BoxingTalk Story |
12/07/2024
Chocolatito is back tonight. After nineteen months out of the ring, the fighting pride of Nicaragua is back for a long-awaited homecoming. Former four-division champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez will face Colombian puncher Rober Barrera in the ten-round bantamweight main event on Friday, July 12th at Polideportivo Alexis Argüello in Managua, Nicaragua. Gonzalez-Barrera and additional fight action will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Gonzalez (51-4, 41 KOs), the one-time pound-for-pound king, has captured titles at minimumweight, light flyweight, flyweight, and junior bantamweight during a 19-year pro career. Considered one of the greatest lighter-weight fighters in boxing history, he returns following a highly controversial decision defeat to Juan Francisco Estrada in December 2022. Barrera (27-5, 17 KOs) is a former world title challenger who has won three straight fights. In 2017, he lost a 108-pound title bid to Ryoichi Taguchi.