Jonathan Gonzalez has secured a return to the ring.
Gonzalez will defend his WBO world junior flyweight title towards Leyman Benavides on October 27, All Star Boxing introduced Tuesday afternoon. The 12-round bout will happen on the Alexis Arguello Sports activities Complicated in Benavides’ hometown of Managua, Nicaragua (ESPN+ within the U.S. and ESPN Deportes in Latin America).
“All Star Boxing returns with a spectacular card on October 27, with a world title battle and a number of regional belts at stake,” stated Tuto Zabala, Jr., President of All Star Boxing. “In December 2009, we had a fantastic present from Managua, which included two world title fights, and noticed the rise of many prospects to contenders.”
The 32-year-old Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 knockouts), who resides in Caguas, Puerto Rico, is at the moment ranked No. 1 by The Ring.
Gonzalez was initially scheduled to face Ring junior flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji on April 8, however needed to withdraw from the battle a couple of weeks previous to coming down with pneumonia. Teraji would find yourself preventing unbeaten Anthony Olascuaga, successful by knockout within the ninth spherical.
In his final bout on November 1, Gonzalez defeated unbeaten Shokichi Iwata by unanimous resolution. The win over Iwata was Gonzalez’s second profitable title protection of the WBO title he gained from Elwin Soto in October 2021.
Gonzalez is glad to return to the ring and hopes a win over Benavidez will result in a world unification title battle subsequent yr.
“We’re excited to be again within the ring as I really feel 100% wholesome and able to defend my belt,” stated Gonzalez. “I’m out to show that I’m one of the best junior flyweight on the planet and on October 27, you possibly can anticipate to see one of the best model of ‘Bomba.’
Benavides (20-6-1, 3 KOs) defeated Dennis Espinoza by unanimous resolution in his final bout on June 6. The 30-year-old has gained his final seven bouts since shedding by knockout to Gilberto Parra in November 2017.
The 30-year-old will be the underdog going into the Gonzalez battle, however he’s assured he might be victorious on the expense of Gonzalez.
“It is a dream come true for me, preventing in my hometown for a world title,” stated Benavides, who has a call win over former world titleholder Wilfredo Mendez. “(On) October 27, we are going to make historical past in Nicaragua.”
In accordance with Tuto Zabala, the battle card will mark the primary time in 22 years a fighter from Nicaragua will battle in a world title battle in that nation.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has lined boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco additionally covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He might be reached at [email protected]