With the retirement of Floyd Mayweather, the imminent retirement of Manny Pacquiao, and another injury to Andre Ward, the pound-for-pound rankings are in flux.

Replacing those world-class talents will not be easy, but among the candidates is Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (44-0, 38 KOs), the little giant from Managua, Nicaragua.

The former WBA World minimumweight champion and WBA World light flyweight champion currently holds the WBC World flyweight title he won by stopping Akira Yaegashi in 2014.

Early stoppages are a Chocolatito specialty. None of his last 10 opponents made it to the final bell, dating back to 2012. The last man to go the distance with Gonzalez was Juan Francisco Estrada (33-2, 24 KOs), from Hermosilla, Sonora, Mexico, who has gone undefeated since that fight.

Estrada currently holds the WBA Super World and WBO World flyweight titles, so he has something Gonzalez wants beside revenge.

Having been elevated to the number one spot on several pound-for-pound lists, where he’s sharing the rarified air with such exceptional fighters as Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Kell Brook, and Canelo Alvarez, pleases Gonzalez no end.

“I feel very happy with being number one pound-for-pound,” he said. “I would never have imagined to be number one pound-for-pound or to have won three world championships.”

But as much as he’s looking to the future, Chocolatito is also looking to the past.

“I would like the rematch with Estrada,” he said. “I think that would be a good fight.”

This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.