Jonathan Gonzalez Defends Title in Decision Over Rene Santiago

In a contest that was closely contested and hard-fought without ever truly catching light, Jonathan Gonzalez retained his WBO junior flyweight title via unanimous decision over Rene Santiago.

Scores were 116-112, 115-113, and 117-111. The bout was fought at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on the undercard of Amanda Serrano’s defense of her undisputed featherweight championship.

Few of the 12 rounds were clearly won by either man, as many contained momentum shifts and were close enough that one punch could have been enough to sway them one way or the other. Puerto Rico’s Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KOs) began by working Santiago’s body and attempting to land power punches, as Santiago (12-4, 9 KOs) slipped inside and used footwork to pivot and respond with punches from multiple angles.

In rounds four and five, Santiago was forcing the pace, punching between Gonzalez’s wider punches with fast, sharp combinations. In round seven, a right hand in an exchange appeared to stun Gonzalez.

By the eighth, however, Gonzalez switched tactics somewhat, moving away from one power punch at a time, upping his output and looking to land more combinations. The shift in emphasis tilted the contest in his direction as the defending champion began to assert himself. A counter left from Santiago did buzz Gonzalez in the 10th, but Gonzalez edged ahead again in the championship rounds.

The result seemed in doubt at the end, but the judges saw Gonzalez as the winner by scores that were perhaps wider than anticipated.

Afterward, Gonzalez said he would talk to his team before deciding whether to seek a unification bout with WBC beltholder Kenshiro Teraji, or move up to 112 pounds.

Javon Walton Acts the Part, Trudges By Joshua Torres

In his second fight as a professional, 17-year-old actor and former amateur champion Javon “Wanna” Walton drew with Joshua Torres over four rounds in a featherweight contest at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Walton is being heavily pushed by promoter Jake Paul, but there is a reason neophyte boxers normally learn their craft buried deep on undercards when few fans are in the audience, and Walton appeared to allow the occasion of fighting in front of thousands of Puerto Rican fans to get to him somewhat. Scores were 39-37 and 38-38 twice.

Walton (1-0-1, 1 KO) sought to box behind a southpaw jab but showed little initiative as both he and Torres (0-1-2) seemed to be looking for an opportunity to counter and displayed a reluctance to commit, even as the crowd serenaded them with boos.

By the third, Torres was taunting Walton, trying to goad him into engaging, although he was throwing little of consequence himself. Walton slowed down in the fourth as Torres targeted his body, turning the right side of the youngster’s trunk a deep red.

It wasn’t enough for the underdog to snatch the win, but it was sufficient to prevent Walton from maintaining a perfect record and provide a reminder to the star of HBO’s Euphoria that the role of professional boxer is as challenging as they come.

Krystal Rosado Gets Majority Nod Over Gloria Munguilla

In the DAZN opener, Amanda Serrano protege Krystal Rosado won a four-round majority decision over Mexico’s Gloria Munguilla in a junior bantamweight contest.

Munguilla (5-1) started brightly, attacking Rosado with overhand rights until the Puerto Rican settled down and began to control the contest behind a cultured jab and straight right hands. In the second, Rosado (3-0, 1 KO) stepped forward, pushing Munguilla to the ropes and backing her up with a right hand to the body. Rosado boxed and moved in the third, as Munguilla attempted to land right hands and indeed scored with an uppercut/right hand combination midway through the round.

Munguilla emptied her tank in the fourth and final round, but the 21-year-old Rosado was unfazed, returning fire and landing a left-right combination as the bout came to a close. 

Although one judge scored the fight a 38-38 draw, the two others saw the Puerto Rican winning all four frames, handing in identical 40-36 cards.