March 3, 2017 – Leading up to the highly anticipated stacked world championship boxing card highlighted by the appearance of Gennady Golovkin, Danny Jacobs, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Carlos Cuadras on Saturday, March 18 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® – HBO Sports will present the exclusive replay of three hard-hitting all-action encounters that highlight the remarkable skill and power of these ring warriors.

On Friday, March 10 at 12:05 a.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, March 11 at 10:50 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay back-to-back Golovkin vs. Brook 2016, Jacobs vs. Smith 2009 and “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Cuadras 2016. This past September at The O2 in London, Gennady Golovkin traveled to Kell Brook’s hometown and extended his consecutive knockout streak to 23 in a row with a fifth round stoppage against the then undefeated prize fighter. On August 22, 2009, top prospect Daniel Jacobs displayed incredible resilience and ring skills against Ishe Smith with a 10-round unanimous decision victory. Last September in a Fight-of-the-Year candidate, consensus #1 pound for pound fighter in the world, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez claimed a title in a fourth weight class against Carlos Cuadras in what was the toughest and roughest encounter of his career.

All three fights will also be available 24 hours a day on HBO NOW, HBO On Demand®, HBO GO® subscribers and affiliate portals beginning Monday, March 6.

Golovkin vs. Jacobs, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Rungvisai and Cuadras vs. Carmona takes place Saturday, March 18 from at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

March 1, 2017 – HBO Sports® debuts an all-new installment of “2 Days” when the acclaimed feature segment returns Saturday, March 11 at approximately 1:00 a.m. (ET/PT) or immediately following the HBO BOXING AFTER DARK card from Verona, NY with a behind-the-scenes look at the consensus No. 1 rated fighter in the world, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

“2 Days” is a revealing and intimate look at a 48-hour span in the life of a boxer in the lead-up to one of his fights and the next edition will focus on Nicaraguan native “Chocolatito Gonzalez. HBO cameras followed the undefeated super flyweight sensation and pound-for-pound king last September when he faced off with Carlos Cuadras in front of a roaring crowd at the Forum in Inglewood, CA. The win was Gonzalez’s 46th consecutive triumph as a pro and secured a title in his fourth weight division.

Gonzalez will make his 2017 ring debut on March 18 when he co-headlines a stacked pay-per-view card from New York’s Madison Square Garden. “Chocolatito” will defend his crown against Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (41-4-1, 38 KOs). The event will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

“2 Days” will also be available on the HBO On Demand® service, HBO NOW®, HBO GO® and at www.hbo.com/boxing as well as affiliate portals that distribute the series.

ANAGUA, NICARAGUA (January 23, 2017) Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Flyweight Champion ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ, (46-0-0, 38 KO’s), held court in front of a huge crowd of Nicaraguan media before heading to Costa Rica for training camp in preparations to defend his title against Mandatory Challenger SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI (41-4-1, (38 KO’s) of Si Sa Ket, Thailand, on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at “The Mecca of Boxing”, Madison Square Garden.

Gonzalez is one of the country’s most popular figures, having been mentored by Nicaraguan boxing legend, the late ALEXIS ARGUELLO. In his last fight, a brilliant 12-round decision over CARLOS CUADRAS on September 10 at The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles and telecast on HBO, Gonzalez became a fourth divisional world champion, the first in the Nicaragua’s history.

Gonzalez was joined at the press conference by his manager, CARLOS BLANDON.

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ
“Sor Rungvisai is a fighter very tough fighter who wants my title. His fighting style suits me however I have to be careful because of his power.”

“I have all the tools to beat him. He has power but not much else but I also have to watch for possible head-butts.”

“Training in Costa Rica is very good for me. I’ve never liked the cold and right now it’s too cold in Big Bear.”

“I have no problem giving Carlos Cuadras a rematch but right now my focus is on Sor Rungvisai who is my mandatory for the WBC.”

“I have the perfect game plan and on March 18 there will be no surprises. I’m leaving Monday, we had a great camp in Costa Rica for the McWilliams Arroyo fight and we are planning to have another great camp for this fight there.”

“I feel very confident that I will be victorious for my fans here in Nicaragua and all over the world, those watching on HBO Pay-Per-View and those in attendance in Madison Square Garden. I loved fighting in New York City last time and look forward to March 18 when I return.”

“With the passing of my longtime trainer Arnulfo Obando, my head trainer will now be my father Luis Gonzalez and also in my corner will be Wilmer Hernandez. They were both assistants to Arnulfo throughout my career.”

CARLOS BLANDON
“We are very excited to start training in Costa Rica on Monday (January 23). Hopefully we will have the same excellent result we did when we trained there for McWilliams Arroyo.”

“Right now it’s snowing and cold in Big Bear and we feel it’s better for Roman to train in Costa Rica where it is warmer, although in Big Bear was where Roman had one of his best training camps before the Carlos Cuadras fight.”

“I expect that with the proper preparations in training camp that we will see an explosive fight and another great victory for Roman on March 18.”

Chocolatito vs. Rungvisai will be the co-feature to the World Middleweight Championship between Unified Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight World Champion and Mandatory Challenger DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s). The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT

Presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions, tickets priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com

NEW YORK CITY (January 17, 2017) Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Flyweight Champion ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ, (46-0-0, 38 KO’s), fighting out of Managua, Nicaragua, will defend his title against Mandatory Challenger SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI (41-4-1, (38 KO’s) of Si Sa Ket, Thailand, on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at “The Mecca of Boxing”, Madison Square Garden.

Chocolatito vs. Rungvisai will be the co-feature to the World Middleweight Championship between Unified Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0-0, 33 KO’s) and WBA Middleweight World Champion and Mandatory Challenger DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s). The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT

Presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions, tickets priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com

“I’m very excited to fight again at Madison Square Garden. Thanks to Mr. Honda and the Teiken family along with K2 Promotions and the HBO Pay-Per-View Team for this tremendous opportunity, “said Gonzalez.

“Rungvisai is a very tough fight for me, I know that he has fought many other great fighters including Carlos Cuadras, but with my training and the blessing of God I plan to come out victorious.”

Said Rungvisai, “I respect Roman Gonzalez. He is a legend. He has done great things for boxing, especially by showing the world how talented and exciting smaller weight fighters can be. I am happy for Nicaragua to have such a great hero. However, super flyweight is my weight. And the WBC Super Flyweight World title belt is my belt. I will do whatever it takes to win my belt back, and I am confident I can do it. I was able to hurt Carlos Cuadras in the way that Gonzalez could not. Cuadras did not hurt me when we fought but he hurt Gonzalez throughout their fight last year. I am confident I can beat Roman Gonzalez. And the fight will not go twelve rounds.”

“I have to thank WBC, HBO, and K2 Promotions for this great opportunity. It is my dream to fight at Madison Square Garden. I am thrilled to be the first Thai to fight there on HBO Pay-Per-View against the #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World. This is history. I will fight for Thailand and my family. I will fight to bring back the WBC Superflyweight belt to Thailand where it belongs. Some fans in America might not know me well, but I have knockout power and I will go there to win. I cannot be more excited to show you and the world who Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is. It will be a great fight on March 18th. ”

“We’re very excited to bring “Chocolatito” back to the ‘Mecca of Boxing’, Madison Square Garden and to have his fight co-featured on this HBO Pay-Per-View,” said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions. “Rungvisai is an excellent fighter and this will be a very tough challenge for Roman in the first defense of his WBC Super Flyweight World Title won in his epic battle with Carlos Cuadras on September 10th which was telecast on HBO from The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles.”

“This will be the fifth time Roman and Gennady have fought on the same telecast, they are truly the best combination in boxing to provide fans the maximum value which is always our aim in these promotions for fans in attendance and watching on HBO Pay-Per-View.”

“We are thrilled to have the consensus #1 pound for pound fighter, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, as the co-feature for this explosive event”, said Tony Walker, Vice President, HBO Sports. “Chocolatito will take on mandatory challenger Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in what we expect to be an all-action fight. Featuring two of the consensus top fighters in the world on the same card underscores the value of the March 18 HBO Pay-Per-View event.”

This past September 10, the 29-year-old Gonzalez faced the biggest challenge of his career, facing undefeated WBC Super Flyweight Champion Carlos Cuadras as he sought his fourth divisional world title. In a 2016 ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate in front of a very large and passionate crowd at the iconic venue, The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, Gonzalez won a 12-round unanimous decision.

The victory, dedicated to Gonzalez’s mentor, boxing legend Alexis Arguello, distinguished Gonzalez as the first fighter from Nicaragua to earn four divisional world titles and further validated his status as the sport’s Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter.

On October 17, 2015, Gonzalez made his debut at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” knocking out four-division world champion Brian Viloria in the ninth round in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden and live on HBO Pay-Per-View. The victory took place on the undercard to the World Middleweight Championship between Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and David Lemieux.

The 30-year-old heavy-handed Rungvisai will be fighting for the first time in the United States against Gonzalez. A four-time world title challenger, Rungvisai challenged then WBC Super Flyweight Champion Carlos Cuadras on May 31, 2014.

In an action-packed battle featuring excellent two-way action, Rungvisai was the unfortunate victim of a shortened bout as Cuadras was deemed unable to continue after the eighth round following an accidental clash of heads between the two warriors. Going to the scorecards, Rungvisai came up just short with Cuadras retaining his title.

SOCIAL MEDIA — #GGGJACOBS, #CHOCOLATITORUNGVISAI

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
@GGGBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Daniel Jacobs
@DanielJacobsTKO – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Roman Gonzalez
@ChocolatitoBox

HBO
@HBO, @HBOBoxing – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Madison Square Garden
@TheGarden – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Tom Loeffler (K2 Promotions)
@TomLoeffler1 — Twitter

Roman Gonzalez will defend the WBC Super Flyweight title against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on March 18th at Madison Square Garden as the co-feature bout on the Gennady Golovkin – Daniel Jacobs Middleweight unification bout, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Many people consider Sor Rungvisai more dangerous or just as dangerous as Cuadras. This is not an easier fight than a rematch with Cuadras,” Gonzalez U.S. representative Tom Loeffler told ESPN. “Roman and his team decided to fight Srisaket with the winner having to fight Cuadras.”

“He is a very dangerous opponent for Roman and even though many of the U.S. fans might not know him, the boxing people know him,” Loeffler said. “When we have the combination of GGG and Chocolatito in arguably the toughest fights of their career on the same card, that’s the type of value we want to provide for the fans that come to Madison Square Garden or the fans who buy the card on HBO PPV.”

“This will be their fifth appearance on the same broadcast together. It’s a great combination when you have the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world on the same show,” Loeffler said. “The fans can see the talent level these guys have. All four of these fighters are extremely talented. That’s a winning combination for the fans.”

It’s a holiday treat for HBO Boxing fans. Over four consecutive nights in late December, HBO will present six of the year’s standout fights, spotlighting some of the biggest names in the sport. Featured are signature wins by Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin, Roman Gonzalez and Andre Ward plus a leading candidate for “Fight of the Year.”

Starting Tuesday, Dec. 27, HBO will replay six major league showdowns from this year sprinkled over four consecutive nights. All the fights will also be available on HBO ON DEMAND® as well as the HBO NOW and HBO GO® services.

The “Boxing’s Best” lineup includes:

Tuesday, December 27 Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan &
11:00 p.m. ET/PT Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward

Wednesday, December 28 Gennady Golovkin vs. Kell Brook &
11:30 p.m. ET/PT Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol

Thursday, December 29 Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Carlos Cuadras
11:00 p.m. ET/PT

Friday, December 30 Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido
11:00 p.m. ET/PT

*Winners names are in italics, Vargas-Salido ended in a majority draw.

By Bart Barry-

In Tokyo on Sept. 5, 2014, Roman Gonzalez became the second Nicaraguan prizefighter to become a three-division world champion, putting him deservedly beside his late mentor Alexis Arguello, and it brought more emotion than he appeared to expect. Gonzalez marked the achievement and defense of his other world titles with understated celebrations but not in Tokyo. His third championship won, his blue gloves folded on his raised brown forehead, Gonzalez wandered in circles sobbing.

By early 2014 Chocolatito’s postfight comportment had begun to manifest nothing quite so much as gratitude, perhaps life’s most universally attractive quality because it confidently expresses something akin to humility but better: However much I deserve, I’ve received slightly more, and I’m aware it didn’t have to be like that. Maybe Chocolatito’s gratitude began with his religious devotion – by now he wore “Dios Te Ama (God Loves You)” on the back of his every pair of trunks – or perhaps a simple, rational accounting led him to recognize he was given superior athleticism and a mentor like El Flaco Explosivo, both exceptional and exceptionally available, but his sense of atonement certainly came from his deep religiosity and began showing itself in the way he treated opponents immediately after bludgeoning them with a talent God gave him to hurt other men deeply and permanently.

If Chocolatito’s calculus did not figure how much more permanently he would hurt opponents at higher weightclasses, men whose thicker necks and larger bodies absorbed more concussive force while their brains did not, he intuited it and began to clean his opponents’ faces and look after their wellbeings more firmly in 2014, instructing the trainers of the men he felled where to apply icepacks and how to look after their charges. There was nothing unprofessionally merciful about what Chocolatito did while a fight was on, though; he realized combat with larger men brought disproportionately more peril, especially when they were hurt, and he finished them with his same quickness as before and increased ferocity. But he saw in the men’s sudden imbalance and brokenspiritedness how much dangerously further these larger men’s bodies and wills took them after their brains wanted no more. Too confident to doubt his power as he fought larger opponents Chocolatito kept a private tally of how harshly he must treat these larger men – the greater sums of fully leveraged, completely pronated, precisely placed punches he now delivered them.

Because his purity of technique went nowhere. Properly grown in his new 112-pound division, trim and light once more, Chocolatito began fights with uppercuts to the head as diversions from what hooks he planned for the body to sap what strength kept the hands highly protective till they dropped and others’ unconsciousnesses went irresistibly to his hooks and crosses. He didn’t mind missing in his new weightclass either – a return to indifference: So long as a punch was balanced properly and executed with intent it mattered little if it landed because it cost even less to stop it and cocked its successor anyway and that one’d land.

Gonzalez needed to throw every punch wickedly in his new division, a lesson processed in Chocolatito’s six-round February beating of Mexican Juan “El Loquito” Kantun in Chiapas and three-round April leathering of Filipino Juan Purisima in Japan, because his handlers knew he was a generational talent they didn’t intend to fiddle in a nostalgia quest for unification, belt-collecting or purse-aggrandizement: Chocolatito’s first title fight at flyweight was against the division’s best man, Japan’s Akira Yaegashi, for The Ring’s flyweight championship, in Tokyo.

Yaegashi was larger than Chocolatito and stronger and more physical and forced the Nicaraguan backwards with jabs in the first round. Chocolatito retreated and counterpunched but didn’t run, and guarded against Yaegashi’s invitational traps and lowered hands and ropesward stumbles. In round three Yaegashi opened a hook off his cross, 2-3, and Chocolatito’s 3 was shorter and corkscrewed the champion to the mat. Yaegashi rose undissuaded and less chastened and continued a spectacle whose violence befit its world-championship occasion. Five rounds of combat did little to soften the Japanese and Chocolatito met in round 9 a belligerence nearer Yaegashi’s very best than he faced till then. The desperation with which Yaegashi opened the ninth belied his resources and betrayed his hopelessness, and 39 prizefights and thousands more hours of sparring and their tens of thousands of lessons in completing patterns, all, told Chocolatito th’t Yaegashi was on his way out and there was nothing to be done now but throw punches to the head to raise the guard then throw punches to the body to lower the guard then throw punches to the head till either the referee’s forbearance or Yaegashi’s consciousness lost attrition’s race, and it was a tie when Yaegashi dropped from physical failure and concussion.

Chocolatito needed a signature win no more than Leo Tolstoy needed a signature story – such talents don’t define themselves like that – but he had one just the same against a larger man who made him make creative choices like ending combinations with a jab, youth-boxing style, and so in 2014 Gonzalez was the world’s best prizefighter even while the world argued about great fighters well past their primes and good fighters lollygagging through their primes. Chocolatito returned to Japan two months later for his first flyweight title defense and fourth match of 2014 and wrecked Filipino Rocky Fuentes in six rounds then brought his championship home to Managua and began 2015 by roughly disciplining Mexican journeyman Valentin Leon for 6 1/2 minutes.

After that, things serendipitous happened for Gonzalez and HBO and aficionados. Y’all know the rest of the Chocolatito story from here.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

BY Bart Barry-

Roman Gonzalez made the sixth and final defense of his light flyweight title on Nov. 17, 2012, at Los Angeles’ Sports Arena against Mexican Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada, a defense difficult enough to be Chocolatito’s last at that weight one way or another. Gonzalez had by then grown too large to make 108 pounds effectively and very nearly gave away too many opening rounds to decision Estrada – who since losing to Gonzalez has gone 8-0 (4 KOs) and beaten Brian Viloria and stopped Giovani Segura and iced Hernan Marquez.

The unfailing benefit for the aficionado of watching a great fighter make matches against increasingly larger foes is the adjustments the great fighter necessarily makes because what works against a man smaller than you often fails against a man larger than you and very few professional athletes grow into new physiques immediately or properly. Exceptional in a host of other ways, in 2013 Gonzalez would prove himself every bit susceptible to this rule as another athlete.

When Chocolatito completed his light flyweight reign against El Gallo Estrada it was a pitched contest either man might’ve won by decision but Gonzalez won in some part for being champion – the fighter even impartial judges unconsciously watch more closely. Estrada chose a world title fight to make his 108-pound debut having made each of his career’s preceding 27 prizefights between 112 and 119 pounds and the advantage of size Estrada enjoyed was not lost on Chocolatito who had formed a habit – neither yet good nor bad – of alternately hanging his left hook and bringing it home lazily, relying on head movement to duck the rightcrosses his opponents never failed to throw. And when he didn’t respect an opponent’s power Chocolatito often let the triggered rightcross catch some of his left ear or crown, especially if an opponent’s partial contact would compromise that man’s balance or defensive positioning. (Later Chocolatito would leave his hook high and extended in an opponent’s chest-shoulder crook to reduce the other man’s leverage via range and impetus via jarring – as the opponent’s right shoulder invariably drove into his own face Chocolatito’s left glove.)

What Chocolatito learned against Rooster Estrada, though, were the perils of his casual approach against a man larger than him and necessarily accustomed to contact from men larger than Chocolatito, too. After throwing nary a punch in the opening 2 1/2 minutes of their tilt Chocolatito peppered Estrada with a left hook and a right cross that offered the Mexican a taste of the Nicaraguan’s punch but where previous opponents retreated hastily from such a sample The Rooster didn’t mind it enough to relent, or very much at all. TV Azteca’s commentating crew that included a legend named Chavez and a genius named Barrera performed ably its role of Mexican partisan, of course, and awarded Estrada each of the first four rounds but only a Nicaraguan, or an American judge named Druxman, could argue Chocolatito merited more than one of those opening four “episodios” – as Latin broadcasters call them.

The one early criticism the Mexican broadcasters did have for their countryman told: Where Chocolatito’s footwork was light and efficient, Estrada’s was busy, almost nervous. It was what wasted energy Mexican prizefighters abhor and did abhor openly, noticing Chocolatito took steps to move his opponent while Estrada took steps to settle himself. But it was a tiny detail till the later rounds when both men whacked one another and both men considered taking backwards steps and both men told themselves not to, and Estrada did anyway a few more times than Chocolatito. The decision got read unanimously in Chocolatito’s favor, then the feasting began.

Six months later Chocolatito nearly lost the diminutive “ito” from his nickname and became Chocolatón by gaining 8 1/4 pounds for a homecoming match with unheralded Colombian flyweight Ronald Barrera whom Gonzalez stopped quickly and looked pretty good while he did.

Four months after that and about four pounds lighter, once more in Managua, Chocolatito looked bad against an inexperienced Mexican flyweight named Francisco Rodriguez Jr. who was too inexperienced to know how pure and perfect his opponent was supposed to be and didn’t fight like he was against a talent rarefied as Chocolatito’s. Rodriguez saw a soft man in front of him struggling with balance and being surprised by that struggle with balance and punched Chocolatito a whole lot more than experience and competition anticipated he should. Chocolatito outweighed himself and when his left-hook leads missed he folded over his front knee like he hadn’t before. Class told eventually and Gonzalez’d’ve ground Rodriguez to his component parts but not nearly soon as the official line – Gonzalez TKO 7 – indicates: Nicaraguan referee Onofre Ramirez’s stoppage was so premature the voice of Nicaraguan boxing chanted “¡Se lo precipitó! ¡Se lo precipitó! ¡Se lo precipitó! (He rushed it!)”

Fairly and undoubtedly dubious about Gonzalez’s hometown preparatory rituals Chocolatito’s promoter Teiken wisely returned him to Japan and a journeyman opponent, Mexican Oscar Blanquet, for Gonzalez’s final match of 2013, a year after the Gallo Estrada ordeal. Against an opponent on a two-fight losing streak Gonzalez looked grimly determined but returned to form of a sort in walking through Blanquet before four minutes were up – but grim for the first time. At the match’s end Gonzalez was dignified, not joyful. Happiness had left his eyes but so had sluggishness left his legs, and Chocolatito was almost grown sufficiently into a flyweight’s body to challenge for a world title in a third weightclass.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

By Bart Barry-

Round the time of Roman Gonzalez’s 28th prizefight – a March 19, 2011 decision defense of his second world title in a light flyweight beating of Mexican Manuel “El Chango” Vargas in Mexico – Chocolatito picked up a modifier suddenly persistent in use by comentaristas whether Nicaraguan or Mexican: Elegante.

How apt.

Chocolatito’s physique, the wingspan and unobstructive chest complemented by shoulders fit for a 150-pound man on any downtown sidewalk in North America and tapered midsection set on powerful legs all supporting a noticeably handsome face on a head whose top did not gain the uppermost rope of every ringpost, made one consider he might be special before his athleticism proved it, his long arms never improperly stretched out their centered frame.

To see Gonzalez advance on an opponent in his slight crouch both legs bent, a line of symmetry crotch to lowered chin, brings the quintessence of every hope every trainer has ever for every charge his first day in the gym when told to put his left fist forward with his left foot – no, not your right; no, it doesn’t matter what’s comfortable; no, no, I don’t care how your cousin showed you; yes exactly, because you’re right handed; no, no, not . . . get your hands up; listen kid, you’re not gonna come in here and reinvent boxing – and makes that trainer smile like he forgot he could at our beloved sport so badly stained by a halfdecade’s waiting for Mayweather-Pacquiao. It’s that sensation more than others one feels when he sees the opening rounds of Gonzalez’s match with El Chango Vargas: “Finally, someone I can tell others to watch, this, the little guy in the blue and white, you see that? it’s perfect, it’s exactly how you’re supposed to do it.”

Too much later got made of Gonzalez’s temperament outside the ring his religiosity and philanthropy and general goodness because too much is always made of everything in America’s vending of athletes – a pathological greed tells us to tell others one can have it all and be all to every and be meaningful to meaningless people if their lives’ meaning might temporarily be derived from buying our product which is such a bargain we’re practically giving it away – but the Nicaraguans saw it at once as one of their own and the Mexicans saw it soon as Gonzalez began dashing their best little men. Gonzalez’s temperament was unusual for a man who made his living concussing other men depicting no malice no rage nothing to imbalance while stopping never to admire his craftsmanship or effect just continuing to twirl his hips and whirl his fists sans intent of any kind till there was the other man’s face, behold! a bloody lumpen mess.

Twenty months by then passed since the violent death of Chocolatito’s mentor, Alexis Arguello known uniquely simply as “Alexi” in Nicaraguan broadcasts, by Arguello’s own hand or someone else’s and those who suspected someone else’s suspected nothing so ghoulish might be done Nicaragua’s greatest ambassador without consent from President Daniel Ortega, running for reelection in 2011. Whether by personal passion or health insurance for his family Chocolatito went in the ring wearing a white cotton “I (heart) Sandinista National Liberation Front” t-shirt each match of that campaign season – setting American viewers of a certain age to wonder whatever did happen to those Contras and Iranians and Ollie North?

Chocolatito elevated his opponents even while he razed them and then toweled a red gash over one eye (Omar Salado) or helped lift the ruined to his stool (Omar Soto) after framing an act of ceaseless heroism for El Chango Vargas in the Mexican state of Puebla, once more at 7,000 feet higher altitude than Gonzalez’s native Managua and it told, as the Mexican’s jaw looked surely broken in round two but he didn’t relent for a halfhour more and didn’t take an iota’s fraction off a single punch he thrust at Chocolatito in a barely noted show of valor so extreme Hollywood’d make 90 minutes and a love story of it, were Vargas an American heavyweight. Instead it was a 108-pound Nicaraguan versus a 108-pound Mexican in San Pedro Cholula and both men, “Little Chocolate” Gonzalez and “Monkey” Vargas, wore the same classic-red Reyes gloves and did ringwalks to each other’s music and caredn’t a whit for what pomposity happened in American ringwalks and ringwear that same year.

Even Chocolatito’s American debut was unfrilled in the fall when after brutalizing and decisioning the Mexican Vargas in Mexico and brutalizing plainly the Mexican Salado in Mexico Chocolatito iced the overweight Mexican Soto in Las Vegas on a night that deservedly belonged to an Argentine middleweight in Atlantic City broadcasted by HBO, the American cable network that recently and fortunately decided to make a promotional celebration of Gonzalez. Fighting on a Top Rank card for Teiken Promotions Chocolatito went in deep and savage with “El Lobito” Soto who barely made flyweight for his junior-flyweight scrap in which Gonzalez proved himself right formidable at the next weightclass when he alpenhorned Soto to the blue mat with a left uppercut that made “The Little Wolf” submissive.

That year Nicaragua again ratified the Sandinistas with Comandante Daniel’s reelection and Gonzalez boxed Vargas gorgeously, spun Salado expertly, stretched Soto frighteningly – while Floyd suckered Vicious Vic, and Manny sparred Shane and robbed Juan Manuel.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

By Bart Barry-

On Sept. 15, 2008, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez defeated Japanese minimumweight world champion Yutaka Niida in Kanagawa, Japan, bringing Gonzalez’s first world title and Niida’s retirement. Whatever Niida expected in his eighth title defense did not include a career-ending fourth-round TKO in his hometown, right eye shut by Gonzalez left hooks and nose bleeding from all of it. What no one in attendance either expected was the pronounced disparity in size Gonzalez enjoyed; not all minimumweights are stitched from the same bolt, and as Gonzalez began to wing left-heavy combinations Niida’s reactions illustrated the physical disparity between the men – along with boxing’s standard optical illusion of the beater growing larger while the beaten shrinks quickly.

On the Nicaraguan telecast that evening was the late Alexis Arguello who praised Gonzalez’s tranquility above his other virtues and broke a selfimposed code of journalistic objectivity only after the match was stopped, whooping at his microphone “¡Viva Nicaragua!”

If winning a world title did not immediately improve Gonzalez by 20-percent, as lore says it should, his opponents didn’t know it and prepared for a fifth-better Gonzalez, especially Mexican Francisco Rosas who stood as Chocolatito’s first title challenger in a corner of Auditorio Guelaguetza five months later and at 105 pounds positioned beside a quite leggy Corona girl appeared more smurf than mature prizefighter. Like his country’s diminutive comedic genius Jose Rene Ruiz Martinez, beloved and feared as Tun Tun, Rosas took others’ opinions of his stature and turned himself spiteful over it. With none of Chocolatito’s handsomeness or charisma or physique – Rosas’ fatless midsection was broad as his arms were short – the Mexican brought a champion’s tally of spite with him in the ring and upon finding a subpar Gonzalez converted the match from athleticism to attrition and almost succeeded too.

Gonzalez’s first title defense was either a lesson in the economics of prizefighting or something worse and was not in Nicaragua but Mexico – Oaxaca, specifically, 5,000 feet higher than Chocolatito’s native Managua – and the difference told when Gonzalez’s mouth opened early and stayed that way. Chocolatito fought once in Nicaragua between his winning the title and defending it, but both the expectations and consequences were considerably lesser for that tilt than his Oaxaca match against a Oaxaqeño, and that was before food poisoning. Mexican altitude requires adjustment but its want of food inspectors requires much more, and while Chocolatito’s conditioning and craft might’ve overcome the altitudinal difference his inexperience with the Mexican craft of masking lost fish with spices served him well as a tourist should expect.

“I believe I outdid myself,” Gonzalez told La Prensa after his victory by split decision. “In the morning I ate eggs with beans, and at midday fish with potatoes and avocado. I don’t know, but I believe that food is what sent me to the toilet.

“Before the fight I emptied myself of the food, but just the same it gave me a strong pain. I had much fear because I felt I might soil myself in the fight.”

The diarrhea stilled for those 48 minutes but Gonzalez’s stomach did not, and he vomited in his corner between rounds and spit nausea’s salty offense off his tongue often as corner time allowed but showed naught to Rosas, and had the Mexican even a fractional inventory the champion’s maladies he’d have fought more fiercely than he did, even fiercely as he did, and he might well’ve stopped Chocolatito a halfdecade before Americans knew the Nicaraguan’s name.

Rabbited often and crumpled against a neutral turnbuckle while Rosas’ gumshield got replaced midway through their 12th round Gonzalez looked the picture of an underprepared athlete, one who mistook his attainment of a world title as an arrival at predestined showcases, but this was before the PBC: Gonzalez won his world title in a disappearing time when such an achievement marked a fighter more like a target than a corporate asset and Chocolatito knew it already and expected opponents to transcend themselves as Rosas did. Gonzalez was not the master Mexicans expected to take apart their man even as they swore they didn’t that night in Oaxaca but neither was he a lesson in the perils of illpreparation, contrary to Nicaraguan suspicions well-voiced by Enrique Armas, comentarista extraordinaria, imploring Gonzalez to remember his faith and country and raise himself higher than his obviously poor training camp prepared him to do.

Had Arguello been ringside with Armas that night he might’ve defended his prodigy protege but “El Flaco Explosivo” had demons of his own haunting him, and those demons may have been his countrymen, and Nicargua’s gentleman champion and sportsman ambassador would be dead of a gunshot to his chest in five months.

Tagged repeatedly by Rosas rights in the final rounds of his first defense Gonzalez ceded the bluemat uncharacteristically and wore an unlikely but appropriate look of apprehension while Mexican officials slowtallied their split-decision scorecards afterwards – a robbery narrowly averted, according to Armas, a robbery to shame Mexico for the ages. Gonzalez was gracious in victory but honest, too, speaking openly about his food poisoning and saying he would grant Rosas a rematch but not in Mexico. Mexican fans heard that as a concession to their man’s superiority of grit and execution and accused Gonzalez of inventing pretexts for his poor showing in Oaxaca.

Twenty months later Rosas got his rematch, this time in Japan, and Gonzalez was returned to Gonzalez, not his Oaxacan imposter, and Chocolatito belligerently dropped the Mexican thrice in round 2 and ended the rematch in its fifth minute – vindicated.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Roman Gonzalez will drop his flyweight titles and remain at super flyweight after capturing the WBC super flyweight title against Carlos Cuadras on September 10th.

“He treasures this (flyweight) title very much, but is excited another boxer with his same dream will have a chance to become a WBC world champion and that feeling overwhelms him,” Carlos Blandon, Gonzalez’s manager, told ESPN.com.

To fill the flyweight vacancy, the WBC has ordered its two top-rated contenders to meet: Nawaphon Sor Rungvisai (36-0, 28 KOs), 25, of Thailand, and Juan “Churritos” Hernandez Navarrete (33-2, 24 KOs), 29, of Mexico. If their camps do not make a deal for the fight, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman announced that a purse bid would be scheduled to take place Oct. 21 at the offices of the sanctioning organization in Mexico City.

 

 

By Bart Barry-

As 2016 approaches its final quarter still enjoying a fine chance at being remembered like the worst year for boxing in the 21st century there is little reason to pile on since we already all know the culprits and hopelessness of our current state. There is even less reason to begin a monthlong countdown to our sport’s one superfight of the year. Better then to assume so few of us accessed foreign broadcasts of Nicaraguan master Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez’s early career that visiting them will prove fruitful while knowing even if it doesn’t a late-arriving effort to celebrate Gonzalez brings more pleasure than available alternatives do.

On Jan. 14, 2008, Chocolatito (16-0, 16 KOs) matched himself with Japanese light flyweight Hiroshi Matsumoto (17-7-4, 8 KOs) at Bunka Gym in Kanagawa, Japan. Gonzalez wore royalblue satin trunks with “Visit Nicaragua” on their seat, either in the hopes an English-speaking audience uncertain what to do with “Visita” might be watching or, just as likely, Japanese aficionados in attendance would fault no one from America who did not inscribe his country’s name in kanji or hiragana or katakana, and would be literate enough in English to appreciate the goodfaith effort of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce or whomever.

While it is impossible for a fighter to turn pro fully formed it is nearly as inconceivable a fighter who wasn’t fully formed learned enough in his career’s opening 16 prizefights to be perfect as Gonzalez was in his 17th had he not come into prizefighting fully formed. In the first month of 2008 Gonzalez bore a remarkable resemblance to the fighter he was earlier this month, 30 prizefights later. His match with Matsumoto was noteworthy for being Gonzalez’s second appearance outside Nicaragua (also his second appearance in Japan) and for being the first match of Gonzalez’s th’t Chocolatito did not win by knockout. Matsumoto’s finishing upright was attributable to Matsumoto’s selfknowledge more than any shortcoming of Chocolatito’s.

What strikes first the viewer is Gonzalez’s detachment from the act of bludgeoning another man – in this Gonzalez is most notably Central American, not Mexican; he has Dinamita Marquez’s efficiency with none of the Mexican’s contempt for an opponent. Which brings the most delicious juxtaposition found in a Gonzalez match: He is calibrated perfectly to an opponent he seems to regard dispassionately as a target, not a man. How, one wonders, can Gonzalez capture so quickly and ably another man’s physicality without hating him or loving him or envying him or pitying him? Here he resembles his mentor, Alexis Arguello, about whom it was often said Arguello did not find other men’s weaknesses and exploit them so much as he found other men’s strengths and did those things better too – if you made your living with a 1-2 Arguello gave you jab-cross better than you’d ever given it; if other men feared your bodypunching Arguello was your man for that as well.

As Chocolatito has added weight to his tiny frame he has become admired for his incredible activity and stamina, but watch him against a career volume puncher like Matsumoto, a southpaw to boot, and see the ease of Gonzalez’s adaptation – how comfortably he waits for Matsumoto’s aggressiveness to undo itself by sending the Japanese’s weight tumbling over his front knee (Volume Puncher City, as it were) and landing himself on Gonzalez’s uppercuts, a disproportionate number of which the Nicaraguan fired in their match’s first five rounds.

Like most volume punchers Matsumoto hadn’t a backup plan because volume punchers generally don’t; contrary to others’ misperceptions of them, volume punchers are intelligent men who find the one fighting style that complements their talents and dispositions well enough to make their livings as professional athletes, gainful employments that surprise former coaches and trainers who told them they were too slow or fat or small for the better athletes they later disarm and unman.

Matsumoto was pure volume puncher in the sense his absence of discouragement was a tool for discomfiting more gifted opponents much as his fists. You struck him and struck him and calculus told you he would break, and when he didn’t and didn’t and didn’t it began to worry you. But it didn’t worry Chocolatito. His offensive purity, the perfection of his technique, left in him as much or more volume and activity as Matsumoto and thrice the accuracy.

Gonzalez neither took a wrong step nor allowed one from Matsumoto in Chocololatito’s ongoing pursuit of perpetual motion, the elusive machinery the very best teachers try to instill in students and rarely do: pulling the left shoulder, extended by the jab, powers the cross that extends the right shoulder whose return snaps the left hook that cocks the right uppercut and so on, all fired by the hips that turn and plant the driving feet. Many of us get told “the best combination has no end” but Chocolatito somehow absorbed it well enough to inform his every motion – even in the molten madness of combat’s crucible – till the fiber of who he is as a professional athlete became inseparable from it.

There is nothing not discouraging about being struck hard and often in the face by a man who knows how, but Matsumoto’s reaction to finishing his career’s 24th match in an upright position evinced something otherwise and deeper: the elation of a man condemned to die and pardoned.

And while the unanimous and lopsided decision got read in his opponent’s native language Chocolatito stood poised in his unmarked face evincing nothing so much as detachment.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Los Angeles, CA (September 14, 2016) Boxing Superstar and Unified Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin’s, (36-0, 33KO’s), fifth round stoppage of previously undefeated UK Superstar, “The Special One” Kell Brook, (36-1, 25KO’s) was viewed by a combined 1,436,000 viewers on HBO World Championship Boxing this past Saturday, September 10, marking it as the most watched HBO boxing event in 2016 and the highest rated HBO international boxing telecast in many years viewed live by 843,000 fans and same-day rebroadcast by 593,000 viewers.

The thrilling victory by Golovkin was also viewed live on TV Azteca by 1,560,000 viewers in Mexico on Saturday afternoon. Golovkin’s fights are broadcast in over 100 countries which all reported strong viewership numbers for this event.

Golovkin’s 23rd straight knockout and his 17th world title defense took place at The O2 in London, England in front over a capacity crowd of over 19,000 fight fans as he retained his WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO Middleweight World Titles.

Also on Saturday, Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (46-0, 38 KO’s) thrilled the crowd of 6,714 at The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, with a unanimous decision over former WBC Super Flyweight World Champion and previously undefeated Carlos “El Principe” Cuadras, (35-1-1, 27KO’s). The fight viewed by 833,000 fight fans on HBO World Championship Boxing earned Gonzalez his fourth divisional world title in a clash that is a certain 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate according to many of the international media in attendance at The Fabulous Forum.

The memorable victory by “Chocolatito” was also telecast in Mexico on Saturday night and was viewed by 2,300,000 viewers.

“We’re proud of these viewership numbers and we are happy to provide these great fights for the fans worldwide,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “Fight fans saw four undefeated world champions, among the best in their weight classes and the attendance and viewership numbers validated this day as the biggest international telecast of boxing this year.”

“Gennady’s fight in London sold out in one day and his viewership numbers continue to distinguish him among the biggest international stars in boxing and one of the most marketable athletes in the world, selling out his third arena in a row.”

On October 17, 2015, Golovkin’s ninth round stoppage of then IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux was fought in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd of 20,548. On April 23, 2016, Golovkin knocked out mandatory challenger Dominic Wade in the second round at The Fabulous Forum before a capacity crowd of 16,353.

Continued Loeffler, “Additionally it was a huge night for Roman winning his fourth divisional world title in an outstanding fight against previously undefeated champion Carlos Cuadras. His viewership numbers are some of the very highest for an HBO World Championship Boxing main event debut. Fight fans clearly want to see more of both “Chocolatito” and Cuadras from their valiant efforts in the ring.”

By Bart Barry-

Saturday afternoon HBO broadcast the latest episode in its ungainly series of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin feature films against hopeless welterweight Kell “Special K” Brook, who won a minute of the fight’s first 12 then signalled his corner “anytime fellas!” and got the match towel-waved in round 5, before HBO redeemed itself Saturday night with the genuinely brilliant Nicaraguan Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in a genuinely competitive championship match with Mexican Carlos “Principe” Cuadros.

The best thing to come of what has become a shameless promotional manufacture of Gennady Golovkin – whose handlers are inexplicably opposed to seeing him challenged – is the emergence of Chocolatito, a master prizefighter deserving of mention in the same paragraphs as other master prizefighters, unlike just about every one of his remaining contemporaries including Golovkin. Making Gonzalez a mainevent attraction may well be the only exceptional thing HBO has done with its sports budget in years, whatever it tells itself about itself.

Much as putting Gonzalez at the top of billings with Golovkin is a service to Gonzalez and his legacy and HBO subscribers, though, it is becoming more and more a liability for Golovkin’s legacy – as it becomes obvious to viewers which man seeks greatness and in a ratio, more alarming still to Golovkin apologists, inverse to viewers’ knowledge of our oncebeloved sport: While the aficionado has historical comparisons with which to delude himself about embarrassing mismatches like Golovkin and Brook – and, hey, look at the soldout arena! – the naif sees one man’s opponent frightened from the opening bell and wonders how this sort of entertainment sates any manly impulse save sadism.

Whatever the scales said the eyes told you Golovkin and Brook did not belong in a ring together much as Chocolatito and Cuadros did not, but whereas Golovkin-Brook fulfilled only the worst suspicions Gonzalez-Cuadros came stuffed with pleasant surprises as the significantly smaller man spun and wacked and maneuvered and pressured and absorbed the larger man’s aggression in a properly competitive spectacle that renewed albeit temporarily one’s passion for prizefighting.

Golovkin-Brook saw a fight in which one man was powerless to hurt the other whatever his technique and the other was powerless not to hurt the one – whatever, again, his technique; Golovkin’s technique has improved no more than his English since HBO’s biannual forcefeedings commenced in 2012, due to dreadful opposition and a trainer who’s three parts savvy selfsalesman for every one part sweetscience sage. Golovkin did more damage to Brook with his jab than Brook did Golovkin with a perfectly placed uppercut thrown in combination, a thing to tell you exactly nothing about Brook’s power or Golovkin’s chin or Golovkin’s power or Brook’s chin but everything about what farcical matchmaking now bedrocks the Golovkin legend.

Such is not an indictment of Golovkin so much as his handlers; one senses Golovkin is all-fighter and wants to mill with real opponents who might really improve him by really stretching him, converting his potential finally instead of merely growing it, but that cannot happen so long as the industry’s rapacity protects him, a lifetime middleweight, a man 40 pounds from the heavyweight division, with continuing nonsense about a dearth of suitable opponents (no one at 168 pounds will face him; only someone from 147 would) – risibly the same industry that once chided Floyd Mayweather, who made title fights in five divisions and climbed 24 pounds, for not challenging himself adequately and now wonders aloud when Chocolatito will jump to his fifth or sixth weightclass.

While Golovkin and his big payday Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, faces still CoverGirl fresh, unite to unify the welterweight division, Chocolatito wears the scars of a man who challenges himself properly in a pursuit of greatness by matching himself with increasingly larger men and narrowing dramatically his margins for error. Therein lies the insult of Saturday’s spectacles: Golovkin strode forward with an aluminum bat in a waterballoon fight while Chocolatito suffered each time Cuadros struck him and didn’t relent.

Put Golovkin in the ring with men large enough to hurt him or shut up until you do.

To the suddenly empathetic souls who saw Brook motion for 20,000 spectators and one fellow combatant the very moment his right eye was hurt Saturday, actually waving his glove and pointing to his eye midround, a question: Can you imagine Gonzalez or Cuadros giving another man on earth the satisfaction of knowing he was injured? Then came the predictable perversity of cheering a premature corner stoppage for preserving future paydays the vanquished and his sympathetically complicit cornermen may enjoy in 2017 scams and one more at least in 2018. What sort of afficionado, exactly, feels compelled to celebrate the continuation of a career unremarkable as Brook’s in lieu of continued violence?

If you’re enthusiastically watching a fight for the middleweight championship of the world and fearful a man may lose his life in the opening 15 minutes you’re being disingenuous – either when you say you’re enthusiastic about seeing the fight or when you say you’re genuinely concerned for the loser’s health. Both are unseemly.

After their respective matches Golovkin gave himself a low score and likened his assault to sparring while Chocolatito, both eyes swelling shut, said he knew the perils of rising in weight but welcomed them because rising to challenges (rising for challenges) is what great fighters do. Credit both men’s honesty.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Follow all the action as Roman Gonzalez tries to become a 4-division world champion when he takes on Carlos Cuadras for the WBC Super Flyweight title.  The action begins at 10 PM ET with a rematch of welterweights between Jesus Soto Karass and Yoshihiro Kamegai

Round 1: Cuadras jabbing to the body..left from Gonzalez

Round 2  Good hook from Cuadras…Right from Gonzalez

Round 3 Cuandras lands a nice right…Good pressure for Gonzalez

Round 4 Gonzalez stalking…Cuadras trying to land shots…Gonzalez left eye swelling..good uppercut from Cuadras..

Round 5  Good uppercut from Cuadras…Good right…combination..Good right from Gonzalez..Good body shot..Flurry from Cuadras

Round 6 Good hook from Cuadras..Gonzalez left side of face is swelling and now a cut over his right eye..Cut caused by a punch

Round 7 Flurry from Gonzalez..Big left hook from Cuadras..Good hook from Gonzalez..

Round 8 Good right from Gonzalez…Hard right….exchange left hook..uppercut flurry from Cuadras…Cuadras cut over right eye–From a headbutt

Round 9 Body shot hurts Cuadras…right over the top..Good body shot from Cuadras..left from Gonzalez…4 good rights from Cuadras..right uppercut from Gonzalez..good hook..Good right from Cuadras…

Round 10 Left from Cuadras..Body shot from Gonzalez..

Round 11 Right uppercut from Gonzalez..Gonzalez relentless…Good body shot from Cuadras and another

Round 12 Gonzalez landing straight punches…

117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 for Roman Gonzalez

Punch stats:  Gonzalez 323 of 985   Cuadras 253 of 895

Round 1 Hooks by Kamegai…Body shot hurts Kamegai….3 Body shots from Kamaegai..right to head..good right..Right uppercut from Soto Karass

Round 2 Uppercut landing uppercuts…body work..left to body from Kamegai..right to body..good left..Karrass lands body shots and upperuts

Round 3 Kamegai lands a left to body…good right

Round 4 Good over hand right from Soto Karass..Good right

Round 5 Right to body from Kamegai..Big left hook from Karass..Body shot by Kamegai..Right to body..good right from Karass..

Round 6 Kamegai lands a liver shot..Good left hook

Round 7 Kamegai  lands a right…Hard body shot hurts Soto Karass..Left hook from Soto Karras..another..left ..right..left to the body..

Round 8 Body shot hurts Soto Karas…HARD RIGHT AND DOWN GOES SOTO KARASS..3 hard uppercuts…Soto Karass lands a big right…SOTO KARASS WILL NOT CONTINUE AFTER THE ROUND

By Norm Frauenheim-

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – He wrapped himself in the blue-and-white Nicaraguan flag before and after stepping on the scale. Roman Gonzalez, a man of his people, has also become his country’s lone symbol of sporting success.

Nicaragua didn’t win a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics last month. Saturday at the Forum, however, Gonzalez enters the ring on boxing’s top pedestal. He’s alone, the consensus No. 1 in the pound for-pound debate. It’s a lonely place to be. Surprising and precarious, too.

Gonzalez, who goes after another title at another weight against WBC 115-pound champion Carlos Cuadras, is the lightest fighter to ever be at the top of The Ring and ESPN ratings. He’s been there ever since Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement more than a year ago. In other words, for a long time.

But this is boxing, which means that there is always an argument and a burden of proof. The prevailing theory is that Gonzalez is keeping the top spot warm for middleweight champ Gennady Golovkin, who faces Kell Brook Saturday in London in the first part of an HBO telecast (2:30 p.m. PST/5:30 p.m. EST).

Then, there’s the November clash between light-heavyweight Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward. It fair to assume that the winner of that one will have claim of his own. The assumption is that the bigger fighters, heavier hands will eventually sweep aside Gonzalez drop him to those rungs of that rating that once belonged to Ricardo Lopez, Michael Carbajal and Humberto Gonzalez.

But it could be a tough argument to make if Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs) continues to display his technical brilliance at more than one, two or even three weights.

Against Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs), the former 105, 108 and current 112-pound champion goes after a fourth belt, also on HBO (7 p.m. PST/10 p.m. EST) on a portion of the card that includes a junior-middleweight rematch between Jesus Soto Karass (28-10-4, 18 KOs) and Yoshihiro Kamegai (26-3-2, 23 KOs).

A fourth major title at a fourth weight would add up to a first for Gonzalez, Nicaragua and Central America. It would surpass the three-title achievement of Gonzalez mentor and Nicaraguan hero, the late Alexis Argyle.

“I dedicate this fight to Alexis,’’ Gonzalez said to Spanish media that gathered in The Forum’s parking lot for an outdoor weigh-in beneath the roaring path of commercial jets preparing to land at nearby LAX. “I feel very comfortable knowing that Alexis had success here.”

Arguello was 4-0 at The Forum, winning titles at featherweight and super-feather. In his fourth fight at the rebuilt arena, he beat Bobby Chacon in November 1979. Chacon, 64, died Wednesday.

In two bids for a fourth title, Arguello, who died in 2009, fell short, losing by stoppage to Aaron Pryor in 1982 and again in 1983.

“I know how badly he wanted a fourth divisional championship,’’ said Gonzalez, who Friday was 114.6 pounds, two-tenths of a pound lighter than Cuadras. “I want to do this for him.’’

And for his people.

By Norm Frauenheim–

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Roman Gonzalez is rapidly moving up the scale in weight, skipping seamlessly from belt to belt like a flat stone on a championship pond.

His ascendancy is what makes him the lightest fighter to ever gain pound-for-pound recognition on an unbeaten path that figures continue Saturday night at The Forum in his bid for a title in a fourth weight class against WBC 115-pound champion Carl Cuadras on HBO (10 p.m. ET/PT).

Gonzalez is considered the biggest little man ever in terms of skill and stature. But not in dollars. Nothing has changed at the top of the pay scale for the lightest weights in nearly a quarter of a century. Michael Carbajal and Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez are still there.

In a significant test of his marketability, Roman Gonzalez is the headliner on a card in the same arena where Carbajal became the first fighter lighter than 128 pounds to collect the $1 million milestone in a February, 1994 rematch that Chiquita Gonzalez won in a split decision more than 22 years ago.

It was supposed to be the fight that opened the door, or at least the vault, for fighters who had traditionally paid a bloody price for a chance at boxing’s version of the minimum wage.

A sign that a new, enhanced payday had finally arrived was in The Forum crowd. It was announced at 15,102. Magic Johnson was there. It was good day to be a Lord of the Flies. Nine months later, in November 1994, Chiquita got his seven figures, collecting $1 million for another close decision in front of an estimated crowd of 30,000 at a Mexico City bullring.

But in the years since the Lakers packed up Showtime and moved from The Forum to Staples, those paychecks have never be equalled. Not even close.

Make no mistake, Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs), who is favored to become the first Nicaraguan to win a fourth title against Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs), has begun to make a very good living.

Over his last two fights, his cumulative income is a reported $550,000, $250,000 for a stoppage of Brian Viloria last October and a career-high $300,000 for an April stoppage of McWilliams Arroyo.

It’s comfortable, but still nearly half of what Carbajal and Humberto Gonzalez collected in single fights against each other a lot of inflation ago. It’s also a wage not associated with the acknowledged leader in the pound-for-pound debate.

There’s been some serious deflation in money and expectations since casual fans headed for the exits in the wake of the disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao bout in May 2015. But not even the Mayweather-Pacquiao dud explains it. Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, second or third to Roman Gonzalez in pound-for-pound ratings, is reportedly getting $5 million against Kell Brook Saturday in London in an HBO-televised bout that will precede Roman Gonzalez-Cuadras.

Roman Gonzalez purse has yet to be disclosed, but it’s safe to say it’ll be a fraction of Golovkin’s purse and probably won’t equal the bar set by Carbajal and Humberto Gonzalez in history’s richest 108-pound trilogy.

Both history and money lead to the same place. Roman Gonzalez still needs a rival, a business partner. Without one, he is Ricardo Lopez, perhaps history’s greatest little fighter, yet without ever getting a check that approached the kind of money collected by Carbajal and Gonzalez.

Maybe, Japanese prodigy Naoya Inoue is the other half of a partnership that can unlock all of financial potential evident in the pound-for-pound skill, poise and power that Roman Gonzalez has consistently exhibited in his ongoing introduction to the American market.

There were reports that Inoue planed to be at ringside at The Forum Saturday, a week after his 10th-round stoppage of Petchbarnghborn Kotietgym in Japan for a 115-pound title. However, there were also reports of injuries to Inoue, who appeared to hurt his right hand in his latest victory. Roman Gonzalez can only hope Inoue is healthy. For now, a healthy Inoue might be the only way he can also move up that pay scale.

HBO Boxing presents day-night action from two continents, highlighted by a pair world championship fights featuring two of the sport’s top pound-for-pound performers, when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. KELL BROOK AND ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ VS. CARLOS CUADRAS AND YOSHIHIRO KAMEGAI VS. JESUS SOTO KARASS 2 is seen SATURDAY, SEPT. 10, first at 5:30 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from London and then at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Inglewood, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Sept. 11 (9:15 a.m.) and 12 (11:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Sept. 11 (4:15 p.m.) and 13 (midnight)

The tripleheader will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand.

At 5:30 p.m. (ET/PT), from The O2 in London, powerhouse Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs), originally from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, and now training at Big Bear, Cal., defends his middleweight crown against Kell Brook (36-0, 25 KOs), from Sheffield, England, in a scheduled 12-round contest.

Seeking his 17th consecutive successful 160-pound title defense, Golovkin is drawing closer to Bernard Hopkins’ record of 20 successful middleweight title defenses. On a 22-bout knockout streak, Golovkin has compiled an extraordinary knockout-to-win ratio of 91%, and no opponent has gone the distance with him since June 2008. Trained by the highly regarded Abel Sanchez, he will be making his 11th appearance on HBO since his auspicious Sept. 2012 debut on the network.

With a 69% knockout-to-victory ratio, Brook became the British welterweight champion in 2008 and is a current world welterweight champion. Having defended his title successfully three times, he is moving up two weight classes to take on the formidable Golovkin.

At 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT), from The Forum in Inglewood, Cal., the primetime bouts kick off with Yoshihiro Kamegai (26-3-2, 23 KOs), from Tokyo, Japan, taking on Jesus Soto Karass (28-10-4, 18 KOs) of Los Moches, Mexico, who now lives in North Hollywood, Cal., in a scheduled ten-round super welterweight fight. These ring warriors fought to a split-decision draw in April and now look to settle the score in their heated rivalry.

Then, undefeated fighters Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs), from Managua, Nicaragua, and Carlos Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs), from Mexico City, Mexico, meet in a scheduled 12-round super flyweight title fight. Gonzalez has brought worldwide attention to the lower weight divisions with his speed and power, boasting an 84% knockout-to-win ratio. Cuadras, with a 75% knockout-to-win ratio, is a super flyweight champion and looks to halt Gonzalez’s quest for a world title in a fourth weight class.

The primetime presentation will also feature a replay of the Golovkin-Brook bout from earlier in the day. Immediately following all the boxing action, HBO Sports will premiere at approximately 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) ROAD TO CANELO/SMITH, a special chronicling the path to the Sept. 17 junior middleweight pay-per-view title fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex. between Canelo Alvarez and Liam Smith.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producers, Dave Harmon, Jon Crystal, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Johnathan Evans.

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 5, 2016) Consensus #1 Pound-For-Pound Fighters in the World, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0, 38 KO’S) and WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “El Principe” Cuadras, (35-0-1, 27 KO’s) continued their busy media schedule on Monday just five days prior to their highly anticipated battle on Saturday, September 10 at The Fabulous Forum and telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

In a very jovial mood, Gonzalez and his team including his trainer Arnulfo Obando and manager Carlos Blandon, met with a large contingent of media who have flown in from Nicaragua in advance of the country’s most popular athlete’s quest for a fourth divisional world title. The fight will be telecast LIVE in Nicaragua on Channel 4 for it’s population of over 6,000,000 to watch.

Cuadras visited the ESPN Los Angeles studios for the A Los Golpes TV show taping where he was given lessons for beating Gonzalez by Boxing Legend Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez
“I loved training in Big Bear for this fight. Coach Abel and “GGG” were very welcoming, it was very calm there and we were able to work very well in peace.”

“With my training in Big Bear for the first time, I feel that I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been. I want to continue training there in the future.”

“I know Carlos says a lot about my nickname but on Saturday night he will feel the fists of Chocolate.”

“I never think about losing, the only way I can lose is if somebody truly beats me, I won’t beat myself and I won’t overlook anyone.”

“I need to throw combinations and keep him off-guard to win the fight.”

“This fight is for all my people in Nicaragua and especially dedicated to my mentor, the great Alexis Arguello.”

“I don’t think about other fights or how high I can move up. I just focus on Saturday night against Cuadras.”

Carlos “El Principe” Blandon
“I’m very excited to be fighting at The Fabulous Forum, it has such a long history of great fights and champions battling there, especially in the lower weight classes.”

“I feel a great deal of pride in defending my belt for the Mexican people. I’m sure there will be a lot of Mexican boxing fans for me as well as a great deal of Nicaraguan fans for Roman.”

“This was my first time meeting Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., right away he wanted to give me pointers for Saturday night.”

“He throws multiple combinations but I’m too big and strong for him.”

“I like being a world champion and I plan on staying that way on Saturday night.”

“Doesn’t matter to me, knockout or decision, I will win.”

Photos/Courtesy K2 Promotions

This week both fighters have busy media schedules with numerous appearances in addition to their final press conference on Tuesday and media workouts on Wednesday.

This Friday, both fighters will hit the scales at the Official Public Weigh-In, outdoors at 12:00 p.m. at The Fabulous Forum. Admission and parking (enter through Prairie Avenue entrance) is FREE to the public, the weigh-in will take place in the Northwest Parking area.

On Saturday afternoon, boxing fans are encouraged to arrive at The Fabulous Forum early as the LIVE HBO World Championship Boxing telecast of the World Middleweight Championship between Boxing Superstar and Undefeated, Unified Middleweight Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, (35-0, 32 KO’s) and Undefeated Welterweight World Champion “The Special One” Kell Brook, (36-0, 25 KO’s) will be screened on the venue’s large Terrace LED screens from London starting at 2:30 p.m. PT. Parking lots will open at 2:00 p.m. PT on the day of the event. Doors will open to the World Championship Boxing event at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Co-featured on September 10 and also telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing along with Chocolatito vs. Cuadras is a 10-round junior middleweight rematch of the epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate between Yoshihiro Kamegai, (26-3-2, (23KO’s), and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18KO’s). The first bout scored a draw, took place on April 15 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 are now on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

Chocolatito vs. Cuadras is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions. Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass 2 is presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter for Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial,
@ Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras,
www. facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtags #GonzalezCuadras and #KamegaiSotoKarass, #KSK2 to join the conversation on social media.

LONDON (2 September) – BoxNation subscribers are set to enjoy a blockbuster next few weeks starting with pound-for-pound king Roman Gonzalez who moves up in weight to take on undefeated knockout artist and WBC super-flyweight world champion Carlos Cuadras.

The unbeaten three-time world champion Gonzalez, with a record of 45-0 with 38 KOs, is regarded by many as the finest boxer around and will test himself by going up to 115-pounds for the first time to challenge Cuadras, 35-0-1 with 27 KOs, for his WBC strap.

Taking place next Saturday night at The Forum in Inglewood, California, BoxNation will be the only place to see the 29-year-old Nicaraguan star in his toughest test yet as he looks to cement his status as boxing’s very best.

“I’m very happy to challenge Carlos Cuadras for a world title in my fourth weight class. It’s an honour to return to fight at The Forum in front of the great Los Angeles fight fans,” said Gonzalez.

Cuadras, said: “I am excited to fight in the United States for the first time and at the legendary Forum in front of the great boxing fans in California. Roman Gonzalez is a great champion and I have a lot of respect for him. I will prepare myself to be in the best condition of my boxing career to defend my WBC belt.”

“We’re very excited to bring Roman back to the fabulous Forum in his first main event at the famed venue,” said promoter Tom Loeffler. “Roman has proven with each fight why he is considered to be the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Challenging an undefeated champion in his fourth weight class will be a great test for Roman and this battle against Cuadras will provide the non-stop action fans have come to expect at his fights.”

“We’re delighted to have Roman Gonzalez’s exciting fight with Carlos Cuadras exclusively live on BoxNation,” said Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director. “Gonzalez is regarded as one of the very best boxers around so it is great that BoxNation subscribers will be able to watch his biggest challenge to date on our platform.”

Gonzalez’s mouth-watering clash will kick off a great set of fights exclusively live on BoxNation including the eagerly anticipated showdown between Liverpool’s Liam Smith and Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez.

Smith puts his WBO light-middleweight world title on the line when he travels to the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Texas on 17th September as he faces the formidable Alvarez, whose only defeat has been at the hands of the legendary Floyd Mayweather.

However, Smith will be looking to show that he is up for the task and put a halt to Alvarez’s ambitions of winning another world title belt.

The following week on 24th September veteran cruiserweight Ovill McKenzie will be flying the flag when he goes to Germany to take on the much-respected and tough Marco Huck for the IBO world title.

McKenzie is well aware this will be his last shot at world glory following a decorated career which has seen him pick up British and Commonwealth titles along the way.

Exciting middleweight Chris Eubank Jr is also back live on BoxNation when he takes on Tommy Langford for the British title next month, with rising super-welterweight Liam Williams on the bill against fellow undefeated rival Ahmet Patterson.

Gonzalez v Cuadras is exclusively live on BoxNation (Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/Online & App) next Saturday night. Buy now at boxnation.com.

LOS ANGELES (September 2, 2016) Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0-0, 38KO’s) and undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27KO’s) both weighed in within the World Boxing Council (‘WBC”) required 7-day limits ahead of their highly anticipated battle on Saturday, September 10 at the Fabulous Forum and telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

From his training camp in Big Bear Lake, California, “Chocolatito” tipped the scale at 117.9 while Cuadras reported 120.2 from his base in Los Angeles.

For super flyweight world title fights, the WBC mandates that fighters must be no more than 120.75lbs. seven days prior to the fight.

Co-featured on September 10 and also telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing along with Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is a 10-round junior middleweight rematch of the epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate between Yoshihiro Kamegai, (26-3-2, (23KO’s), and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18KO’s). The first bout scored a draw, took place on April 15 in downtown Los Angeles.

Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 are now on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions. Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass 2 is presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter for Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial,
@ Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras,
www. facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtags #GonzalezCuadras and #KamegaiSotoKarass, #KSK2 to join the conversation on social media.

Los Angeles, CA (August 31, 2016) Top Undefeated Lightweight Prospect Ryan “Blue Chip” Martin, (15-0, 9KO’s) will make his triumphant return to The Fabulous Forum on Saturday, September 10 to battle Mexico City’s Fermin “El Seda” De Los Santos, (28-15-2, 18KO’s), in an eight round clash on the non-televised undercard of the WBC Super Flyweight World Championship between Consensus #1 Pound-For-Pound Fighter in the World, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0-0, 38KO’s) and defending undefeated world champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras, (35-0-0, 27KO’s).

Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing, priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 can be purchased through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

Martin vs. De Los Santos, contested for the vacant World Boxing Council Continental Americas title, will be telecast live on the international broadcast on the evening of the event.

Speaking from his training camp in Cleveland, Ohio, the 23-year-old Martin stated, “I feel blessed to be back at The Fabulous Forum. This is another unique opportunity to perform in front of HBO Sports and be featured on the international telecast. I’m looking forward to showcasing all of my skills and having an explosive performance.”

Said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions, “We’re happy to welcome Ryan back to The Fabulous Forum. His knockout performance on our last show at on April 23rd thrilled the crowd and we’re excited to have his all-action style featured on this event as part of our outstanding undercard.”

Martin is managed by Tim Van Newhouse who said, “Ryan has all the tools to become a world champion. The WBC Continental Americas title is another step towards that process. September 10th will bring more proof why Ryan is considered by many as one of America’s fastest rising prospects.”

Fighting on the undercard of the World Middleweight Championship between Unified Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and mandatory challenger Dominic Wade on April 23, Martin shined in front of the sold-out arena with a fifth round knockout of Rosbel Montoya.
Most recently the native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, won a six round unanimous decision over Samuel Amoako on July 16.

The 32-year-old battle-tested De Los Santos was on a five bout winning streak including three by knockout, prior to losing to Jairo Lopez on May 16, 2015 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Co-featured on September 10 and also telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. along with Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is a 10-round junior middleweight rematch of the epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate between Yoshihiro Kamegai, (26-3-2, (23KO’s), and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18KO’s). The first bout scored a draw took place on April 15 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions. Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass 2 is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter for Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial,
@ Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras,
www. facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtags #ChocolatitoCuadras and #KamegaiSotoKarass, #KSK2 to join the conversation on social media.

LOS ANGELES (August 24, 2016) Boxing’s Two Best Pound-For-Pound Fighters and two of the sport’s biggest stars, Unified Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, (35-0, 32KO’s) and WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0, 38 KO’s), hosted Joint Media Workouts yesterday from their training camps at the The Summit High Altitude Training Facility in Big Bear Lake, California.

Joining them was Golovkin’s trainer, 2015 Trainer of the Year, Abel Sanchez, Gonzalez’s manager Carlos Blandon along with K2 Promotions’ Managing Director Tom Loeffler.

Golokvin is preparing for a highly anticipated showdown with Undefeated IBF Welterweight World Champion, “The Special One” Kell Brook, (36-0, 25 KO’s), on September 10 at The 02 in London, England.

Gonzalez is training for an extraordinary fourth divisional world title challenge as he moves up to the super flyweight division to challenge WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras, (35-0-1, 27 KO’s) also on Saturday, September 10 at The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles.

The four undefeated world champions, boasting a combined record of 151-0-1 with 122 knockouts provide a spectacular telecast for HBO of undefeated, world-class talent. The London fight will be telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing from the O2 at 5:30 p.m. ET/PT and the doubleheader from the Forum in Inglewood starts at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The primetime presentation will also feature a replay of Golovkin vs. Brook from earlier in the day.

Photos Courtesy/Michael Sterling Eaton, Neo Nostalgia

Below are quotes from the participants;

GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN
“Right now my focus is on Kell Brook, he signed the contract and that’s who I’m ready to fight, I have a great deal of respect for him.”

“This is my first fight in England and I’m very excited to fight in a new country.”

“Yes I want to unify the middleweight division titles but I don’t know if WBO Champion Billy Jo Saunders will fight me.”

“Move up to 168 for what, who is going to fight me there, which champion at that weight
will agree to fight me for a big fight.”

“Right now I make 160 easily so I’m comfortable here, look at me I’m regular size middleweight.”

“Just too much talking about fighting me, Canelo, Eubank, Saunders, Froch they are acting like clowns with no respect for the sport. I’m here now, sign the contract and fight me, any of them, doesn’t matter which one.”

ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ
“I love it up here in Big Bear, training at the home base of Gennady Golovkin. I would like to train here for all my future fights.”

“It’s a blessing to be up here, running with Gennady in the morning, he’s a great person.”

“My weight is not a problem, moving up to super flyweight, the extra three pounds helps me.”

“Yes, Cuadras talks a lot, but I don’t take it personally, if that’s what he has to do to pump himself up, it’s no problem for me. I’ll be ready to fight on September 10th.”

“Just this fight is my focus, I’m not thinking about any other fights in the future, Cuadras is an
undefeated world champion who I respect greatly. It’s a very tough fight for me.”

“Thanks to God for allowing me to fight on HBO and to be named the #1 Pound-For-Pound Fighter, I never dreamed this would happen.”

“I dedicate this fight to my mentor Alexis Arguello, I know how badly he wanted a fourth divisional championship and I want to do this for him.”

“I love fighting at The Forum, I feel very comfortable there knowing that Alexis had success there.”

ABEL SANCHEZ, Trainer of Golovkin
“For Gennady, he just wants to fight. Doesn’t matter where the ring is, it will be the same size
as it is here.”

“Kell Brook stepped up instead of talking about it. He’s never lost and those are the toughest fighters.”

“Our training camp has been great, our three sparring partners, Darnell Boone, Dashon Johnson and Kenny McNeil have done an excellent job preparing Gennady for Kell Brook and Gennady and I have to give them a great deal of credit.”

CARLOS BLANDON, Manager of Gonzalez
“It’s an honor and a blessing from God to train here in Big Bear at Gennady’s gym.”

“We are just focused on this fight and will make a decision afterwards for future fights.”

“Thanks to HBO, K2 Promotions, Teiken Promotions we are very happy with all the great things happening for Roman.”

TOM LOEFFLER, Managing Director of K2 Promotions
“Thank you all for coming to the Big Bear Media Day for the two best fighters in the world, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.”

“On September 10th we have four undefeated world champions with a combined record of 151-0-1 with 122 knockouts, live on HBO, not PPV in the United States.”

“Golovkin vs. Brook will be telecast live on HBO from The O2 in London, which sold out with 18,000 tickets in one day, at 2:30 p.m. PT and will be shown on the Terrace at The Fabulous Forum before the doors open at 4:30 p.m. PT. The tailgate party at the venue will start at 2:00 p.m. PT and we encourage fight fans to come early and enjoy the festive atmosphere which our events have become known for at The Fabulous Forum.”

“The event at The Fabulous Forum features a sensational undercard including undefeated female prospect Seniesa Estrada. HBO will kick off their telecast at 7:00 p.m. PT with the rematch of Yoshihiro Kamegai vs Jesus Soto Karass from their first Fight of the Year candidate in April of this year in Los Angeles.”

“After the outstanding main event between “Chocolatito” and Cuadras, HBO will re-air the Golovkin vs. Brook fight. It’s really an outstanding tripleheader and the biggest day of international boxing this year.”

“Tickets starting at $25 for The Fabulous Forum event can be purchased through Ticketmaster.”

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.MatchroomBoxing.com www.K2Promos.com, www.HBO.com/boxing, www.SkySports.com, and www.theo2.co.uk

Follow on Twitter for Gennady “GGG” Golovkin @GGGBoxing, Kell Brook at @SpecialKBrook, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Eddie Hearn @EddieHearn and Matchroom Boxing @MatchroomBoxing in addition to HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and Sky Sports Boxing @SkySportsBoxing.

Use the hashtag #GGGBrook to join the conversation on social media.

Also follow on Twitter for Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial,
@ Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtag #ChocolatitoCuadras to join the conversation on social media.

LOS ANGELES (August 17, 2016) Top undefeated female prospect Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada, (7-0-0, 1KO) of East Los Angeles, California makes her triumphant return to The Fabulous Forum on Saturday, September 10 facing former world title challenger Nancy “Chatita” Franco, (15-9-2, 4KO’s), of Jalisco, Mexico, in a scheduled eight round junior flyweight battle on the off-TV undercard of the WBC Super Flyweight World Championship between Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the world, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0, 38KO’s) and fellow undefeated world champion Carlos “Principe” Gonzalez, (35-0-1, 27KO’s).

Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing are priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 and are now on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

Co-featured on September 10 and also telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. along with Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is a 10-round junior middleweight rematch of the epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate between Yoshihiro Kamegai, (26-3-2, (23KO’s), and Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass, (28-10-4, 18KO’s). The first bout scored a draw took place on April 15 in Downtown Los Angeles.

“We’re very excited to welcome back Seniesa back to The Fabulous Forum for one of our events,” said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions. “This is the third time she has fought on one of our undercards at The Fabulous Forum and her action packed fights have contributed to a full evening of entertainment for fans inside the arena which is paramount to our shows.”

“Nancy Franco has faced numerous world champions and has the skill set to bring out the very best in Seniesa in a fight that should be explosive from the opening bell.”

The 24-year-old Estrada won a six round unanimous decision over Selene Lopez this past April 23rd at The Fabulous Forum, featured on the undercard to the World Middleweight Championship between Boxing Superstar Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and undefeated, #1 ranked challenger Dominic Wade in front of a sold-out arena of 16,353 boxing fans

In her most recent fight, Estrada was victorious over Christina Fuentes on June 3rd in Downtown Los Angeles winning a six round unanimous decision.

The 27-year-old Franco has faced outstanding competition over her eight-year professional career. Among her battles in world championship fights have been against Kayoko Ebata, Victoria Argueta (twice) and Yuko Kuroki.

In her last start Franco battled over 10 rounds against Yesica Yolanda Bopp on June 18 for the WBA Junior Flyweight World Title in Venezuela dropping a very close decision.

Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions. Kamegai vs. Soto Karass 2 is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter for Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial,
@ Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras,
www. facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Also follow Seniesa Estrada on Twitter @SeniesaEstrada.

Use the hashtags #GonzalezCuadras and #KamegaiSotoKarass, #KSK2 to join the conversation on social media.

Media Contacts:

LOS ANGELES (August 10, 2016) Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0-0, 38KO’s) and undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27KO’s) both weighed in within the World Boxing Council (‘WBC”) required 30-day limits ahead of their greatly anticipated battle on Saturday, September 10 at the Fabulous Forum and telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Both fighters are in excellent shape and weighed in at almost identical weights. From his training camp in Big Bear Lake, California, Gonzalez weighed in at 124.2lbs. while Cuadras today in Los Angeles tipped the scales at 124lbs. (Photos/Courtesy K2 Promotions)

For super flyweight world title fights, the WBC mandates that fighters must be no more than 10% over the super flyweight limit or 126.5lbs. thirty days prior to the fight

Co-featured on September 10 and also telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing along with Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is a 10-round junior middleweight rematch of the epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate between Yoshihiro Kamegai, (26-3-2, (23KO’s), and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18KO’s). The first bout scored a draw, took place on April 15 in downtown Los Angeles.

Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 are now on sale through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.

Gonzalez vs. Cuadras is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions. Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass 2 is presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.

SOCIAL MEDIA: For more information, visit www.K2Promos.com, www.GoldenBoyPromotions.com www.FabulousForum.com and www.HBO.com/boxing.

Follow on Twitter for Roman Gonzalez @ChocolatitoBox, Carlos Cuadras @CuadrasOficial,
@ Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions @TomLoeffler1, Golden Boy Promotions @GoldenBoyBoxing, the Forum @theForum and HBO Boxing @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChocolatitoOfficial, www.facebook/CarlosCuadras,
www. facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/TheForum and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Use the hashtags #GonzalezCuadras and #KamegaiSotoKarass, #KSK2 to join the conversation on social media.