KHALID YAFAI VS ROMAN GONZALEZ: GREAT AGAIN! ROMAN GONZALEZ ROLLS BACK THE YEARS

Khalid Yafai vs Roman Gonzalez:

Great Again: Roman Gonzalez Rolls Back The Years

The Big Fight Review

By Peter Silkov

Writer for The Boxing Glove

Greatness. An often overused word in the modern era of boxing, an era where greatness is probably harder to find than in just about any previous generation in the sport's history. Yet amongst the mediocrity and the disappointments greatness is still to be found if you know where to look. Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez is a great fighter. A throwback fighter who would have been comfortable competing in any of the sports past era's. Roman has always had skills that are often overlooked. Little nuances that see him able to slip and block punches while coming forwards in one of his fearsome full-throttle attacks. He has always boxed with a kind of relaxed smoothness that only the greats can carry, champions like Jose Napoles and Roberto Duran had the same relaxed way about them as they moved in to destroy their opposition. As did Roman's fellow countryman, idol and former trainer when he was an amateur, Alexis Arguello.

Yet in recent Years Roman's career had crashed to earth spectacularly, and many of his former supporters had been left wondering if we had seen the end of him.

On Saturday night Roman did something which served to underline his greatness. He came back from defeat. After being written off by so many, Roman became a world champion for the 5th time, (the second time at Super-flyweight) after clinically breaking down Khalid Yafai, to take the WBA world super-flyweight championship.

In an era where that undefeated 0 is often seen as a mark of greatness by itself, no matter whom it has been defended against, many have lost sight of the fact that for almost all great ringmen of the past one abiding facet marking them out as special was their ability to come back from defeat.

In September 2016 Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez was riding high in his career. He had just become the first Nicaraguan boxer to win world championships at four different weights, Minimumweight, Light-flyweight, Flyweight, and Super-flyweight. Gonzalez had also done it the hard way, beating the best in every division rather than cherry-picking a title before quickly moving on to a higher weight. 'Chocolatito's victory over Carlos Cuadras to win the WBC world Super-flyweight title had also solidified Roman's status in boxing as the number one pound for pound fighter in the world, a very rare status for a fighter of the lower weights

Yet just six months after his victory over Cuadras, in what was probably the greatest yet hardest won victory of his career, Gonzalez lost it all. 'Chocolatito' was outpointed after 12 bloody and ferocious rounds by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, losing his WBC world Super-flyweight title, his unbeaten record, and his status as the best fighter in the world pound for pound. What had taken over a decade to build up was gone in one night.

Six months after their first fight Gonzalez met Rungvisai again, on September 9, 2017, and was shockingly knocked out in brutal fashion by the hard-hitting Thai. After he failed to win the rematch in such dramatic fashion, many feared that his days as a top-flight warrior were over. His lack of activity over the past three years seemed to underline this feeling.

Yet on Saturday night, in just his 2nd fight in 17 months, Gonzalez produced a brilliant display of skilled aggression to outhustle, outmaneuver, and outpunch defending champion Khalid Yafai, before finally dispatching him with a clinical right hand in the 9th round.

By coming back to the top like he has, Gonzalez's performance didn't simply revive his career, it has enhanced his legacy. After being unbeaten so long and being seen as indestructible Gonzalez had to face new fears after his defeats, he had to try and regain his stature without his former cloak of invincibility. During this time Gonzalez also had to deal with the sudden death of his long time trainer and father figure Arnulfo Obando just a few months after he had guided Roman to his record 4th world title over Carlos Cuadras. The loss of Obando in his life and in his corner had a devastating effect upon Gonzalez and a strong influence upon what happened in his two matches with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Many fighters, even some of the great ones, fail to rebound from such setbacks, others like Gonzalez do come back, and their return from defeat becomes part of their legacy.

Yafai was brave, yet from early on it was clear that Gonzalez was a level above him. The main question was, did Gonzalez at 32 and with just two fights in 2 and a half years have the fitness and stamina to keep up the terrific work rate that he was unleashing upon the defending champion. Yafai would have been wiser to try and stay on the outside and box but by the fourth round, it was clear that he just couldn't keep away from the little buzzsaw coming at him. Gonzalez came forward constantly, throwing punches with a merciless beautiful rhythm. Even the visible size advantage of the champion did nothing to dissuade 'Chocolatito'.

By the 6th Gonzalez was visibly breaking down the defending champion. Even the opening of a cut over the right eye from an accidental head-butt failed to stem Roman's attacks. If anything they just grew more intense.

The beginning of the end came near the end of the 8th round when a bombardment of blows sent Yafai down for the first time. Although he beat the count it was clear that he didn't have much left, if anything. Roman wasted no time when the bell rang to start the 9th and was soon upon the champion again, and a straight left followed by a swift right hand sent Yafai crashing down onto his back by the ropes, and the referee called the fight off as Yafai struggled to regain his feet.

It was a great victory for Gonzalez after what he has been through over the past 3 years. 'Chocolatito' did more than just win, he gave the kind of performance which seems to indicate that he has a lot more left than people suspected.

Sometimes we can write off the special fighters too quickly because we are so used to them being seemingly unbeatable. Gonzalez seems to have regained his passion and his confidence for fighting. Rather than looking like an old 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez looked pretty much like the old 'Chocolatito'. The man who terrorized four divisions over the course of a decade and 16 world title fights, the man who was once ranked pound for pound the best in boxing.

The victory over Yafai will not instantly return Gonzalez to the top of the pound for pound rankings, and if you wanted to be critical you could say that he took too many punches against Yafai and his own punches were not quite the venomous strikes of lightning which they were a few years ago. One of Gonzalez's main problems at 115 pounds is that he is more often than not facing fighters who look more like natural bantamweights or even featherweights, while he still looked like a slightly puffed up flyweight. It remains to be seen if Roman can overcome this discrepancy in his future fights. The future looks like it will be exciting at 115 pounds. Gonzalez announced straight after his victory that he wants to unify the world titles, the hunger to do great things is still within this little warrior. The other world titleholders at Super-flyweight are Gideon Buthelezi (IBO champion) Kazuto Ioka (WBO champion) Jerwin Ancajas (IBF champion) and Juan Francisco Estrada (WBC champion). By far the most attractive fight available for Gonzalez would be a match with Estrada, who holds the WBC title which once belonged to 'Chocolatito'. The two men have already fought once, back in 2012, when Gonzalez successfully defended his WBA world light-flyweight title against Estrada, winning on points after a fight which is regarded by boxing purists and hardcore followers as one of the fights of the past decade.

A rematch between the two men has ever since been much talked about and much-awaited. Now it may finally happen.

Estrada is now regarded as 'the man' at Super-flyweight after his points victory over 'Chocolatito's nemesis Rungvisai last April. Although he has spent much of his career as one of boxing's best-kept secrets, some now believe that Estrada is the superior boxer to Gonzalez today, even after Gonzalez's impressive victory over Yafai. The Mexican born Estrada is three years younger than Gonzalez, fresher, and the better all-round boxer. He also seems better suited than Gonzalez to the higher weight.

Yet as we saw on Saturday night, you write Roman Gonzalez off at your peril.

Just ask Khalid Yafai.

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