By Haxel Ruben Murillo
World Boxing Council [WBC] super flyweight world champion Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez (46-0, 38 KOs) is back in the gym after more than two months of rest and being away from the ring.
The boxer was starting to get back in the swing of things, and he certainly felt the absence of longtime trainer Arnulfo Obando, who died last Wednesday. Obando suffered a serious stroke two days earlier and was eventually declared brain dead as his condition worsened.
At 1:00 pm, the champion entered the gym. His trainer, Wilmer Hernandez, was there to greet him and put him to work - but they were not training with a high intensity, which is normal, considering that the body needs at least a week of adapting to the tough grind of camp before raising the pace to its maximum level.
The biggest question for Gonzalez was the situation with his corner. Chocolatito says his father, Luis Gonzalez, will be running things, but there is a meeting coming up with his international promoter Akihiko Honda, who will surely have a proposal and will provide the names of some trainers who are affiliated with his company, Teiken Promotions.
"I felt good because we started our plan of work plan," Gonzalez. "The official trainer will be Luis Gonzalez, my dad, and Wilmer, who will be in my corner as well. The others [in the corner] will be trainers, I imagine, from Teiken. We have to see what will happen and the plan that comes together in 2017."
Chocolatito was last seen in action back in September, when he made history as the first Nicaraguan fighter to capture four world titles in four weight divisions. He won a very tough twelve round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Carlos Cuadras of Mexico. There is some discussions regarding a potential rematch in the first quarter of next year.
