Jousce Gonzalez lived up to his pre-fight promise of not leaving it in the hands of the judges.

Just five days after watching older brother Joet drop a split decision to Isaac Dogboe on ESPN, the 27-year-old Gonzalez overcame a slow start to score a third-round knockout of Ecuador’s Jose Angulo. A left hook body shot forced Angulo to the canvas, with referee Edward Hernandez Jr. reaching the count of ten at 2:29 of round three in Thursday evening on DAZN from Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.

Gonzalez struggled to take control in the early rounds. The unbeaten lightweight was deliberate out the gate, allowing opportunities for Angulo to take the lead and occasionally connect with right hands. He turned the tide in a big way in round three, at which point the fight ceased being competitive.

Angulo continued to seek openings for his right, though it left him open for Gonzalez’s counter attack. Gonzalez was urged by his corner to set up his punches rather than throw everything with heat. A jab by the Covina, California native set up a perfectly placed left hook to the body. Angulo hit the deck, spitting out his mouthpiece as he remained on the canvas for the full ten count.

“I knew he was going to try to box me,” Gonzalez told DAZN ringside reporter Brandi Flores. “Once I started landing my shots, it would be a matter of time. I know nobody can hang with it.

Gonzalez improves to 13-0-1 (12KOs), scoring his third straight knockout and fourth in his last five starts. It comes after delivering a sixth-round knockout of Jairo Lopez three months ago on this platform and in this very venue. There remains a growth period, although he’s already focused on some big guns.

“I know Golden Boy has four guys around my weight,” noted Gonzalez. “Ryan Garcia, Joseph Diaz, Oscar Duarte and William Zepeda. I want these big fights. If I gotta knock ‘em all out, I’ll knock ‘em all out to get these big fights.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox