By Jake Donovan
Photo © Craig Bennett/FightWireImages.com
It was Friday in Chicago, which in recent years has come to mean a full night of boxing action on Telefutura from 8 Count Productions. Friday's live televised show was no different, other than Golden Boy Promotions breezing through the Windy City to come on board as co-promoters for a doubleheader showcasing comebacking contenders David "The Destroyer" Lopez and Jhonny Gonzalez, both of whom scored wins at Cicero Stadium in the Chicago suburb of Cicero, IL.
DAVID THE DESTROYER STILL ON A SEEK AND CAPTURE MISSION
Normally a fixture at the Desert Diamond Casino, David Lopez made his Windy City debut, though forced to settle for a lopsided win when he was in search of an explosive performance. The uneven battle was due largely to the lack of effort put forth by David Toribio , a late replacement for Darryl Salmon, who was stricken with the flu mere days before fight night.
Lopez won nearly every minute of every round, with only a point deduction midway through the bout the difference in an otherwise shutout on all three scorecards in the televised ten-round main event.
Toribio, regarded as a spoiler coming in, enjoyed minor success as Lopez used the first couple of rounds as a feel 'em out session. Once the 6'2 southpaw Lopez entered his groove, Toribio had very few answers.
While the bout was not without its share of contact, fouling seemed to be the story of the fight. The two fighters clashed heads several times throughout the bout, most of which resulted in Toribio flopping around the ring. The theatrics were enough to convince referee Geno Rodriguez to start docking points, which came bout midway through.
The deduction was a mere speed bump for Lopez, who gets credit for any and all of the action that took place. Once he discovered a knockout was not in the cards, Toribio shut down and went into survival mode. In other words, a performance befitting of a fighter who accepted assignment on three days notice.
It was a whitewash in the end, with all three ringside judges scoring it 99-90 for Lopez, who registers his ninth-straight win. He improves to 33-12 (21KO), and remains in the hunt for perhaps one last run as a contender in the middleweight and super middleweight ranks, both of which run deeper and stronger than they've been in years.
Toribio falls to 14-10 (9KO) with the loss, his 4th in just 5 fights. All 10 losses for the Miami-based Dominican have come in his last 12 fights.
JHONNY ON THE SPOT… BUT FOR HOW MUCH LONGER
Jhonny Gonzalez returned to the win column for the first time in eight months, scoring a unanimous decision over Jose Angel Beranza in their televised co-feature.
Gonzalez had a rough go of it early, with Beranza far more interested in playing spoiler than the designated role of opponent. The first four rounds were fought on even terms, as Gonzalez struggled to find his rhythm. The former bantamweight titlist picked up the pace in the second half, digging deep with uppercuts and body shots to keep Beranza at the desired distance.
A point deduction for a low blow (which appeared to be a borderline shot) in the 10th and final round didn't prevent Gonzalez from finishing strong. Beranza danced as hard as he could down the stretch, but was unable to keep up with the southpaw boxer-slugger.
Scores were 98-91 (2x) and 96-93, all for Gonzalez, who improves to 35-6 (29KO) with the win. Gonzalez is now 2-2 in his last four fights, with both losses coming in spirited battles where he led on the scorecards prior to being stopped. Ageless bantamweight Gerry Penalosa was way being outboxed throughout their August 2007 clash before scoring a one-punch body shot knockout just three months ago in Sacramento, CA.
Gonzalez also had World junior featherweight champion Israel Vazquez on the brink of defeat, scoring two knockdowns in pitching a virtual shutout over the first six rounds of their September 2006 Fight of the Year contender in Las Vegas. However, Vazquez turned it around in the second half, dropping Gonzalez in the seventh and again in the 10 th before Jhonny's corner rescued him from further punishment.
Where Gonzalez goes from here is unclear. His two wins over his last four fights have come against opponents served up as made-to-order – journeyman Beranza (now 30-11-2, 25KO, having lost 4 of his last 7) and badly faded former flyweight titlist Irene Pacheco, with both bouts airing live on Telefutura. He's only 26 years old, but is eight years and 41 fights deep into his career, featuring several brutal slugfests. Gonzalez, a gifted amateur, can box like a dream, but his balls-to-the-wall style already appears to be catching up to him.
There are options aplenty – a rematch with Penalosa, a possible showdown with the winner of the proposed Jorge Arce-Martin Castillo battle next year, newly crowned bantie titlist Joseph Agbeko, or incumbent leaders Hozumi Hasegawa and Wladimir Sidirenko. With a style like Jhonny's, big fights always await.
The question is whether or not he any longer has it in him to win one more.
The show was presented by 8 Count Productions, in association with Golden Boy Promotions. 8 Count makes their final Telefutura appearance of the year on December 14, featuring explosive undefeated light heavyweight prospect and local favorite Tavoris Cloud (16-0, 15KO) and scrappy lightweight Miguel Angel Huerta (25-8, 17KO) in separate showcase bouts. The card takes place at the same location as tonight's action, the fan-friendly Cicero Stadium.
