Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez has had a stellar career. Now, however, the path of the little Nicaraguan phenomenon truly seems to have reached its end. Yesterday in his hometown of Managua, Gonzalez defeated Mexican journeyman Hector Robles on points, a fighter who entered the ring with the less-than-impressive record of 13 wins, 8 losses, and 3 draws.
The judges all scored unanimously in favor of Chocolatito: 98–92, 97–93, 96–94. The Nicaraguan, whose résumé includes world titles in no fewer than four weight classes (minimumweight, light flyweight, flyweight, and super flyweight), looked slow and lacked explosiveness. He won deservedly, but without inspiring much excitement.
Needless to say, in his prime Gonzalez would have overwhelmed Robles with ease. But time is a relentless judge, and in the case of the Managua legend, it seems to have already delivered its verdict.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of witnessing Chocolatito’s boxing exploits over his long career can only hope that the “little big champion” hangs up his gloves before suffering a humiliating defeat or taking unnecessary punishment.