

Donaire done chasing Chocolatito as legends fight around each other
Jun 2, 2026
1 min read
Nonito Donaire has called for a clash against Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez over the last few years, but he says his messages have gone unanswered.
Donaire is very much interested in a bout between former pound-for-pound stalwarts and future first ballot Hall of Famers. But the “Filipino Flash” says his callouts have fallen on deaf ears.
“Chocolotito is off my radar for now, knowing that they haven’t been wanting to fight for the last several years,” Donaire told The Ring. “We've tried to make the fight happen for so long. We just stopped chasing them. You know? I've reached out to them numerous times, but they weren't really interested. It came to a point where I was fine with fighting Chocolotito in his hometown of Nicaragua, but it never happened.
“So for me, it's like, you know what — if you guys don't want it, you guys don't want it. I’m on my last straw with them. If they want to make it happen, they can come to me. When they do, they do.”
Gonzalez had shoulder surgery in January and is gearing up to give it another go.
At 43 years old, whether it’s against Gonzalez or not, the four-division champion Donaire (43-10, 28 KOs) still plans on fighting for the foreseeable future despite a 1-4 slide since 2022.
Donaire last fought in March and was stopped by Riku Masuda in the eighth round of a bantamweight bout. The 38-year-old Gonzalez (53-4, 42 KOs), meanwhile, has fought just twice over the last four years.
Donaire is already the oldest champion in bantamweight history, a feat he accomplished at 38.
How the final act of his career plays out remains to be seen.
“I only have maybe a few fights left, or maybe a lot of fights, it depends on how my body works," Donaire said. "But I want to spend every moment that I can focusing on boxing and not coaching or commentating like I have been, because I love this. This is what I love doing — I love being inside the ring. I love getting to the top and fighting the best. So I want to continue focusing on whatever I have left.”
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