By Joe Harrison
Last Friday, Tavoris Cloud scored a tenth-round TKO over former WBO light heavyweight champion, Julio Cesar Gonzalez, at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois. The IBF eliminator was the main event in ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights telecast.
Throughout the bout, Cloud (19-0, 18 KOs) showcased his incredible punching power as he continuously wobbled the aging former titlist. Still though, Gonzalez (41-6, 25 KOs) was able to stay on his feet and continue swinging to show that he was still in the fight. By the tenth round, Gonzalez looked battered, and Ref John O’Brien had seen enough. The bout was waived off at the 1:50 mark of the tenth round. It was at that moment when Tavoris Cloud officially became the number-one contender for the IBF champion, Antonio Tarver.
“I just put pressure on him,” said Cloud. “I used right uppercuts, a lot of right hands. I paced myself when I had to.”
Although Cloud is the mandatory challenger for Antonio Tarver, he will have to await the outcome of the upcoming battle between Tarver and Chad Dawson scheduled for October 10th. Cloud does not appear to have a preference.
“Whatever is best for me, we’ll decide the name at that time,” said Cloud. “Whatever deal my management and promoters make, that’ll be the best move.”
“I told you all to keep watching from the beginning, now you all know I was serious from the start. I’m going to get a world championship. Which ever one of them sign their name on the dotted line, we’re going to take care of him.”
Also in attendance was heavyweight prospect from Oak Lawn, Illinois, Mike Mollo (19-2, 12 KOs). Following a disappointing defeat to former world title challenger, DaVarryl Williamson, Mollo scored impressive second-round stoppages over both Kevin McBride and Art Binkowski. Unfortunately, in Mollo’s last bout, he suffered a defeat to the hands of Andrew Golota by a unanimous decision last January. Since then, boxing fans everywhere have wondered when and if Mollo would return to the ring.
“I had knee surgery so I needed to take some time off,” said Mollo. “My knee is all better now, I am back in training. I should be in the ring again in about eight weeks.”
Despite losing to Golota by decision, Mollo displayed a tremendous amount of heart in a boxing match where any other boxer surely would have fallen. Mollo, on the other hand, refused to go down as he continued to pursue Golota, looking to land the big punch. A right hand from Mollo closed the left eye of Golota, but the Polish heavyweight used his experience to outbox Mollo the remainder of the contest.
“My ribs were injured during the Golota bout, it wasn’t an issue of endurance,” said Mollo. “I didn’t have any sparring while training for Golota, I really wasn’t prepared. I shouldn’t have been boxing that night.”
As far as a rematch with Golota, Mollo mentioned that he would definitely be interested in facing Golota again. Regarding his next opponent, there are no names being mentioned at this time, but Mollo is confident that his promoter, Don King, will have an opponent lined up for him in the near future. If anything seems certain, Mollo looks to be right back in the heavyweight scene come 2009.
