Jonathan Gonzalez outpoints Saul Juarez over 10, seeks world title bout at 108 pounds

Junior flyweight Jonathan Gonzalez held off a late rally by Saul Juarez to win a 10-round unanimous decision late Friday night at the Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort in Miami, Florida.

Scores were 96-94, 96-94, and 98-92 for Gonzalez, who improves to 23-3-1 (13 knockouts).

On August 24, the southpaw Gonzalez, who resides in Caguas, Puerto Rico, challenged WBO flyweight titleholder Kosei Tanaka. He lost by knockout in Round 7 after dropping Tanaka earlier in the fight.

Juarez had not fought since July 19, when he lost a split decision to Ganigan Lopez.

Gonzalez relied on superior ring generalship to outbox Juarez during the first half of the fight, using lateral movement to keep his opponent at the end of the punches.

But by the midway point, Juarez slowly began to close the gap, connecting with lead or counter left hands to the head. Gonzalez’s punch output began to drop significantly as the rounds went by, but he did muster enough energy to stand in the pocket and connect.

Gonzalez believes dropping down to 108 pounds and competing at that weight makes sense and he’s hoping for another world title bout.

“It was a tough fight,” said Gonzalez, who is trained by former world titleholder Ivan Calderon. “Juarez is a good fighter. I’ve worked hard to get better with Ivan Calderon. My corner motivated me during training camp. They give me the hunger and motivation to work hard.”

Juarez, who resides in Mexico City, drops to 25-11-2 (13 KOs).

Undercard

Featherweight prospect and two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez broke down 18-year-old Rafael Ramirez before knocking him out in Round 4. The official time was 2:35.

Ramirez (2-1, 2 KOs), who has signed a promotional deal with Top Rank, ended matters by dropping his man with a combination. He has now won his last two bouts after losing his pro debut by split decision to Adan Gonzales on August 10. Rafael Ramirez of Laredo, Texas, drops to 3-1 (1 KO).

Hard-hitting junior welterweight prospect Elvis Rodriguez dropped Kaylyn Alfred (4-3-1) of Lafayette, Louisiana three times before the fight was stopped in Round 6. Alfred went down once in Rounds 4, 5 and 6 before the fight was stopped at 2:13. Rodriguez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, is trained by Freddie Roach and improves to 6-0-1 (6 KOs).

Francisco A. Salazar can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing

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