Paulo Aokuso vs Yunieski Gonzalez Preview March 11th, 2023
The vacant IBO Inter Continental Light Heavyweight Belt is on the line in Sydney, Australia this Saturday, March 11th, (Mar. 12 Australia) when he Yunieski Gonzalez of Cuba takes on unbeaten local lad Paulo Aokuso in a 10-rounder. Gonzalez last boxed in November when he was stopped by Andre Dirrell in the 10th round. It was his second straight defeat as he was also halted in the 10th round by Gilberto Ramirez 11 months earlier. Aokuso last fought in November when he stopped David Zegarra in the second stanza.
Aokuso vs Gonzalez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Yunieski Gonzalez +375
- Paulo Aokuso -550
My Pick
The 37-year-old Gonzalez, who now fights out of Miami, Florida, enters the ring with a mark of 21-5 with 17 Ko’s. He stands six-feet-tall with an unlisted reach and possesses pretty good power thanks to a current knock’out ratio of 65.4 per cent and that’s one of the main reasons he’s fought just 116 rounds in 26 fights since making his pro debut in 2010 following an excellent amateur career in Cuba which saw him reach the final of the Cuban National Championships in 2008.
Prior to being stopped by Dirrell and Gilberto Ramirez, Gonzalez’s first three losses came at the hands of former world champion Jean Pascal by 10-round unanimous decision in July, 2015, to Vyacheslav Shabranskyy by 10-round majority decision five months later and he was stopped in the third round by Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2017 in a shot at the NABF, and WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Belts.
Gonzalez won the vacant WBA Fedelatin Title in 2020 when he stopped Alex Theran in the second round. Most of Gonzalez’s wins have been against Grade B opponents such as Tommy Karpency, Grover Young, Jackson Dos Santos, and Guillermo Romero. Each time he stepped up in class he was beaten. He’s been stopped in three of his five losses and is 5-3 in his last eight outings with all of the bouts ending in a stoppage.
As for Aokuso, he’s a 25-year-old southpaw who fought at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He made his pro debut in 2022 and has a perfect mark of 3-0 with 3 Ko’s. He met Michael Van Nimwegen in his pro debut in April and stopped him in the fifth round to take the Australasian Light-Heavyweight Title. Aokuso then halted veteran Robert Berridge in the second round two months later to defend the belt. Then in November he stopped another veteran in the second round by halting David Zegarra.
Aokuso stands just over six feet tall with a 72.5-inch reach which gives him just a half-inch height advantage on Gonzalez. He’s obviously got some dynamite in his fists with all three pro victories coming by stoppage. Aokuso has boxing skills and power and isn’t wasting any time getting his pro career started by taking on formidable opponents from the get-go. Counting Gonzalez, his four pro opponents have a combined record of 97-28-2.
Prediction…
Gonzalez definitely has power but he’s a bit of an enigma when it comes to his chin. Some nights it appears to be made of granite while on others it’s more like glass and his been stopped in his last two outings. Aokuso has a lot of power and boxing skills and considering Gonzalez is now 37 years old, I’m giving him a puncher’s chance only. As long as he has a good chin, I’m taking Aokuso in this one.
Aokuso is 12 years younger with power and fine boxing skills.
Play: Aokuso -550 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Paulo Aokuso betting • Yunieski Gonzalez betting