By Jake Donovan
To the spoiler went the victory was the storyline the last time Colombian southpaw Reynaldo Lopez graced a television screen in the United States.
Jhonny Gonzalez clearly prefers the more traditional phrase – "To the victor go the spoils." The former bantamweight titlist never gave Lopez a chance to get untracked, scoring two knockdowns en route to an emphatic fourth round knockout in the main event at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa in Cabazon, California.
The bout aired live on Telefutura's "Solo Boxeo Tecate" series.
The opening round saw plenty of posturing from both fighters. Gonzalez remained in his envelope, looking for any Lopez mistake on which to capitalize. Lopez finally blinked, missing with a straight left that left him open for a right hand upstairs, followed by a flurry from Gonzalez to get a rise out of the near-capacity crowd at the casino ballroom.
Gonzalez picked up the tempo in the second, working behind the jab as well as lead right hands that easily shot through Lopez' lazy guard. As the round – and fight – wore on, it became clear that Lopez didn't boast much of a game plan. The same left hand that crashed down on Mike Oliver's chin six months was badly telegraphed in this fight, and never coming close to finding its mark.
The bout's first knockdown came in the third, a round that truly spelled the beginning of the end. Lopez got caught early in the round, and was driven to a corner where Gonzalez went on the attack until the southpaw hit the deck. He beat the count, but Gonzalez wasn't done dishing out punishment, scoring with the uppercut and landing to the head and body.
Lopez was clearly a beaten fighter as the bout entered the fourth round. Gonzalez had no problem putting him out of his misery. A left hook midway through the round set the table for a two-fisted assault along the ropes that would end Lopez lying on the mat face first. He barely made it to all fours as referee David Mendoza was all too willing to count him out.
The official time was 2:17 of round four.
Gonzalez picks up his sixth straight win as he moves to 40-6 (34KO). The last five have come by way of knock out, none lasting more than four rounds, as he continues to further distance himself from last summer's letdown against Gerry Penalosa.
Some have attributed the loss – one where he was in control for most of the fight before getting caught with a body shot – to Gonzalez' increasing struggles to shrivel down to bantamweight. The four extra pounds at the scales appears to have made all of the difference in the world, as he's won nearly every round of his comeback .
With the Solo Boxeo series coming to a close next month, Gonzalez' team faces hard choices in 2009. With less television options, Gonzalez will find himself either forced to step up in competition in pursuit of a major super bantamweight title, or settle for off-TV tune-ups while awaiting his turn at anyone willing to give him a shot.
Either way, his resurrection comes at the perfect time. The super bantamweight division boasts more lucrative options now than at any other point since the departure of Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera earlier this decade. Whichever way Gonzalez goes, he enters 2009 knowing that he is now all the way back.
For Reynaldo Lopez, a potential Cinderella run ends well before the stroke of midnight. The Colombian falls to 30-6-2 (21KO), snapping a two-fight winning streak in the process. Even with the loss, Lopez' name figures to resurface by year's end, thanks to his one-punch third round knockout of previously unbeaten Mike Oliver, easily among 2008's biggest upsets.
Aspiring bantamweight contender Nestor Rocha made the best of a less-than-desirable situation, schooling late sub Oscar Andrade over the course of their 10-round co-feature.
Original plans called for Rocha to face Michael Domingo, which likely would've resulted in a far more TV-friendly fight. Domingo, however, was forced to withdraw after testing positive for Hepatitis B. In came opponent-for-hire Andrade at the eleventh hour, and fighting accordingly.
Rocha remained in control from beginning to end, with no shift in momentum, nor was there any threat of the bout ever ending any time before its scheduled ten round distance. Such was reflected on the scorecards, which had Rocha pitching a shutout across the board (100-90 x3).
The win was Rocha's fourth straight, all coming at the Morongo Casino, as he improves to 21-1 (7KO). Andrade's career continues to slide in the opposite direction, losing his fourth straight in falling to 36-35-2 (18KO). He is now 1-8-1 in his last ten fights.
Tonight's show was presented by Golden Boy Promotions.
Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
