SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Prior to Saturday’s all-Puerto Rico showdown, Jonathan Gonzalez warned Yankiel Rivera not to view him as a stepping stone. The 34-year-old ex-titleholder Gonzalez left Coliseo Roberto Clemente having taught the young upstart a lesson and carrying the WBA interim flyweight title around his waist.
“Bomba” Gonzalez prevailed by unanimous decision against Rivera, winning by scores of 114-113, 116-111 and 117-110.
A former WBO junior flyweight champion from Caguas, Puerto Rico, Gonzalez won a belt in a second division, knocking Rivera down in the second round and landing the sharper punches throughout against the 28-year-old, who showed courage but was too easy to hit for the more experienced fighter.
Gonzalez got off to a fast start in the first round, rocking Rivera with a right hook and left hand that set the tempo. Gonzalez had greater success in the second round, dropping Rivera with a short left hand that landed over the lowered right of Rivera. Rivera showed his grit, powering back in the next few rounds, adjusting to get closer and smothering his opponent’s power.
A pattern began to develop, with Rivera being more active while Gonzalez landed the cleaner, more effective punches.
Rivera, who was rocked by a pair of left hands earlier in the round, hit the canvas again in the eighth, but it was ruled a rabbit punch. The ringside doctor was called in to assess Rivera’s fitness to continue, but Rivera waved him off, saying he was ready to keep fighting.
As the fight wound down, the crowd, which had cheered loudly for the 2020 Olympian from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, had now switched allegiances, chanting “Bom-ba!” in the final round.
The fight was the first for Gonzalez, 29-4-1 (14 KOs), following his first-round stoppage loss to Anthony Olascuaga for the WBO flyweight title in October of 2024.
Rivera, now 7-1-1 (3 KOs), has fallen short in two straight shots at the WBA interim flyweight belt, having drawn with Angelino Cordova last August.
The fight was part of the Most Valuable Promotions’ card headlined by Amanda Serrano vs. Reina Tellez.
Earlier on the card, Jan Paul Rivera, 14-0 (7 KOs), overcame his toughest challenge to date, outslugging Alfredo Cruz, 10-4-1 (5 KOs), for a majority decision win in an eight-round featherweight bout. Rivera, 24, of Ponce, Puerto Rico, prevailed by scores of 77-75 on two cards, while the third card had it even at 76-76.
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
