5. Luis Concepcion
The plucky Panamanian started life at super-flyweight (where Gonzalez just won the WBC world title) though dropped down to flyweight in 2008 and picked up an interim world title, though fell short twice against Hernan Marquez when vying for the real thing. However at 115lbs he avenged those defeats to Marquez and, in his last fight, won the WBA title by travelling to Japan and outpointing Kohei Kono.
That strap is what makes him an attractive target for Gonzalez; it would be a unification fight. Carlos Cuadras, who Gonzalez just beat, is the only man to have defeated Concepcion at super-flyweight and while he is certainly one of the best at the weight, Roman would actually be taking a slight step back in class if he fought him. Regardless, it would be a decent test for the pound for pound king.
4. Shinsuke Yamanaka
Probably the most unlikely option on this list, but maybe the most tantalising. Gonzalez is Nicaragua’s first ever four-weight world champion – but imagine if he made it five. Yamanaka reings supreme at bantamweight with his WBC belt and is coming off a thrilling stoppage win over Anselmo Moreno.
However he looked vulnerable, hitting the deck during the fight, something that also happened in his fight before that against the limited Liborio Solis. At 33 Yamanaka is no spring chicken and has been turning back top-rated challengers since winning the title back in 2011. Although Gonzalez would be giving up natural size advantages, having started his career at strawweight, perhaps this is the right time to catch Yamanaka – not to mention the fact that Roman’s sublime talent would probably make him a betting favourite going in anyway.
However Gonzalez has expressed his desire to stick around at 115lbs for a little while, and there are certainly some mouth-watering matchups for him there…
3. Carlos Cuadras II
Though the decision is hard to dispute, their 12 round war earlier this month was undeniably close and arguably the hardest Gonzalez has been pushed so far in his 46 fight career. His face swollen and his energy reserves maxed out at the final bell, Gonzalez had to dig deep to defeat a naturally bigger man.
Cuadras granted Gonzalez a voluntary shot at his title, and it makes sense for the new champion to do the same. The Forum was rocking for their first fight and given how exciting it was, there will be plenty of fans keen to see a rematch. Not only that, but Cuadras is just one of two men to really push Gonzalez hard over 12 rounds.
2. Juan Francisco Estrada II
Estrada is, of course, the other man to have done so. In 2012, the Mexican dropped a unanimous decision to Gonzalez for the WBA light-flyweight title in another barnburner.
He has been gunning for a rematch ever since but despite both men immediately moving to flyweight – where Estrada won the WBO and WBA titles and Gonzalez the WBC belt – it has not yet happened. However Estrada will make his super-flyweight debut on October 8, keeping the prospect of a Gonzalez rematch very much alive.
It’s more likely at this stage that Gonzalez will fight Cuadras again, however Estrada’s continued success since his loss to Gonzalez (scalping the likes of Brian Viloria, Milan Melindo and Hernan Marquez) has created a huge sense of anticipation.
1. Naoya Inoue
The smallest superfight available. These two multi-weight undefeated champions and outstanding fighters and potential clash between them has had fans salivating for a couple of years now.
Inoue, just 23, is already a two weight world champion. In 2014 he captured the WBC light-flyweight belt, beating current WBA champion Ryoichi Taguchi along the way. He then leapfrogged the flyweight division (which Gonzalez was ruling at the time) and blitzed WBO super-flyweight champion Omar Andres Narvaez in two rounds.
He’s defended the title three times since then and looked dominant in each outing. After Gonzalez defeated Cuadras for the WBC 115lb title, WBO President Paco Valcarcel said that “everything [is] now ready for the battle of the little giants.”
Though it wouldn’t have the sort of crossover appeal like Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward is likely to enjoy, it is still right up there in terms of importance.
