Roman Gonzalez: Post fight interview

By: Almir Teslic



Last weekend kicked off with a fantastic Flyweight showdown between Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez and Akira Yaegashi. The two top Flyweights went toe to toe in a grueling nine round bout. Roman Gonzalez came out victorious with his ninth round stoppage of the extremely tough former WBC champion.

With his victory in Japan, Gonzalez became a three division champion and only the second Nicaraguan fighter to accomplish the feat. Following in the legendary footsteps of Alexis Arguello, it's easy to forget "Chocolatito" is only 27 years young.

Fresh off his championship belt winning performance, Roman Gonzalez and his manager Carlos Blandon sat down with me and spoke about future plans, his November return date and more:


Was your preparation for Yaegashi and your first Flyweight title fight any different then in previous fights?

RG: Yes, my preparation was different in the aspect that I added to my team a strength coach, a nutritionist, and a doctor. They have helped me better my skills, strength, and health in order to obtain more stamina and endurance at the moment of my fight. I knew it was going to be a war and that Akira has been training for at least five months for this fight, so my manager prepared my team well in order to improve my chance of winning.


You are now a three-division champion and one of the most accomplished fighters in the sport as far as resumes and beating top fighters go.

I know it's very early, and you've barely had time to soak this win in or be with your family, but what would you like to be next for Roman Gonzalez?

RG: Well, first of all I want God to know that I am grateful for this win, I want to give him the glory, and in the near future we would like to make a couple defenses of the WBC belt. My manager just signed a fight for November 22 in Japan although the opponent has not been set but the fight has. Next year I would really like to fight Gallo Estrada and win over his two belts, but I believe we both deserve a good purse for that fight.


Is a potential unification bout against the winner of Estrada-Segura your next goal moving forward? Is there anybody in particular you would like to fight next?

RG: Yes, I have set that goal; unify all 4 belts of the Flyweight division. Gallo Estrada!

  
The lowest weight divisions are non-existent on American television and premium cable networks, yet divisions such as Flyweight host some of the most exciting and action-packed fights the sport has to offer, and the top boxers constantly fight each other.

Do you believe your ruthless, exciting style and fantastic track record of opponents could open the door for future HBO/Showtime television dates for the smaller divisions?

RG: I sure do, all it takes is an exciting fight like the Gallo fight and we will have opened the doors for good for the minimum weights, or so we hope so at least.


I'm not sure how much you follow the rest of the boxing world, but within the past week, former WBO Middleweight champion Peter Quillin vacated his WBO belt and rejected a career high ($1.4 million) payday after choosing not to fight his mandatory opponent Matvey Korobov.

As a fighter who's had to earn everything the hard and old school way: fighting all over the world, taking on multiple top fighters and doing it all without having the same stage somebody like Quillin has had, does it disappoint you to see situations like that take place? 

RG: I have mixed feelings about this because to me it is alot of money, as I said before we would like a good purse for the Gallo fight, but I put myself in his shoes and maybe he believes he deserves more, so I might understand the fact that he wants to value himself more, but nonetheless I see it as a lot of money to be declined.


Who are some of your favorite fellow boxers to watch when you're not training and have time to relax, if any?

RG: I like Randy Caballero, Luis Cuba Arias, Mayweather, GGG, Shinsuke Yamanaka, Manny Pacquiao, and Ryu Murata.



Roman Gonzalez's manager, Carlos Blandon: 


Carlos, have you had any contact with HBO/Showtime or any American TV networks about possibly showcasing Roman Gonzalez on their network?

CB: Not personally, but our Promoter has had contact from HBO for the Gallo fight, and they offered 150k for both fighter which we took as offensive and declined immediately.


Do you think that is a possibility now, down the line and would you even be interested in that if the opportunity presented itself? It is mind boggling that a deep division such as Flyweight gets no airtime on major American television.

CB: I believe the day will come soon. People want the Gallo fight and they both have the will to fight each other, so if you mix their intentions to fight and the pressure of the people we will soon find a deal that makes both parties happy, I am sure about it.


Do you have any thoughts on the Peter Quillin WBO Middleweight belt situation? I imagine it must be frustrating witnessing something like that when you have a pound for pound star who would fight anyone, anywhere for much less money.

CB: Yes, I feel it was controversial to see somebody decline that amount of money, but at the same time I believe only each bóxer and their manager really know what they are worth.


I know it's early and difficult to predict anything in the sport of boxing, but can you give some final thoughts on what's next for Romans career in the near future and down the line?

CB: I believe we will get to unify all 4 titles of the Flyweight division.

I would like to thank both of you very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to sit down and answer these questions.

Thank you very much for taking your time to interview us.