Meet the boxer who's destined to be must-see TV

Someday in the not too distant future, Floyd Mayweather will relinquish his (unofficial) title as best boxer in the world, a designation he's had a stranglehold on for the better part of the last decade and a half.

Who will take over his crown? Two of the possibilities are fighting on Saturday’s card.

Middleweight Gennady Golovkin has, over the last three years, quickly become almost a cult figure within the sport because of his skill, power and engaging manner.

But the unbeaten Golovkin, who will defend his title belts in the main event Saturday on HBO against Willie Monroe at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., may not even be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the card.

That honor could well belong to flyweight champion Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, who is 42-0 with 36 knockouts and somehow largely unknown in the U.S.

Bank on this: If you are a fan of great technical ability, fast action and boundless heart and courage during a fight, Gonzalez is your man.

He's a product of the late, great Alexis Arguello, one of the sport's finest boxers as well as one of its classiest.

If you're not going to be home Saturday, use this as a reminder to set the DVR. This guy is that good and that entertaining.

Boxing has been on something of a roll in the last few weeks. On April 25 in New York, heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko defeated Bryant Jennings in a title bout that attracted more than 1.6 million viewers to the HBO broadcast, the largest audience on premium cable in three years.

The next week was the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight, which smashed pay-per-view records and became the most watched fight this year.

And then last week, Canelo Alvarez stopped James Kirkland in a poor man's version of the great Hagler-Hearns classic from 1985. The Alvarez-Kirkland show drew an average of 2.15 million viewers on HBO and peaked at 2.3 million, making it the most-watched HBO bout since 2006.

If there was one fight out of all of them not to miss, though, it just well may be Gonzalez against Edgar Sosa (51-8, 30 KOs).

Their appearance on HBO will mark the first time since Danny Romero faced Francisco Tejedor on April 22, 1995, that flyweights have appeared on the main service on HBO.

It's a momentous occasion for a small man who is a figurative giant in the industry.

"It is definitely a great opportunity that HBO has given me and it's a blessing from God," Gonzalez said. "This is a very important fight for me and it's time to demonstrate to the American fans that the lighter weight classes can deliver [great matches]."

There is a small but vocal group of fans who appreciate the slick boxing style and the nuance that comes with it. Gonzalez appeals to those fans because he's as technically skilled as anyone this side of two-time gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux.

But Gonzalez is the very definition of a boxer-puncher. He's willing to engage and take risks because he believes that he's a quicker and more accurate puncher and can find the mark before his opponent. He also knows he is a heavy puncher for the class and has the ability to end any of his fights at any moment.

And conditioning-wise, few can sustain the high output that he invariably keeps.

Amateur records are notoriously inaccurate, but Gonzalez’s manager, Carlos Blandon, said he was 81-1 as an amateur. That, combined with his perfect pro record, would make him 123-1 as a competitive boxer.

It doesn't get much better. Now 27, Gonzalez grew up in Managua, Nicaragua, idolizing Arguello. Arguello, who is best known for his classic bouts with Aaron Pryor, was one of his biggest influences.

"He trained me and mentored me for my first championship fight," Gonzalez said of Arguello. "I learned a lot of skills and combinations from Alexis Arguello. Apart from the fact that he was a mentor, he was also a hero and a friend to me."

Gonzalez is so skilled, so powerful and so exciting that one gets the sense that the flyweight and super flyweight divisions are going to soon become a staple on the networks. There is more boxing on television than ever before and what the networks need more than anything are good fights.

With talented and exciting fighters like Gonzalez, Juan Francisco Estrada, Nayoya Inoue, Giovanni Segura and the ever-exciting Hernan "Tyson" Marquez, the lighter divisions are where the TV networks need to look.

Gonzalez sits right at the top of that list, though he's too humble to boast about himself.

He had plenty of good things to say about Golovkin – "He's a great guy to watch and he's definitely one of the best fighters in the world, without a doubt," Gonzalez said – and deflects all praise directed his way.

But if he won't say it, I will:

If you call yourself a boxing fan, or even a fan of elite talent in any sport, you owe it to yourself to watch Roman Gonzalez fight.

You'll be glad you did.

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