By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Former WBO bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez who lost his title to Filipino veteran Gerry Penalosa on August 11, 2007 in the World Cup of Boxing in which the Philippines whipped Mexico 5-1, has noved up in weight and goes for the WBC super bantamweight title against Japan’s Toshiaki Nishioka in the Arena Monterrey, Mexico on Saturday.

The purse bid for the fight was won by Promociones del Pueblo who bid $425,000 while Teiken Promotions of Japanese businessman-sportsman Akihiko Honda bid $402,000. Surprisingly, Golden Boy Promotions which handles Gonzalez bid a much lower $186,000. 

The 32 year old southpaw Nishioka who has a record of 33-4-3 with 20 knockouts won the title only last January 3 with a 12th round TKO of Genaro Garcia.

Gonzalez who is five years younger at 27 has won six fights in a row since his stunning 7th round knockout loss to Penalosa who dropped the Mexican for the full count with a perfectly-timed left hook to the liver. Five of those six wins have been by knockouts including his last fight on November 21, 2008 when he scored a 4th round knockout over Reynaldo Lopez.

Nishioka has fought six Filipinos in his career and beaten five  of them beginning with Donaldo Estella over whom he scored a six round decision on August 25, 1996 followed by a 2nd round KO of Joel Junio on April 14,1997  after which he figured in a ten round draw with tough and talented Fernando Montilla.

Nishioka won by a 2nd round knockout over Joel Avila on September 23, 1998 , repeated the feat by knocking out Rodel Llanita in the 2nd round on March 12, 2000 before scoring a unanimous ten round decision over Pedrito Laurente.

In a rematch over two years later, Nishioka won by a 9th round knockout in a ten round bout on December 15, 2007.