Boxing: Who is Roman Gonzalez?

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When it comes to boxing’s fictional pound-for-pound rankings system lately, the number one fighter is usually someone who is considered one of the top draws in the sport. From Sugar Ray Leonard and Julio Cesar Chavez to Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr., the best fighters are oftentimes the fighters that are the most well-known.

However, today’s top pound-for-pound fighter is not someone about whom most people have heard, much less seen. No, it’s not Manny Pacquiao or the ever popular Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. It’s is neither brilliant knockout artist Gennady Golovkin nor Russian slugger Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev. It’s not even the unbeaten Andre Ward, the last American boxer to win Olympic gold. The distinction belongs to a pint-sized fighter that requires one to comb through YouTube clips in order to gain a clear picture of his body of work.

Roman “El Chocolatito” Gonzalez currently sits atop the ESPN and The Ring Magazine pound-for-pound lists after Mayweather announced his retirement from boxing. The 28-year-old has compiled an impressive 43-0 record with 37 knockouts and currently owns the WBC and The Ring flyweight championships. Gonzalez is also the smallest fighter ever to hold the pound-for-pound distinction.

It seems an almost dubious honor to be the best boxer on the planet nobody knows about, but that’s exactly where we are with the tiny Nicaraguan with dynamite in both hands; and as long as the accolades flood in, it appears as though “El Chocolatito” wouldn’t have it any other way.

The best pound-for-pound fighter in the world on Saturday will compete as the co-featured attraction in a pay-per-view headlined by Golovkin-David Lemeiux at Madison Square Garden in New York City. His opponent will be heavy-handed 2000 American Olympian Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria (36-4, 22 KOs). It’s a tremendous opportunity for Gonzalez to prove why he is the best boxer in the sport while fighting on the undercard of perhaps boxing’s fastest-rising star.

“I never imagined to be named the number one pound-for-pound fighter or to have won three world championships,” Gonzalez said through a translator during a recent conference call. “It definitely makes it a lot more special to be the smallest boxer ever on this list, and I hope to God on Oct. 17 that I can be victorious and demonstrate my talents.”

Gonzalez sounds like he is enamored by the honor of being labeled boxing’s best fighter and seems aware that there will be a lot of eyes on him for the first time when he faces Viloria. Most fighters don’t have the good fortune of becoming the pound-for-pound king first and then allowing the hype to follow later. Then again, “El Cocolatito” isn’t like most fighters.

While Mayweather and Pacquiao dominated headlines over the past decade, Gonzalez quietly built his resume. After turning professional in 2005, he spent his early years fighting as a minimumweight -- under 105 pounds -- in his home country of Nicaragua and stopped the first 16 fighters he faced. He won the WBA minimumweight title in 2008, took home the WBA light flyweight championship three years later when he beat Manuel Vargas and followed it by becoming the WBC and The Ring flyweight titleholder in September 2014.

Gonzalez fought in the United States for the first time four years ago when he stopped Omar Soto in two rounds on the Toshiaki Nishioka-Rafael Marquez undercard. However, that bout did not even take place in the main arena and was instead relegated to a ballroom at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He has fought three other times in the U.S., with his most recent appearance coming on May 16, when he flattened Edgar Sosa on the Golovkin-Willie Monroe Jr. undercard at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. So for all intents and purposes, Gonzalez’s fight at Madison Square Garden will serve as his official stateside coming-out party.

“It definitely motivates me to be able to fight at Madison Square Garden, where a lot of great champions have fought, so I definitely want to win impressively,” Gonzalez said. “I want HBO to keep giving me these opportunities.”

Unlike Mayweather, Pacquiao and De La Hoya, Gonzalez doesn’t speak English, isn’t from a huge boxing country and doesn’t possess the kind of personality that will reel in viewers. His fists will have to do his talking for him. Ultimately, he’s going to be tough to market to American audiences, but he can bypass those circumstances if he continues to destroy the opposition.

“Everything I have done to this point has paid off,” Gonzalez said, “and being number one pound-for-pound doesn’t bring me any pressure, just motivation.”

There’s a lingering notion that Gonzalez could soon pass the lauded 49-0 record with which Mayweather and Rocky Marciano both retired, although the prevailing thought is that the former will fight again. It’s a record that “El Chocolatito” desires to eclipse and add to his list of accomplishments.

In the end, the Nicaraguan wants to rack up world titles and accolades. You won’t see him throwing his money at cameras or buying expensive cards. There are many things Gonzalez longs to have once his career is complete. Celebrity status is not necessarily one of them.

Andreas Hale is a content producer for Jay Z’s LifeandTimes.com and editor-in-chief of PremierWuzHere.com, as well as a frequent Sherdog.com columnist. Check out his archive here.