Will the 4th time be a charm for Israel Gonzalez? It won’t be easy.
The £115 contender will challenge one of the hottest young champions in the world – Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – to pay-per-view Canelo Alvarez-Gennadiy Golovkin on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Gonzalez (28-4-1, 11 KOs) had failed on three previous occasions to claim the belt from a world champion.
“I am grateful for the opportunities,” he said through an interpreter. “And I’m a little hungrier than I was three times before. … Now I have a son at home waiting for me to take home the world title. “
Gonzalez built a reputation as a stellar, powerful boxer in his native Mexico climbing the charts and winning a title against then-IBF champion Jerwin Ancajas in 2018 in Corpus. Christi, Texas, his first game in America.
Things did not go well for him. He went down in the opening round, lost the first nine rounds and was stopped at 10.
He returned to win the next two matches, earning him Khalid Yafai’s WBA belt later that year in Monte Carlo. This time Gonzalez played well but conceded a decisive goal, facing ridicule from those who thought Mexico deserved to win.
He once again won the next two matches, leading to another chance to fight for the world championship in 2020 in Mexico City. This time it was against the great Roman Gonzalez, who won the broad decision to retain the WBA title he took from Yafai.
Israel Gonzalez, 3-0-1 since that game, says he was not at his best against Chocolatito. He said he has just over a month left to lose weight and prepare for the future Hall of Fame after 10 months of being laid off.
“I went into that fight from scratch,” he said. “I also had to lose (24 pounds), if you remember. Now it’s different. I am an active fighter. I fought in January, I fought in April. This time it’s different.”
Better yet, the success of Rodriguez, who overcame Carlos Cuadras to win the WBC title and then knocked out Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in his first defense to become the Boxer of the Year contender.
Gonzalez called Rodriguez a “great champion” out of respect but certainly not fear of him. He likes his chance on Saturday.
Gonzalez said: “I think Cuadras was very disappointed when he was eliminated. “I can also close the box, move around the ring. You will see that. What about Rungvisai (35 years old)? My youth will make a difference. I am 25 years old, Bam is 22 years old. Do you see the difference?
“I fought the best in the division. … You will see a (big) change on Saturday. “
What if he succeeds?
“First, it will finally close a chapter and I will make the dream come true,” he said. “It’s the dream everyone has when it comes to boxing, to be a world champion. Second, it will be great for myself and my family.
“This is the moment I have been waiting for a long time. Seventh, God willing, I will be able to show who the real Israel Gonzalez is. “
