estrada) fight, I dedicated time to my family, worked on some things outside of boxing, and stayed training in the gym while awaiting an opportunity, which is this fight that takes place at home (Nicaragua). I’m super motivated and content with fighting at home. It’s a joy to fight at home and a blessing to perform in front of my Nicaraguan family.”
Although there are plenty of mouthwatering matchups at super flyweight, Gonzalez has decided to fight at bantamweight, which marks the first time he moves up in weight class since 2016 when he went from flyweight to super flyweight. The move to fight at bantamweight was discussed thoroughly within Gonzalez’s team, and in the end, they felt that taking the fight at 118 was the best option. “God willing, if I’m given an opportunity to fight at 118 pounds, which isn’t easy, we feel like there is an opportunity to win a title at 118 pounds,” said Chocolatito.
While Gonzalez has been known to bring young up-and-coming fighters in for sparring at his training camp in Coachella, CA, he took a moment and visited Robert Garcia Boxing Academy (RGBA) in Riverside, CA, to spar with a young champion. There, Gonzalez had a sparring session with now WBC & Ring Magazine super flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs). Gonzalez and Rodriguez are friends, and both are promoted by Teiken Promotions, owned by Mr. Honda. Once all parties involved gave their blessing, the sparring took place at Robert Garcia’s gym, and those who witnessed it called it worthy of PPV.
Gonzalez reflected on the initial sparring session, as both fighters prepared for their respective opponents. “He’s (Bam) a good, young champion, and we had a super good sparring session. I was helping him, and he was helping me. We have an important commitment between us, and thank God, everything went great. The sparring was super professional and nice to see.” Gonzalez didn’t have an opportunity to share some words of wisdom after their first sparring session as they went their separate ways to train, but Gonzalez was confident that Bam would know what to do on fight night. It looks like the sparring helped as Bam scored a seventh-round knockout over Estrada two weeks after FightsATW spoke to Gonzalez.
Chocolatito opted not to change things when it comes to his training camp. He spent several weeks at his trainer Marcos Caballero’s gym in Coachella, where temperatures around this time of the year reach up to 120 degrees, making it a great place to keep the weight. Gonzalez not moving his training camp to Nicaragua shows he is taking this fight as seriously as any and wants to ensure there are no distractions.
“I’ve always said that nothing is easy and everything in life comes at a cost. Training camp has been hard, but, in the end, it’s all worth it. When it’s all said and done, you feel better knowing you put in all the hard work. We’ve done great with the weight, and I’m ready for this fight.”
It’s a full circle moment for Gonzalez as he helped a young champion (Bam) elevate himself in the biggest fight of his career, and now, he gets to fight at home inside the building named after his idol Alexis Arguello. While Gonzalez relishes the opportunity to fight at home, it wasn’t something that was planned but more so something that came about on its own.
“There were opportunities to fight in Japan, but I decided to rest and spend time with my family and kids. I am very motivated to do my job well. I didn’t want to fight again unless I knew I was motivated to do so. The opportunity came up to fight in Nicaragua, so I made the decision to fight there, and everything turned out better than we imagined. I know that winning this fight would mean important things on the horizon, like a title fight at 115 pounds or 118, but we are focused on this fight, which is the most important.”
As we approach Friday’s fight on ESPN+, fans have mixed feelings. They are happy to see Gonzalez fight again but also emotional about it, knowing that his career will be coming to an end sooner rather than later. Gonzalez knows what it means to be in this position: fighting at home and for a future opportunity at a world title. So, what’s the goal for this year? “The goal for this year is to win this fight and await what opportunities arise. The boxing business tends to change, so we’ll see what happens after this fight.”
Gonzalez is loved by fans worldwide, and he wants to put his best foot forward while still an active fighter. “I’m at the final stage of my career and want to enjoy every bit of it. It would be hard for me to give up something I love (boxing), but I have to take care of my health while keeping my family in mind. To my fans, always put God first in everything you do in life.”
The great Chocolatito fights on Friday night, and more importantly, Gonzalez will answer some of the questions he must be asking of himself as he attempts to earn one last world title shot before calling it a career. The King returns to Nicaragua for a much deserved homecoming and will have an entire country tuned into his fight on Friday night.
Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez’s quotes were translated by Abraham Gonzalez.
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