Jose Pedraza saw his role reduced from headliner to onsite spectator for Thursday’s show in Las Vegas, but his hometown managed to produce at least one winner on the night.
Teenaged rookie Frevian Gonzalez made the most of his ESPN-televised debut, scoring a four-round decision over Jose Martinez in their battle of unbeaten junior lightweights.
Scores were 39-37 twice and 40-36 in favor of Gonzalez in their televised preliminary bout Thursday evening from a crowdless MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.
Gonzalez—a 19-year old from Cidra, Puerto Rico and a stablemate of Pedraza—controlled the action throughout, showing a steady blend of boxing intelligence and pure athleticism. Martinez wasn’t entirely without his say, but the 21-year old from Los Angeles couldn’t fare any better than keep pace as he was outworked by his faster and taller foe.
Right hand shots from Gonzalez consistently found the mark, proving to be more than enough in the eyes of judges Tim Cheatham, Eric Cheek and Lisa Giampa. The night marked his first in the lower 48 states, having spent his first two bouts in his native Puerto Rico. The occasion came without Pedraza appearing atop the show, as his previously scheduled main event was canceled as his opponent, Mikkel LesPierre was forced to withdraw after his manager Jose Taveras tested positive for COVID-19.
Gonzalez improves to 3-0 (1KO) with the win; Martinez falls to 2-1 (1KO).
The bout served as part of a five-fight telecast headlined by a makeshift main event between unbeaten junior lightweight prospect Gabriel Flores Jr. (17-0, 6KOs) and Miami-based Nicaraguan lightweight Josec Ruiz (21-2-3, 14KOs).
Victor Rodriguez quickly solved the awkward style of Justin Horsley in preserving his unbeaten record.
The rookie junior welterweight showed poise well beyond his 19 years of age in taking a four-round decision win in the final preliminary bout of the evening. Scores were 40-36 across the board in favor of Gonzalez, a promising prospect from Stanton, California.
Locally-based Horsley (0-2) opened up the fight by charging toward his more polished opponent, though his unconventional footwork left him exposed to immediate counter shots. Gonzalez (3-0, 1KO) was steady in his attack, launching purposeful jabs and long right hands which occasionally forced Horsley to fight in reverse.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
