By Jake Donovan
One week after most publications finished filing their “Best Of…” lists for 2010, Gonzales officially plead his case for prospects to watch in 2011.
The Sacramento-based middleweight headlined the season premiere of Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo Tecate with a convincing eight-round decision win over fellow prospect Lester Gonzalez.
Scores were 79-73 and 78-74 (twice) in a bout that aired live from Fairfield, California.
The bout was never a rout, but also never reached a point where
Gonzale
s
was ever in trouble. The conventional versus southpaw style matchup didn’t cause for any awkward moments in a free-flowing contest, although largely controlled by Brandon’s superior boxing skills.
When the jab alone wasn’t enough to keep Gonzalez at bay, Gonzales opted to work the body, which served him well in the middle rounds.
Action never truly progressed from the tactical level, though was evenly-paced enough to keep the night moving and the crowd entertained. The threat of a knockout was never imminent, but it didn’t stop
Gonzale
s
from pushing harder down the stretch, at the very least determined to put on a show wrapped in a boxing clinic.
The 26-year old managed to do just that, upping his record to 14-0 (10KO) as a result. The bout was his first since last summer, and also his first fight in California after having spent the past year and change fighting in Nevada.
Things suddenly don’t look quite as rosy for Gonzalez. After jumping out to a 10-0 start, the 33-year old Cuban southpaw has just one win in his past four contests. The loss is his second straight as he falls to 11-2-1 (6KO).
The televised co-feature saw hometown favorite Alan Sanchez rediscover the win column with a unanimous decision over battle-tested veteran Cristian Favela in a spirited, albeit one-sided affair.
Sanchez was in control for most of the bout, save for a brief power outage that put the fight on hold with about 30 seconds to go in the opening round. The lights in the arena flickered on and off, causing a delay of more than two minutes before action resumed.
From that point onward, it was all Sanchez, who was badly in need of a win. 2010 was not the kindest of years for the local prospect, who entered the year coming off of a loss and ending with a loss and draw heading into Friday’s contest.
The virtual shutout puts Sanchez back in the win column, as he improves to 6-2-1 (2KO).
Favela, who only recently remembered what it was once like to win fights, ends a two-fight losing streak as he falls to 28-31-7 (18KO).
The show was presented by Don Chargin Productions and Golden Boy Promotions.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
