Chocolatito melting? Roman Gonzalez is not the force of old and should move down in weight

Roman Gonzalez is back.

Sadly, this statement is to be taken in a purely literal sense. After 15 months away from the ring, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez shook off some rust to stop an easy mark in Diomel Diocos.

As he has in all his bouts as a super-flyweight, Gonzalez looked as fleshy as a 115lb man can. Gonzalez, now 32, used good movement at the waist to elude punches, but he was not the efficient punch producer of several years back. Don’t get me wrong, his double hooks to the body and uppercuts were there and they were sweet, but they were more reminiscent of Julio Cesar Chavez cornering Ken Sigurani than Angel Hernandez. Diocos was rescued in two sessions of their scheduled eight-round affair. A knockdown was ruled as the ropes kept the Filipino from falling early in the round. A follow-up barrage ended matters with the opponent still on his feet.

Gonzalez raised his dossier to 48-2 (40). His return to Japan for the first time in roughly five years may yield good fruit for his late career though, mainly opportunity. It seems that after brutal wars with Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and the death of trainer Arnulfo Obando, Gonzalez is a fighter in great decline. However, shedding several pounds and returning to flyweight to enhance that division may extend his time at the top. In current form, it’s hard to imagine him defeating any of the reigning super-flyweight titlists. Things aren’t much brighter for him at 112lbs, but there’s always the chance it will make the difference and as a technician he can prevail.

If nothing else, Gonzalez is still a name in the sport as a former pound-for-pound king. All of the champions from 108 to 115lbs could use the boost his name would add to their careers.