Cradle alarm: “Chocolatito” Gonzalez-Rober Barrera and supporting act ready for war in Nicaragua

There is nothing better than a homecoming fight, not even for Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

Gonzalez, one of the best fighters of this generation, will face Rober Barrera on Friday night at the Polideportivo Alexis Arguello in Gonzalez’s hometown of Managua, Nicaragua. The 10-round fight will be streamed live in the U.S. on ESPN+ and on ESPN Knockout (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).

At Thursday’s weigh-in, Gonzalez weighed in at 116.8 pounds. Barrera weighed in at 117 pounds.

The events have generated a buzz throughout Managua and the surrounding area, and a sold-out stadium is expected for Friday night’s card, which is co-promoted by Akihiko Honda and Tuto Zabala Jr.

Gonzalez (51-4, 41 KOs) has not fought in Managua since his KO victory over Valentin Leon in February 2015. Since the victory over Leon, Gonzalez, then WBC flyweight champion, won world belts in the 115 and 118 pound weight classes.

The 37-year-old is looking forward to fighting in front of a home crowd after spending several weeks training and fighting at Coachella Stadium in California.

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez – Photo by Jairo Cajina/All Star Boxing

“There is no easy opponent. All of them are good,” Gonzalez said at Monday’s press conference to kick off the week-long festivities, which included an open training session at a mall on Tuesday and another press conference on Wednesday. “He is an opponent who is not afraid and very hungry. I hope to God that everything goes well on Friday. We want to give the fans a great fight.”

In his last fight in December 2022, Gonzalez lost to Juan Francisco Estrada by close majority decision. The fight was the last of three action fights, with each winning one before the deciding fight.

Ironically, Gonzalez and newly crowned Ring Junior Bantamweight Champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez fought each other before Rodriguez stopped Estrada on June 29.

Both are sponsored by Honda, but Gonzalez is open to a fight against Rodriguez.

“It will be a very important fight,” said Gonzalez, who won his first world title in September 2008. “I’ve always said that I could make a lot of money at the end of my career if I fight a legend like ‘Bam.'”

Gonzalez, who is trained by Marcos Caballero and managed by Carlos Blandon, has talked about challenging for a world title in the 118-pound division in recent months. Gonzalez earned his last win on March 5, when he defeated then-WBC flyweight titlist Julio Cesar Martinez by unanimous decision. Martinez stepped in for the fight against Gonzalez after Estrada, the original opponent, was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19.

Barrera (27-5, 17 KOs), who resides in Monteria, Colombia, stopped the experienced Victor Berrio in the second round of his last fight on Dec. 17. Barrera has won his last three fights since a split decision loss to Pablo Carrillo in July 2022.

The 31-year-old challenged the then WBA junior flyweight world title holder, Ryoichi Taguchi, in July 2017 and lost by knockout in the ninth round.

Also on the card is Kevin Vivas (7-2, 2 KOs), who also lives in Nicaragua and will face underdog Azael Villar (20-3-4, 15 KOs) from Panama in an eight-round fight.

Francisco A. Salazar has been writing for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. You can reach him at (email protected)

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