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Who will be named fighter of the decade for the 2010s?

By Matthew Saljanin

World Boxing Council champion Floyd Mayweather celebrates after beating and Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 4, 2013. Mayweather extended his perfect record to 44 victories, beating Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision in their welterweight title fight. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
World Boxing Council champion Floyd Mayweather celebrates after beating and Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 4, 2013. Mayweather extended his perfect record to 44 victories, beating Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision in their welterweight title fight. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP/Getty Images) /
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With just about nine months left in the 2010s, it is time to start thinking about who will be awarded Fighter of the Decade. There are multiple deserving candidates, and picking just one will be a difficult decision for the BWWA.

INGLEWOOD, CA – SEPTEMBER 10: Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua (R) defeats Carlos Cuadras of Mexico (L) during the WBC junior bantamweight title fight at The Forum on September 10, 2016 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA – SEPTEMBER 10: Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua (R) defeats Carlos Cuadras of Mexico (L) during the WBC junior bantamweight title fight at The Forum on September 10, 2016 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez

Record in decade: 23-2, 19 KOs

In the aftermath of Floyd Mayweather’s retirement, there was some speculation as to who would take over as the pound-for-pound king. The answer? Roman Gonzalez. A four-division champion, the first of which was at minimum-weight/straw-weight (105 lbs. limit), “Chocolatito” was an absolutely dominant fighter.

Unfortunately for many fans, most of his career was not aired on US television. The smaller weight classes often get neglected by networks, and fans who wanted to watch them were out of luck. Because of this, he gained a cult following, with a group of fans who watched his fights online swearing by him, while a good chunk of fans never even heard of him.

Eventually, his name spread, and HBO decided to put him on as a co-main to Gennady Golovkin vs. Willie Monroe. He did not disappoint, and fans were left wanting more.

However, it turns out his best days were behind him. He would go on to win three more fights after his HBO debut, before losing back-to-back fights against current pound-for-pound fighter Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, the second of which was an absolutely devastating knockout.

Gonzalez suffers from being labeled as overrated by some fans. They only saw the fights HBO aired, which is a tiny sample size. They neglect his entire career, and only make conclusions based off of what little they have seen.

This is foolish, and would be similar to judging Manny Pacquiao’s entire career only based off of what he has done since the Mayweather fight. Everyone knows Pacquiao is no longer in his prime, but his legacy is already solidified. By simply looking up Gonzlaez’s opponents, you can see how great of a fighter he was in his prime.

Gonzalez was the consensus pound-for-pound No. 1 at one point, and for good reason. He fought a who’s who of the lower divisions, and went 23-2 this decade. He absolutely deserves consideration for the award, and those who think otherwise are wrong.

And to anyone who hasn’t watched Gonzalez fight, do yourself a favor and look up his highlights. He was a pleasure to watch.

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