Jhonny Gonzalez Looks Impressive and Inches Towards Another Title Shot

Posted by Igor Frank on 05.17.2008

Ringside Report from Cabazon, CA.


Photo by Tom Hogan / Golden Boy Promotions

In the main event of the evening on tonight's Solo Boxeo, super bantamweight Jhonny Gonzalez from Mexico City took on a seasoned veteran Mauricio Pastrana from Colombia in a ten round bout.

After a slow start in the first round, where Gonzalez seemed tentative, he started to do damage with hooks to the body of a smaller man. His strength and precision punching started to make a difference in the second and third stanza. Jhonny put Pastarna down with a spectacular left hook right hand combination and after Mauricio beat the count he unleashed a barrage of unanswered punches that forced a referee Ray Corona to stop the contest at two minutes and thirty two seconds of the fourth round. Jhonny said that he wanted to look impressive and serve notice to other champions at 122 pound division, which is deep and full of talent. He said that he wanted to do one more fight and then he will be ready to take on one of the champions.

In the co-main even of the evening, televised by Telefutura, Solo Boxeo, Jr featherweight Antonio Escalante from El Paso, Texas destroyed his opponent David Martinez from Albuquerque, New Mexico in a spectacular fashion. After a relatively slow first stanza, Escalante started to connect with damaging blows in the second and then unleashed a barrage of punches in the third that forced Martinez to take a knee. Referee Raul Caiz Sr. counted to eight, looked into Martinez eyes and stopped the fight at two minutes and eight seconds of the third round disregarding his feeble protests.

Due to the fact that Escalante ended matters early, both TV and live audience were treated to a thrilling brawl, while it lasted, between undefeated bantamweight from Riverside, California, Michael Franco and Benito Abraham from Mexico. It was all out war from the first moment till it ended at two minutes and fifty nine seconds of round two at which time Abraham, after second knock down, told the referee Ray Corona that he did not want to continue.

Unbeaten welterweight Daniel Cervantes from Oxnard, California dominated a veteran Alex Perez from Miami, Florida over four rounds. All three judges scored the bout 40-36.

Flyweight, Anthony Villareal from Riverside, California dominated his opponent Jaime Gutierrez from Los Mochis, Mexico over four rounds and knocked him down in the second round with a perfect left hook. Judges scored the fight 40-35, 40-35, and 39-36 in favor of Villareal.

Junior welterweight from Juarez Mexico, Javier Castro destroyed his opponent Ramon Guevara in the very first round. Referee Raul Caiz Sr. stopped the bout at two minutes thirty two after third knock down.

Eduardo Escobedo, Jr lightweight from Mexico City defeated Javier Cintron, who refused to come out for the second round.