Gonzalez' long flight, fight for redemption

Gonzalez' long flight, fight for redemption

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

March 28, 2011

If you've followed the career of former world bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez, you'd be sure to think that with all he has experienced in the squared circle over the course of his career that he was winding down a professional career and must be in his mid-to-late thirties.

You'd be incorrect. In six months, Gonzalez will be turning thirty years old despite having fought in more than his share of high profile bouts over the last decade. His path has been derailed more than a handful of times, but the Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexican born fighter has always found a way to keep his name in the mix despite his slipups.

In just a few weeks, Gonzalez looks to establish world legitimacy once again as he meets fellow former bantamweight titlist Hozumi Hasegawa, who with a win last November against Juan Carlos Burgos captured the vacant WBC featherweight title to become a multi-division champion. Gonzalez looks to imitate the Japanese based fighter in winning a title two weights above where he first secured a championship, this time having to travel more than half a world away to his opponent's homeland in order to do it.

“I have waited a long time for this fight,” said Gonzalez about the upcoming bout with Hasegawa. “Boxing fans know what I went through to get to this point and I will not waste the opportunity. I'm pretty sure that I can come back to Mexico with the crown.”

Gonzalez has participated in his fair share of big fights after overcoming a rocky early start. The '90s were dreadful professionally for Gonzalez as he lost two decisions in 1999, beginning his career a less than spectacular 0-2. Gonzalez won his next fourteen over the next two years before losing to the ageless Ricardo Vargas twice. Jhonny padded his record against subpar opposition before being moved in as an opponent for the blossoming 26-0 Roger Gonzalez, whom he dropped three times in the sixth for the technical knockout victory.

By this time, Gonzalez was fighting exclusively in the United States and saw himself give undefeated Gabriel Elizondo his first blemish, which was followed by a decision win over former 115-pound champion Adonis Rivas.

Gonzalez would finally get his shot on the world stage against WBO bantamweight champ Ratanachai Singwancha, scoring a seventh round TKO and by virtue setup some paydays down the line.

Gonzalez would be featured on HBO-PPV and HBO Boxing After Dark his next two fights, rising to the occasion to stop a passed it Mark Johnson in the eighth and scoring a split decision over the red hot at the time Fernando Montiel.

Gonzalez would then sign on to fight the always dangerous Israel Vazquez in his third fight of the year on the undercard of the rematch between Marco Antonio Barrera and Rocky Juarez, which hoped to deliver on the momentum the first fight had built up in a classic draw. The main event was lackluster but the card was saved by a good undercard, highlighted by Gonzalez' attempt to secure a world title in the 122-pound weight class.

It looked early on as if Gonzalez was going to wear Vazquez down and become a multi-divisional champion as he dropped Vazquez once in the fourth and once in the sixth. Vazquez, who was at the time the Ring Magazine junior featherweight champion, somehow found it in him to battle back and withstand the onslaught to drop Gonzalez in the seventh. From that point on it was all Vazquez until Oscar Suarez stopped the fight in favor of letting his fighter see another day. It was regarded as perhaps the best fight in North America in 2006.

It wasn't a huge blow to the career of Gonzalez as it took place at the highest skill level the sport had to offer. He moved back to bantamweight and was beating Gerry Penalosa around the ring until Penalosa found lightning in a bottle, abruptly stopping Gonzalez in the seventh round with a single shot on the Mexico versus Philippines World Cup card on HBO Boxing After Dark.

Gonzalez would then move up to super bantamweight again, this time taking a slower road to acclimate himself to the weight. Six fights later and Gonzalez would sign on to fight WBC 122-pound champion Toshiaki Nishioka in May of 2009, luring the champion to his stomping grounds of Monterrey, Mexico.

Gonzalez looked great early as he sent the champion crashing down in the first round that he was almost unable to survive. But in the second things began to change and Nishioka's lefty style proved problematic. The third round saw a Nishioka straight left behind a double jab put Gonzalez down heavily and he was unable to beat the count.

Many people cite this fight as reason to wrap up the career of Gonzalez who instead has put together another run to earn a shot at a world title.

Gonzalez will be seeing something very similar to what he saw against Nishioka. Hasegawa is a lefty with pop who has also shown to have a dentable beard by virtue of his wild stoppage loss against Fernando Montiel last April. Hasegawa was having trouble making 118 and jumped two weight classes in one fell swoop.

The bout comes on the heels of the terrible tsunami that swept up much of Japan earlier this month, and many felt the bout would be scrapped or at the very least moved somewhere. The bout was in fact moved from Tokyo to Kobe due to the natural disasters. Despite the risk of radioactivity, Gonzalez has no fears about traveling to Japan for another chance.

“The world is appalled by the misery that runs through Japan. I sympathize with my Japanese brothers and I will be there to fight for the many boxing fans,” Gonzalez said kindheartedly.

Where this fight goes will likely determine how much longer the career of the eleven-year Mexican professional goes. Jhonny, whose first name was spelled incorrectly on his birth certificate and never changed, is intent on making his 29 years look much younger than many people feel than he looks. He definitely has the firepower to score a stoppage, but also risks the same danger by opening up. This is a fight that won't likely see the distance.

On April 8^th, for at least one day, locals can focus their attention on a fight that looks to be thrilling, and one way or the other will possibly inspire those same people to keep on trucking in much the same way that Gonzalez and even his opponent have done throughout their tough careers inside the ring.