Recently crowned WBA super-flyweight champion Kal Yafai of Birmingham in the UK is a future star in the opinion of many good judges. The unbeaten 27-year-old is slick, super-fast and he is exciting to watch. And already, Yafai is looking at facing the very best.
Yafai, who will make his maiden title defence on May 13, against a TBA, is already talking up a possible fight between he and the brilliant Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez, the consensus pick for today’s pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet.
“I definitely want to fight Gonzalez in the future, he is one of the biggest names in boxing,” Yafai said when speaking with Sky Sports. “He is a brilliant fighter, a four-weight world champion and pound-for-pound number-one. It’s brilliant for him to be in my weight class and it gets our division out there a bit more. I don’t fear any fighter and although there are big risks in that fight, I believe with the right experience under me leading into that fight – I know I can beat Gonzalez.”
Yafai speaks of experience and at 21-0(14), compiled over four-and-a-half years, he certainly needs a good bit more before going in with the 46-0 Gonzalez, who has been a pro since 2005 and a world champion since 2008. Gonzalez, though, would absolutely be most welcome in the UK if he did decide to meet Yafai in a big unification showdown on these shores.
Gonzalez is on course to break Rocky Marciano’s legendary 49-0 record. No, Gonzalez is not a heavyweight, so “The Rock’s” record will still stand, but look at all the fuss that was made over whether or not Floyd Mayweather would be able to break Rocky’s record (Floyd of course tied the immortal record before “retiring”). Gonzalez may well do it, yet he will likely receive a whole lot less attention for having done so.
Next up for Gonzalez will be a super-flyweight title defence against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on March 18, on the Golovkin-Jacobs card in New York.
