Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez reigned supreme as the lord of the lighter weights for nearly a decade.

But more recently, the likes of Naoya Inoue, Jesse Rodriguez, and Junto Nakatani have crashed the party as the prolific flag bearers for diminutive fighters. Naturally, they’ve all considered a clash against the former four-division champion and future Hall of Famer, who at 37, is now competing at 118 pounds.

Nakatani, The Ring’s No. 9 ranked pound-for-pound fighter, is the star of the bantamweight class and he welcomes a fight against the division-newcomer Gonzalez.

“I wouldn't turn down a Chocolatito fight,” Nakatani’s career-long coach Rudy Hernandez told The Ring. “I would accept it without even thinking about it. But it's not going to feel the same. Chocolatito is not [young]. I like Chocolatito, he's a really good, humble, hard-working fighter who has achieved more than anybody could have ever imagined. I wouldn't doubt it [that Junto sends him into retirement]. It's a business. If that happens, I am going to feel bad for Chocolatito. I don't think he stands a chance.”

Gonzalez (52-4, 42 KOs), a 20-year professional, is nowhere near retirement. The Nicaraguan legend is eyeing WBO bantamweight belt holder Phumelele Cafu for a springtime slugfest in his native land.

The WBC champion Nakatani (29-0, 22 KOs), meanwhile, returns on Monday to face David Cuellar (28-0, 18 KOs) at the Ariake Arena in Koto-Ku, Japan on ESPN+.

“We have to do our job to get to the bigger fights,” said Hernandez. “We’re always ready and Junto understands the importance of the fights.

“Junto is sitting down on his punches a little better and he's stronger now. He's confident as a 27-year-old man. He has the mindset and the strength. His work ethic has not changed. He's responsible. It's showing.

“David Cuellar is a very difficult fighter. I think we are going to see a better Cuellar than we have ever seen, and I worry about that. We have to neutralize him first and then beat him. We're focused on having the best Junto possible on fight night. My system is to be ready under any and all circumstances. As long as Junto is ready on fight night, there are no excuses.”