By Miguel Rivera
WBC featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez (55-8, 47KOs) was not happy with the money he was offered, and agreed to take, for the February 15th rematch with Abner Mares (26-1-1, 14KOs).
Gonzalez, one of the biggest one-punch hitters in the sport, caught Mares cold in the first round of their initial fight in August. After two knockdowns, the referee stopped the fight. Mares never fully recovered from the first big punch that caught him on the jaw. They will return to the scene of the crime, Los Angeles, to do it again. Last time it took place at the StubHub Center, but this time they will headline at Staples Center. Showtime will televise.
There was a rematch clause, and Mares exercised that option, so Gonzalez had his back against the wall in terms of backing out to face someone else.
"They have this idea that this victory was a lucky win, so I didn't earn the money that I was asking for, but they want the opportunity of a rematch to overturn the first results. [My purse is] not what they should be paying a world champion, and considering the way that I won - it's not fair. I will give him the rematch because you have to be a gentleman and return the gesture because Mares gave me the opportunity," Gonzalez said.