Flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez is the boxer known as Chocolatito. He hails from Nicaragua and his punching precision and footwork have boxing experts putting him at the top of the pound for pound list, above Gennady Golovkin. Yesterday I watched the replay of Chocolatito stopping former world champion Brian Viloria with a ninth round tko. The experts definitely got this one right.
Chocolatito might night have the power of triple-G, but his smooth, balanced, relentless attacking style is a must see for all boxing fans. Expect to see him become the next big name in boxing sometime in the near future. I've never seen a more relaxed boxer using the Art Of Movement, positioning and centeredness so effectively. He sets up his opponent, forcing openings in the most cunning way with movement, timing and a barrage of fists to the body and head that appear to land more times than not.
What makes Chocolatito's boxing science so amazing to watch is the effortless and economical way in which he imposes his will on opponents. Its as if you're watching a mind game master use an opponent's body language and reaction to touch to determine the shortest and most effective path to land punches, without said opponent even realizing he's being manipulated in such a way. Imagine forcing an aggressor to not only walk into a punch, but leave various parts of himself open to your attack/counter-attack whenever he reacts to almost any movement from you. How sweet it is!
Not saying that Chocolatito can't bang with the best. Throughout his fights his hands are continually pumping toward his opponent. When he's on the receiving end of a good exchange of punches, he regroups quickly and goes right back to scratch in front of his opponent. I don't know if his style can withstand stronger punchers if and when he decides to move up in weight class. But judging from the ring smarts he's already shown, I suspect that Chocolatito will have a strategy to disarm the strongest of challengers when the time comes. Brain almost always finds a way to neutralize and eventually subdue brawn. Ali taught us this with his rope-a-dope rumble in the jungle style.
Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez; a Nicaraguan nightmare, coming to world championship boxing rings on sporrts http://www.badlefthook.com/2015/5/11/8584381/chocolatito-introducing-roman-gonza near you.
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