By James Slater: Nicaragua’s unbeaten Roman Gonzalez, one of the hardest hitters today regardless of weight-class, should be on the verge of real stardom right now; he’s that good and he’s that exciting to watch. Maybe one day, the way he’s going, and if he can land the premiere match-ups he craves, the little man known as “El Chocolatito” will indeed become a fighter easily recognisable by fans other than the hardcore variety.
The 23-year-old with the impressive 27-0(23) pro record has already captured two “world” titles, in the WBA minimum-weight and the WBA light-flyweight titles, and he is coming off an explosively eye-catching 2nd-round KO of Mexico’s Francisco Rosas – a fighter who had taken him 12-tough rounds in an earlier performance. The three-knockdown destruction job Gonzalez did on Rosas in the October 2010 return just goes to show how improved the Nicaraguan is and how better the new weight of 108-pounds suits him. Anyone who saw Gonzalez’ most recent showing knows how special a fighter he really is.
Now, a week on Saturday, the man who stands just over 5’2” will face another Mexican warrior as he defends his WBA light-fly title for the first time. Opposing Gonzalez, in Mexico, will be the experienced (but likely overmatched) Manuel Vargas. The 29-year-old holds a decent 29-7-1(14) record, and Vargas has been in with some big names in his time. Having fought as high as 114-pounds in the past, “Chango” has been halted by Nonito Donaire (a now-hugely popular lower weight operator who will surely inspire “El Chocolatito”) and he has also been stopped by Giovanni Segura.
A former interim WBO minimum-weight champ, Vargas will be in deep again on March 19th. With all due respect, Gonzalez needs bigger, sterner tests than the one Vargas looks like giving him. Wanting to fight top names such as the aforementioned Segura and/or Ivan Calderon, as well as the elite at flyweight and maybe even higher one day, Gonzalez may have trouble getting sufficient motivation for the fights he has in the meantime.
Against Vargas, if he is firing of all cylinders, Gonzalez may well grab another quick win. The Nicaraguan banger has won his last three by stoppage, and he has an excellent shot at making it four fast wins in a row next Saturday. Vargas hasn’t really earned the shot he’s getting, and he has won just three of his last seven. Dropping back down to 108, the 5’6” challenger will be hoping he has the strength to make things difficult for the young champ. I can’t see it.
Look for Gonzalez to win inside five-rounds and then, hopefully, go on to fight the type of big fight he wants and deserves. Already among the Pound-for-Pound charts of some publications, there is no telling how far the two-weight ruler can go.