Danny Roman is the 2018 TSS Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

Though a world champion for more than a year, Danny Roman remained invisible despite living in Los Angeles, a place known for more boxing gyms than any other place in the world. But it suits him fine.

He’s always been a sort of quiet fellow anyway.

Danny Roman is our “Breakthrough Fighter of the Year” with his dominance in 2018 against three challengers to his world title. If not for a couple of Ukrainian fighters he might be the Fighter of the Year.

But that’s OK, he’s always fallen between the cracks until he performs in the ring. Watching him dissect much bigger opponents and break them down has become an advance course for the art of boxing.

Quiet and unassuming, the Los Angeles super bantamweight started his career unwanted and unsigned by any promoters for the first four pro years. His trainer and manager Eddie Gonzalez traveled around the Los Angeles boxing circuit looking to put his charge on boxing shows. It wasn’t easy.

Toughness was a trait that fans saw from Roman but despite the inner strength, the boxer known as the “Baby Face Assassin” did not have a sparkling record in his first four pro bouts. He fought to a draw in his second fight and lost his fourth fight to a young undefeated Japanese fighter in Ontario, Calif. It was a Thompson Boxing Promotions fight card. That loss in 2011 kept Roman a boxing orphan and no promoter would sign him.

After another few years of fighting club fighters and another loss, Roman was matched against a slick fighting contender named Jonathan Arrellano. He defeated Arrellano and from that day on he discovered the formula for success. In every subsequent fight he would virtually win every round.

Thompson Boxing Promotions saw the new Danny Roman and signed him to a contract. The smaller promotion company always could detect a winner. They had signed Tim “Desert Storm” Bradley when no others saw world champion qualities in the now retired Southern California great.

Roman was matched against hardened veterans who would elbow, punch low, bash him with head butts and grab. It gave him the experience needed to step up in competition.

In September 2017, Roman, 28, was sent to Japan where he grabbed the WBA super bantamweight world title by knockout over the much taller Shun Kubo. Watching Roman out-jab the taller champion in Kyoto, Japan and batter him for nine rounds was a shock to the system to those watching.

It was not an aberration.

Roman would then return to Japan this past February and face yet another taller and hard-hitting foe in Ryo Matsumoto (pictured). Once again the L.A. boxer broke down his opponent with such machine-like precision and dogged determination that fans were in shock at the brutal effectiveness from the quiet warrior.

When he returned home to Southern California nothing seemed to have changed. He was still Danny Roman the boxer with a quiet demeanor who took care of his father. He still trained every day in various L.A. gyms and nothing outwardly changed.

Thompson Boxing received a call from Showtime about an opening on one of its boxing cards and asked if Roman would be willing to participate. They accepted. On June 16, Roman defended his WBA title against Mexico’s taller Moises Flores, an undefeated super bantamweight from Guadalajara. This time an American national audience watched Roman exhibit the art of breaking down a taller opponent with a systematic attack that saw him win by unanimous decision. One judge gave Roman every round on his card.

Boxing experts with a keen eye realized the significance of Roman’s emphatic win and his technical prowess.

DAZN, a new streaming service, and Matchroom Boxing offered Roman a place on its Chicago fight card this past October. He was asked to defend against Gavin McDonnell, a tall and gritty fighter from Yorkshire, England. Somehow two judges saw a close fight but Roman squashed those misguided cards with his own system of evaluation: body shots and blows to the head that ended the fight by emphatic knockout in the 10^th round.

After the fight Roman was asked if he had a preference for his next opposition.

“It has been my intention to unify ever since I became world champion last year in September,” said Roman, who is promoted by long-time promoter Thompson Boxing and new partner Matchroom Boxing. “I don’t care who steps up to the challenge. I’ll fight any of them. I want all the belts.”

Roman finally broke through total obscurity in 2018. Next could be Fighter of the Year in 2019.

Photo credit: Jason Robles

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