Roman Gonzalez vs. Phumulele Cafu - May 2025

[Ruthless-RKO]

PHUMULELE CAFU-ROMAN 'CHOCOLATITO' GONZALEZ WBO TITLE FIGHT EYED FOR SPRINGTIME IN NICARAGUA

Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez has accomplished just about everything he set out to do in his extraordinary career, save for the chance to bring a major title fight to his homeland.

That is about to change.

The Ring has confirmed that the legendary former four-division champ is in advanced talks to challenge WBO 115-pound titlist Phumulele Cafu. The bout is targeted to take place either in late April or early May in Gonzalez’s hometown of Managua, Nicaragua.

An exact date will be confirmed once the networks and venue can align. Event handlers were not in a position to comment or even confirm the bout since it is still in discussion.

Such a fight would represent Gonzalez’s second consecutive fight at home, but his first ever in Nicaragua with a major title at stake.

Gonzalez (52-4, 42 KOs) returned to the ring last July after a 19-month hiatus. The 37-year-old claimed a tenth-round knockout of Colombia’s Rober Barrera (28-6, 18 KOs) in about just above the junior bantamweight limit.

The intention was always to set up an eventual showdown with fellow four-division titlist Kosei Tanaka (20-2, 11 KOs). Both fighters are with Teiken Promotions and on board to meet in a fight that would have taken place sometime in the early spring.

Those plans were shot to sunshine when Tanaka, now The Ring’s No. 5 junior bantamweight contender, was upset by South Africa’s Cafu (11-0-3, 8 KOs) via split decision last Oct. 14 in Tokyo.

Cafu, The Ring’s No. 4 115-pound contender, was equally willing to face Gonzalez. His team has remained in talks with the legendary figure, with a fight deal now seemingly on the horizon.

The bout will mark the first title defense for the 26-year-old southpaw and his second consecutive road trip. Cafu never previously fought outside of South Africa prior to his title haul.

Gonzalez has won a major in every division from strawweight through junior bantamweight, the latter where he’s boasted two tours. He was also The Ring champion at flyweight, which he ruled from 2014 through his Sept. 2016 decision win over Carlos Cuadras to become Nicaragua’s first-ever four-division titleholder.

The win came at a time when Gonzalez was recognized by The Ring as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He held that honor from Floyd Mayweather’s ‘first’ retirement in Sept. 2015 through his Feb. 2017 disputed points loss to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (now 58-6-1, 47 KOs).

Gonzalez suffered a far more crushing defeat in their Sept. 2017 rematch, where he was knocked out in the fourth round.

He is 6-2 since then, which included his WBA 115-pound title-winning ninth-round knockout of unbeaten Khalid Yafai in Feb. 2020. His lone two defeats over that period came to Juan Francisco Estrada, who defended The Ring championship in a March 2021 split decision victory and Dec. 2022 majority decision win.

Gonzalez previously defeated Estrada via unanimous decision in Nov. 2012 to defend his WBA 108-pound title for the final time.

There were talks in 2023 of a potential fourth fight between Estrada and Gonzalez, but never came close to reaching the finish line.

Gonzalez and his team instead shifted on a return home, where he hadn’t fought since 2015.

A second straight hometown headliner is now on the horizon, this time with the chance to forever etch his name in the history books.

[Ruthless-RKO]

The truth is Phumelela Cafu wants Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez next

The WBO junior-bantamweight champion Phumelela Cafu wants to make the first defense of his title against Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

“The Truth” Cafu won it, as the underdog, from Japan’s Kosei Tanaka in Tokyo via split decision in October.

His trainer and manager Colin Nathan is negotiating his potential next move with Teiken Promotions, but even if a “homecoming” fight in South Africa is the alternative, it’s the celebrated Gonzalez, 37 years old and from Nicaragua, Cafu is targeting.

“‘I leave that up to Paps [Colin Nathan]’,” Nathan said when discussing what the 26 year old had told him. “‘I’d love to defend my title against Gonzalez. I’d fight him anywhere. He is another legend, and it’s my time now. I’m starting my own legacy.’”

Nathan added: “We currently have two options. There have been rumors that we will face Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, the WBO’s mandatory challenger. I can say that we are at an advanced stage of negotiations, but it’s not 100 per cent done. Phumelela wants that fight, and so do I, but it will come down to several factors. If that does not happen, then after chatting with Mr Honda, the next option would be to do Phumelela’s first defense right here in South Africa with Boxing 5 Promotions, in association with Teiken Promotions.

“In the event we do a ‘homecoming’ fight here in South Africa, it would not be against Gonzalez. I did explore the possibility of a South African opponent, but none of them qualify because they are not rated in the top 15 WBO ratings.”

Gonzalez last fought in July, when he stopped in 10 rounds Colombia’s Rober Barrera.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Bam Rodriguez is fighting Cafu next instead.