‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez shows mastery in stoppage of Barrera

Roman Gonzalez, now 37 and having dominated boxing’s lower weight classes for roughly a decade, is no longer at his towering peak – even if the reception he enjoyed from his countrymen Friday at Polideportivo Alexis Arguello in Managua, Nicaragua, suited that of a conquering hero.

Coming off a 19-month layoff and two losses in his previous three fights, Gonzalez could have been forgiven for returning for a ceremonial victory lap and a final feting from his adoring Nicaraguan fans. Regardless of what the four-division champion and future Hall of Famer does with his remaining days in the ring, he had earned that much.

Yet what he showed against Rober Barrera indicated that Gonzalez isn’t quite ready to round the bend, as “Chocolatito” systematically broke down his prime opponent in a blistering 10th-round stoppage triumph.

As decisive as the fight’s end was, Gonzalez (52-4, 42 KOs) left open the potential for intrigue early – if only for a few moments. He started slowly as the 31-year-old Barrera (27-6, 17 KOs) looked for openings and fired repeatedly, if mostly in effectively. Gonzalez suddenly came to life at the end of Round 1, landing a left hook to the body, a left hand to Barrera’s temple and two straight right hands up top in the final 30 seconds.

After starting slowly again in the second, Gonzalez began splitting Barrera’s guard and landing sharp combinations to snap his head back – and draw delighted cheers from the crowd. Several right hands from Gonzalez in the final minute of the third rattled Barrera’s jaw and forced his back to the ropes. Barrera was still mounting his own offense – just less of it, and almost exclusively off the back foot. The punishment was starting to pile up.

Barrera made a push early in the fourth as Gonzalez repeatedly covered up and backed out. A trap? Gonzalez stepped on the gas in the final minute, catching Barrera against the ropes with a right hand and chopping away with an uppercut and two more right hands before the bell.

A few connecting punches from Barrera in the fifth drew Gonzalez out of his shell earlier than in the previous rounds, but it turned into a firefight Barrera didn’t want. Gonzalez showed off his arsenal, unleashing – and landing – no fewer than a dozen right-hand power shots by round’s end. As the fighters walked to their respective corners, Polideportivo Alexis Arguello was vibrating with energy.

A series of right hands continued to break down Barrera, whose demeanor somehow never betrayed the beating he was taking. Toward the end of the seventh, a swarm of Gonzalez punches had Barrera bouncing off the ropes and staggering around the ring between clinches. A low left hook dug into Barrera’s liver and dropped him to a knee for a knockdown. In the ninth, a Gonzalez barrage dropped Barrera again, only for him to clamber to his feet again. The ESPN+ announcers, already uneasy with the damage Barrera was absorbing, were now apoplectic in calling for the fight to be stopped, with an exasperated Raul Marquez at one point simply shouting, “Jesus Christ!”

Only his fitness and will kept Barrera on his feet into the final round, but not even those could spare him through the final bell. After having allowed Gonzalez to all but keelhaul Barrera for multiple rounds without stopping the action, referee Ramon Gonzalez finally ended the onslaught less than a minute into the final round. Despite that bit of ugliness, it was a masterful performance from a fighter who isn’t quite ready to hear his career, or his greatness, referred to in the past tense.