With Floyd Mayweather now “retired”, it’s time for a new fighter to take his place as the hallowed No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. While it’s title based on opinion and not grounded in gold belts, a few major media outlets, including ESPN, Ring Magazine and USA Today have settled on a guy you may never heard of: Roman Gonzalez - 44-0, 38 KOs. It’s time you get to know the name.
THE NEW NO. 1
First off, Gonzalez has won world titles in three divisions - strawweight, junior flyweight and flyweight. He’s 14-0 in world title bouts, most recently beating the well-regarded Brian Viloria on the Gennady Golovkin card just last week.
He’s compiled his perfect 44-0 record with tremendous punching power, stellar technical skills and superb defense. His well-rounded arsenal poses a ton of problems for the opposition, as he’s shown in beating the top fighters in each division. Names like Juan Francisco Estrada, Francisco Rodriguez, Akira Yaegashi and Edgar Sosa have all fallen victim to Gonzalez’ skill.
In stark contrast to Mayweather, Gonzalez is humble and grateful for the high opinions of him. “I am very happy about being voted the No. 1 pound-for--pound,” Gonzalez said through his manager Carlos Blandon. “I would like my team because I believe it is a team effort and all of the work has paid off. It does not bring any pressure. It just brings motivation.”
But like Mayweather of Manny Pacquiao, Gonzalez comes from a hardscrabble background where he had to overcome severe financial obstacles. Growing up in Nicaragua, he was so poor that he couldn’t afford boxing gloves. Young Roman and his friends used thick workman gloves tossed out by electricians servicing power lines. His first few heavy bags were discarded milk bags filled with soil and hung from a tree.
“When I go back I would never have imagined that I could be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter or have won three world championships. I have taken care of myself. That is one of the great lessons I have learned.”
Gonzalez made his HBO debut on May 16, serving on another Golovkin card. The 28-year old Nicaraguan trounced former junior flyweight titleholder Edgar Sosa in the second round, stealing Golovkin’s thunder. That led to his placement on this past weekend’s card headlined again by the Ukrainian champ.
It remains to be seen when we’ll see him headlining his own card. Fighting in one of boxing’s smallest weight classes hold him back somewhat, as casual fan interest wanes as the weights get lighter. But Gonzalez also has the unique distinction of being the first No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter from one of the three smallest weight classes.
Now that he’s past Viloria, there are a variety of fights for him to pursue. But his greatest challenges might be in bigger weight classes. Because there is the legitimate train of thought that he needs to move up to earn his biggest paydays. Regardless of who or what weight he fights at, he’ll always have a place in our sportsbook for you to bet on.
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