In the fourth round of their match, Gonz and Gonzalez traded blows. (0:37)
The fight of the year contender didn't come from Roman Gonzalez and Julio Cesar Martinez, but from Chocolatito.
Gonzalez showed why he is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer with a unanimous-decision victory over Martinez on Saturday in San Diego.
Gonzalez was surprised that Martinez made it to the final bell after absorbing a brutal beating, and the scores (118-110, 117-111 and 116-112) were not indicative of how one-sided the contest was.
Gonzalez said in Spanish that his corner told him not to give him any rounds. He was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217
The punishment was inflicted by combinations delivered in classic Chocolatito fashion. The way Gonzalez flows offense and defense is what makes his game so attractive. Gonzalez was able to fight off the reckless attack of Martinez with a high guard around his ears.
The man from the country landed more punches than the man from the country. Gonzalez landed 58 of 129 punches in the final round, showing the sort of elite condition that is a hallmark of his game.
| Punches | Gonzalez | Martinez |
|---|---|---|
| Total landed | 374 | 182 |
| Total thrown | 1076 | 713 |
| Percent | 35% | 26% |
| Jabs landed | 28 | 14 |
| Jabs thrown | 394 | 262 |
| Percent | 7% | 5% |
| Power landed | 346 | 168 |
| Power thrown | 682 | 451 |
| Percent | 51% | 37% |
| -- Courtesy of CompuBox |
Gonzalez was able to get an easy target for his shots because of the low stance of the fighter. Gonzalez had lost a highly controversial decision to Juan Francisco Estrada in a 115-pound title unification fight last March, but he rebounded with a victory over a Mexican boxer. They were going to meet again on Saturday, but he tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew. Gonzalez won the title in their first fight.
On six weeks' notice, he stepped in for his countryman and agreed to move up one weight class to 115 pounds. He was overweight on Friday at 116.4 pounds. The fight continued after the weight was within the 10% rehydrating limit by the California commission.
He was fined 20% of his purse, with $25,000 paid to Gonzalez and the other half to the commission.
Eddie Hearn said that he looked too inexperienced and would return to flyweight.
A title unification bout could be fought at 112 pounds.
Gonzalez has a lot of options to sort through. The trilogy battle with Estrada is still a good fight for supremacy at 115 pounds.
Gonzalez said that everyone knows that he won the last fight.
Another possibility is a meeting with Thailand's Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, who owns a controversial decision victory over Gonzalez but also a devastating fourth-round knockout that left many wondering if Chocolatito would ever return to form.
Gonzalez did not just return to the pound-for-pound list, but he is still better than ever. In a performance that adds to his Hall of Fame legacy, Gonzalez was in total control from bell to bell in a performance that was very impressive.
Gonzalez has never been held back by conventional wisdom because he is a smaller boxer who relies on speed and reflexes and absorbs more damage than bigger boxers.
The performance by Chocolatito seemed to be getting better and better.
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