By Jake Donovan

It was a year ago when the comeback trail began (53 weeks, to be exact). There stood Jhonny Gonzalez, entering the ring without a title around his waist for the first time in two years.

The November ’07 bout against Jose Angel Beranza was his first since the crushing knockout he suffered three months prior against Gerry Penalosa, and ten rounds later looked like an old 26 more so than just 26 years old.

Fast forward a year and a week later. Four fights lasting a total of then rounds, and suddenly Gonzalez (39-6, 33KO) has rediscovered his swagger. Three straight Telefutura-televised knockouts helped propel Gonzalez back toward the top of three major alphabet organizations.

As cliché as it sounds to chant “wait ‘till next year,” there’s now little reason to believe that 2009 won’t bring about bigger and better things for the Mexican boxer-puncher.

Of course, that equation dramatically changes should super bantamweight gatekeeper Reynaldo Lopez manages to catch another contender napping. The Colombian banger stands opposite Gonzalez when they meet tonight at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa in Cabazon, California (Friday, 8PM ET/PT, Telefutura).

Normally the punch that hurts the most is the one you don’t see coming. Only a complete lack of research would disallow Gonzalez from knowing what Lopez brings to the table at this point.

Mike Oliver found out the hard way the consequences of failing to recognize a trap fight when he faced Lopez earlier this year. He entered the fight unbeaten and next in line for a shot at Steve Molitor, but figuratively and literally took his eye off of the ball in suffering a one-punch knockout loss.

Not completely dissimilar to the fate Gonzalez suffered last year in the loss to Penalosa. It was his second knockout loss in a span of three fights and just eleven months, having previously fallen short against reigning lineal super bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez.

It is now all the more reason why he no longer views any fight as a trap fight. The past four fights are a clear indication. None will ever be confused for world beaters, nor did Gonzalez approach any of them as if they were made to order.

Each knockout came with a measure of patience, boxing while working to create openings that will make his night easier. With each win came a more vivid memory of the dominant force Gonzalez had become earlier this decade, particularly in his alphabet title winning effort against Ratanachai Sor Vorapin in 2005.

It was in that fight that Gonzalez first shed the image of a face-first brawler, one that was thought to be confirmed in his three round donnybrook with William Gonzalez eight weeks prior. The nine-minute affair saw both fighters hit the deck, four knockdowns in all before Jhonny closed the show late in the third.

Since then, something closer to a complete fighter has surfaced. The Sor Vorapin fight saw Gonzalez at his absolute best, while a defense against Fernando Montiel seven months later was fought strictly at a boxer’s pace.

The September 2006 knockout loss to Israel Vazquez featured Gonzalez both at his best and at his worst. For the first six rounds, there didn’t appear to be a fighter at 122 or below who was better, twice dropping Vazquez and piling up a considerable lead on the scorecards. But it all fell apart beginning with the seventh, serving as the first of two times Gonzalez found himself on the canvas. The second knockdown came in the 10th, after taking a ton of punishment for much of the second half of the fight. The late Oscar Suarez, serving as his head trainer at the time, realized his fighter had reached empty, informing the referee that the night needed to come to a close.

A return to bantamweight six months appeared to right the ship, as Gonzalez overcame a slow start to eventually overwhelm Irene Pacheco in what would be his last successful title defense before losing to Penalosa last summer.

The ten hard rounds he went with Beranza turned out to be a blessing in disguise, having looked stronger in each subsequent bout, up to and including his first-round knockout of Leivi Brea in August.

Once again with a clear view of the title picture, Gonzalez finds himself sharing ring space with Reynaldo Lopez (30-5-2, 21KO) in his final bout of a successful 2008 comeback campaign.

Given the knockout win over Oliver, Lopez has rapidly gained a reputation as a spoiler, though a view of the whole picture suggests a different story. The Colombian has fallen short when stepping up in competition in the past. Included among that list is a violent 5th round knockout loss to Daniel Ponce de Leon last September, the first time Golden Boy or Telefutura staged a show at the Morongo Casino.

Truth be told, he wasn’t looking so hot in the early stages of his bout with Mike Oliver in Boston this past May. He was statistically and physically dominated for two rounds and one minute before landing an overhand left for the ages. Oliver, in mid-swing with a right hook that never found its mark, went down hard, losing his mouthpiece and eventually his “0” when the referee didn’t like his reaction upon rising from the mandatory count.

Most fighters in Lopez’ position would seek the first high bidder for his next opportunity. The southpaw didn’t quite go that route, taking a tune-up between then and now, if for no other reason than to enter his next notable fight with a winning streak greater than one.

Unlike Oliver, Gonzalez enters the fight recognizing a potential risk stands across the ring. He enters the fight with the knowledge that a title shot in 2009 is not guaranteed, but instead entirely dependent on his emerging victorious tonight. Still out there are much desired rematches with Vazquez and Penalosa, as well as consideration as next in line for the winner of tonight’s alphabet unification match between Steve Molitor and Celestine Caballero.

The past 53 weeks were about keeping Gonzalez relevant in the present and overcoming past woes. Tonight, he once again begins a journey into the future.

ALSO WORTH A LOOK

Montebello (CA) native Nestor Rocha appears at Morongo Casino for the fourth straight time, as he takes on Filipino southpaw Michael Domingo in the televised co-feature, scheduled for ten rounds or less.

Rocha’s name was attached rumors earlier this year of a potential title shot against Gerry Penalosa, though Golden Boy wisely opted for further development for the 26-year old. He’s won three straight since suffering the lone loss of his career last September, but has yet to face the type of opposition that suggests he’s ready for any titlist at 118 or 122 lb., least of all a crafty veteran like Penalosa.

A win over Domingo won’t put him any closer, but allows him to further develop his skills as he begins to find himself as a budding bantamweight contender.

Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.