By Norm Frauenheim–
Roman Gonzalez and Michael Carbajal are separated by twenty years and linked by history.
Saturday that link between two fighters from different generations will come to a rare crossroads, a coincidence, yet still a significant snapshot about where boxing has been and where it’s going.
Gonzalez represents the fulfillment of what Carbajal began. In 1993, Carbajal introduced the possibility that flyweights can be a big part of the business. That’s when the Phoenix Hall of Famer was No. 4 in The Ring’s pound-for-pound ratings, then the highest ever for a fighter in the lightest divisions.
More than two decades later, Gonzalez has a chance to connect the dots — complete what Carbajal started — at New York’s Madison Square Garden against Brian Viloria Saturday on an HBO pay-per-view card (6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET) that includes middleweight Gennady Golovkin-versus David Lemieux.
The 28-year-old Gonzalez, an unbeaten Nicaraguan (43-0, 37 KOs) goes into the compelling bout ranked No. 1 by The Ring and other media, including ESPN.
“He should be No. 1,’’ Carbajal, now 48, said. “He deserves to be there.’’
Ironically, yet somehow appropriately, Carbajal won’t get a chance to see the bout live. He’s busy.
At about the time Gonzalez climbs through the ropes for his bout Saturday night with Viloria (36-4, 22 KOs), Carbajal will be working a corner for Johnny Tijerina in a featherweight debut at Celebrity Theatre near downtown Phoenix on a UniMas-televised card featuring Las Vegas super-bantamweight Jessie Magadaleno (21-0, 15 KOs) against Filipino Vergel Nebran (14-9-1, 9 KOs).
On both sides of the ropes, business just wouldn’t be the same anymore without the little guys.
Carbajal, the current trainer, has a key question about Gonzalez, one shared by many.
“What happens when his chin gets tested by some real power?’’ he asks.
Nobody really knows, simply because Gonzalez has been so dominant. Against Viloria, there’s a pretty good chance at an answer.
Although he’s been erratic throughout his career, Viloria, a Filipino-American from Hawaii, possesses proven power. If optimistic reports from his training camp are accurate, he intends to target that untested chin early and often. That, of course, raises a couple of other questions.
To wit:
· Will Viloria be able to land a big blow against the skilled Nicaraguan?
· In setting up a big punch, there’s a good chance Viloria leaves himself open to Gonzalez’ own brand of lethal power. Can he withstand a big Gonzalez counter?
In Roman Gonzalez, Hall of Fame manager and advisor Rafael Mendoza of Guadalajara sees some of Carbajal and some of Carbajal’s great rival, Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez. Carbajal and Chiquita collected purses still unequalled in the flyweight divisions with a memorable trilogy.
“Roman is not as fast as Carbajal, but he has some of that speed and some of the quickness,’’ Mendoza said. “He is not as powerful as Chiquita, but he has some of that power. He’s kind of a mix of both.’’
Perhaps a historical mix, potent enough to make him the pound-for-pound No. 1 and keep him there.
