Mexican Boxer Defends Title in U.S. Debut
- Share via
Humberto (Chiquita) Gonzalez of Mexico City will make his U.S. debut tonight when he defends his World Boxing Council junior-flyweight title against Luis Monzote of Miami at the Forum.
The unbeaten Gonzalez, who has knocked out 20 of his 26 opponents, is being called a miniature Pipino Cuevas. However, unlike the former welterweight champion, he also plays some defense. Gonzalez won the 108-pound championship on a unanimous decision over Yulwoo Lee last year in South Korea and has made successful defenses against Jung Koo Chang and Francisco Tejedor.
Monzote, who is 21-7 with seven knockouts, came to Florida from Cuba during the Mariel boat lift in 1980. A quick southpaw, he hopes to out-box Gonzalez during the scheduled 12-rounder.
Also on the card, junior-featherweight Joe Orewa of Los Angeles is matched against Tommy Valdez of Tijuana.
First bout is scheduled for 7 p.m.
More to Read
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.