By Jhonny Gonzalez
Former champion Jhonny Gonzalez is hoping to regain the title in early 2011. He is the WBC mandatory to champion Hozumi Hasegawa of Japan, who recently won the title by beating Mexico's Juan Carlos Burgos.
Gonzalez wants to get respect for two reasons. He wants to avenge the recent loss of his countryman Burgos and he wants to redeem himself for his three round knockout loss to Toshiaki Nishioka. Hasegawa and Nishioka are stablemates and from the same area of Japan, but Gonzalez is not going to view the fight as a revenge match.
"It was a great year. Thank God everything went as expected. We are the official challengers to the featherweight title of the WBC and we are sure that we are going to conquer in early 2011. It is a major challenge again become world champion. Me and my trainer Nacho Beristain, we know what conditions to have in order to challenge for the featherweight crown. We want to face the best in this division," Gonzalez said to Osiris Cruz.
"Hasegawa is a great fighter and it's going to be a great fight against him. I'm very motivated to face him. I want to fight him in the next couple of months. I dom't view it as a fight for revenge, even though Hasegawa and Nishioka are in the same stable and they are compatriots. This is a different situation and that bitter pill has been closed. We are ready to reign at 126-pounds."
