Roman Gonzalez vs Israel Gonzalez Preview Oct. 23rd
Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez of Nicaragua will be defending his WBA Jr. Bantamweight Title against Israel Gonzalez of Mexico in Mexico City this Friday, Oct. 23rd. Gonzalez, a four-division champion, won the belt with a ninth-round stoppage over Khalid Yafai in February. The 12-round bout can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Israel Gonzalez last saw action in December when he topped Sho Ishida by a 12-round split decision in Japan.
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Gonzalez vs Gonzalez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Israel Gonzalez +900
- Roman Gonzalez -2000
My Pick
The 33-year-old Roman Gonzalez, 49-2 with 41 Kos, suffered of back-to-back losses to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand by majority decision and fourth-round stoppage in 2017 for his only two pro losses and then took a year off before stopping Moises Fuentes in the fifth round in 2018. He then took another 15-month layoff before stopping Diomel Diocos in the second round in December before stopping Yafai for his latest title.
Gonzalez was known as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers on the planet before running into Rungvisai and he’s trying to reclaim his standing. The first fight with Rungvisai was controversial as Gonzalez was dropped in the opening round and Rungvisai was deducted a point for head butting in the sixth, but he managed to fend off a late surge by Gonzalez to take his crown.
Gonzalez is actually a four-division world champion as he won the WBC Junior Bantamweight title in September, 2016 before meeting Rungvisai. He has also been a titleholder at minimumweight, light-flyweight and flyweight. Gonzalez still has plenty of power with a current knockout ratio of 80.4 per cent but he’s also a good technical boxer.
His mobility allows him to control the ring and he likes to use his aggression to unleash quick, painful combinations on his opponents whenever he sees an opening. He’s not the best defensive boxer in the world and there’s a question mark about his chin. Gonzalez turned pro in 2005 and has 247 rounds of experience since then. Gonzalez stands 5-feet-3-inches tall and has a wingspan of 64 inches.
He’s faced some good opposition over the years with wins over Akira Yaegashi, Rocky Fuentes, Valentin Leon, Edgar Sosa, Brian Viloria, Juan Francisco Estrada, Omar Salado, Omar Soto, Francisco Rosas, Katsunari Takayama, Yutaka Niida and Manuel Vargas.
Israel Gonzalez is just 23 years old and enters the contest with a mark of 25-3 with 11 Kos. He’s boxed 149 rounds since turning pro in 2014 and has a current knockout ratio of just 39.3 per cent. He’s 5-feet-6-inches tall with an unlisted reach which gives him a three-inch height advantage over the champion. He was stopped in the 10th round by Jerwin Ancajas in 2018 in a shot at the IBF Super Flyweight Title.
Gonzalez’s other losses came against Agi Cortes via a six-round unanimous decision in 2016 and to Khalid Yafai by unanimous decision in a shot at the WBA Super Flyweight Crown nine months after losing to Ancajas. Gonzalez has basically been facing limited opposition so far in his career but stepped up in class a few times when fighting for world titles and taking on Sho Ishida.
He fell short against Ancajas and Yafai but proved he can handle himself well enough for a 23-year-old and pulled off an upset against Ishida in Osaka. Gonzalez hasn’t got much in the way of power but possesses plenty of talent and as long as his chin holds up could give the champion a few problems along the way.
Prediction…
Roman Gonzalez should have plenty of confidence with three straight knockouts in his comeback even though he’s now 33 and 10 years older than Israel Gonzalez. With his opponent lacking in power I’m expecting to see the champion to eventually establish his superiority and possibly stop the younger Gonzalez. ‘Chocolatito’ has plenty of experience and power and I’m expecting him to retain his title.
Gonzalez has the experience, power and skills to take the title.
Play: Roman Gonzalez -2000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Israel Gonzalez betting • Roman Gonzalez betting