Humberto Gonzalez
Encyclopedia
Humberto González is a Mexican former world boxing
champion. Nicknamed Chiquita, he earned many admirers during his professional boxing career. Female boxer
Delia Gonzalez
was one of them, and is nicknamed Chikita after Humberto.
with a four round decision win over Jorge Ortega. Little over three months later, he had his first knockout
win, as he beat Narciso Perez in the first round.
The win over Perez began a streak of 18 knockout wins in a row for Gonzalez, mostly against little known Mexican opposition. The streak lasted until September 26, 1987, when he outpointed Mexican Jr. Flyweight champion Jorge Cano over 12 rounds to win the national title in Cancún
.
In 1988, he won four fights, all by knockout. He retained the national belt against Jose Luis Zepeda in six rounds at Tijuana
, and Javier Vazquez, beaten in five at Mexico City.
His next fight, on June 25, 1989, brought two firsts to his career: Celebrated in Chonju, South Korea
, it was his first fight abroad. Being for the WBC
world Jr. Flyweight championship, it was also his first world title try. Gonzalez outpointed world champion Yul-Woo Lee over 12 rounds to crown himself world champion. On December 9, he once again fought in South Korea, retaining his world championship against former world champion Jung-Koo Chang by a decision in 12.
In 1990, Gonzalez retained the title four times, including a win against future champion Francisco Tejedor, but on December 19, he suffered a shocking defeat to Rolando Pascua, a boxer who was unknown to most boxing experts, in Inglewood
. The knockout in round five suffered by Gonzalez that night cost him the world title.
After a win in 1991, Gonzalez recovered the world title, by defeating the man who had taken the world championship away from Pascua: Melchor Cob Castro
. Gonzalez and Castro met on June 3 at Las Vegas
, and Gonzalez won a 12 round decision.
In 1992, he retained the title four times, beating Castro in a rematch, Domingo Sosa
and former world champion Napa Kiatwanchai
among others.
By then, talks about a superfight between him and IBF
world champion Michael Carbajal were common among boxing fans. The fight, which came on March 13, 1993, was the first million-dollar fight in Jr. Flyweight boxing history (both fighters were guaranteed one million dollars in earnings) and also the first Jr. Flyweight fight in history to head a Pay Per View boxing card. In front of many Hollywood stars and thousands of fans at the arena, Gonzalez dropped Carbajal in rounds two and five, but Carbajal recovered to knock Gonzalez out in round seven. He finished the year with two ten round decision wins, including one against Pablo Tiznado, a boxer who also fought against Alex Sanchez
.
Carbajal and Gonzalez met in a rematch February 19, 1994 at Inglewood, and the second time around, Gonzalez became a three time world Jr. Flyweight champion by beating Carbajal by decision in 12. With that win, he joined an exclusive group of boxers who have been world champions three times or more in the same division, alongside such others as Muhammad Ali
, Carlos De León
, Evander Holyfield
and Sugar Ray Robinson
. Gonzalez won two more fights, one a non-title bout, and the other a title defense versus Juan Domingo Córdoba. Then, on November 12 of the same year, he and Carbajal had a rubber match, this time in Mexico City. Gonzalez once again prevailed, on points over 12 rounds.
After retaining the title once in 1995, on July 15 of that year, he fought for the last time. Again, he dropped his rival, Saman Sorjaturong
, a couple of times before being knocked out in round seven to lose his world title.
.
. The Ring also placed Carbajal on their list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time.
Both Humberto González and former rival Michael Carbajal were elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
in 2006.
|-
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
champion. Nicknamed Chiquita, he earned many admirers during his professional boxing career. Female boxer
Women's boxing
Women's boxing first appeared in the Olympic Games at a demonstration bout in 1902. For most of the 20th century, however, it was banned in most nations. Its revival was pioneered by the Swedish Amateur Boxing Association, which sanctioned events for women in 1988. The British Amateur Boxing...
Delia Gonzalez
Delia Gonzalez
Delia 'Chikita' Gonzalez is a flyweight female boxer. Born November 20, 1970 in New Mexico, she sports a record of 13-9-4 with 3 knockout wins, although several of her losses have been controversial....
was one of them, and is nicknamed Chikita after Humberto.
Professional career
Gonzalez made his professional boxing debut on September 1, 1984 in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
with a four round decision win over Jorge Ortega. Little over three months later, he had his first knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
win, as he beat Narciso Perez in the first round.
The win over Perez began a streak of 18 knockout wins in a row for Gonzalez, mostly against little known Mexican opposition. The streak lasted until September 26, 1987, when he outpointed Mexican Jr. Flyweight champion Jorge Cano over 12 rounds to win the national title in Cancún
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
.
In 1988, he won four fights, all by knockout. He retained the national belt against Jose Luis Zepeda in six rounds at Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, and Javier Vazquez, beaten in five at Mexico City.
His next fight, on June 25, 1989, brought two firsts to his career: Celebrated in Chonju, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, it was his first fight abroad. Being for the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
world Jr. Flyweight championship, it was also his first world title try. Gonzalez outpointed world champion Yul-Woo Lee over 12 rounds to crown himself world champion. On December 9, he once again fought in South Korea, retaining his world championship against former world champion Jung-Koo Chang by a decision in 12.
In 1990, Gonzalez retained the title four times, including a win against future champion Francisco Tejedor, but on December 19, he suffered a shocking defeat to Rolando Pascua, a boxer who was unknown to most boxing experts, in Inglewood
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
. The knockout in round five suffered by Gonzalez that night cost him the world title.
After a win in 1991, Gonzalez recovered the world title, by defeating the man who had taken the world championship away from Pascua: Melchor Cob Castro
Melchor Cob Castro
Melchor Cob Castro a professional boxer in the light flyweight division.- Pro career :...
. Gonzalez and Castro met on June 3 at Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, and Gonzalez won a 12 round decision.
In 1992, he retained the title four times, beating Castro in a rematch, Domingo Sosa
Domingo Sosa
Domingo Sosa was an Afro Argentine soldier who became an army colonel and took part in the wars of independence and in the Argentine civil war.-Biography:...
and former world champion Napa Kiatwanchai
Napa Kiatwanchai
Napa Kiatwanchai is the former World Boxing Council strawweight champion from Nakorn Rachasima province, Thailand....
among others.
By then, talks about a superfight between him and IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
world champion Michael Carbajal were common among boxing fans. The fight, which came on March 13, 1993, was the first million-dollar fight in Jr. Flyweight boxing history (both fighters were guaranteed one million dollars in earnings) and also the first Jr. Flyweight fight in history to head a Pay Per View boxing card. In front of many Hollywood stars and thousands of fans at the arena, Gonzalez dropped Carbajal in rounds two and five, but Carbajal recovered to knock Gonzalez out in round seven. He finished the year with two ten round decision wins, including one against Pablo Tiznado, a boxer who also fought against Alex Sanchez
Alex Sánchez (boxer)
Alex "El Nene" Sánchez is a retired Puerto Rican professional boxer.-Boxing career:Sánchez began his professional boxing career on October 4, 1991, knocking out Carlos Figueroa in round one at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico....
.
Carbajal and Gonzalez met in a rematch February 19, 1994 at Inglewood, and the second time around, Gonzalez became a three time world Jr. Flyweight champion by beating Carbajal by decision in 12. With that win, he joined an exclusive group of boxers who have been world champions three times or more in the same division, alongside such others as Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
, Carlos De León
Carlos De Leon
Carlos De León, also known as "Sugar" De Leon, is a Puerto Rican former boxer who made history by becoming the first Cruiserweight to win the world title twice. Subsequently, he kept breaking his own record for the most times as Cruiserweight champion by regaining it twice more.- Career :De León,...
, Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
and Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
. Gonzalez won two more fights, one a non-title bout, and the other a title defense versus Juan Domingo Córdoba. Then, on November 12 of the same year, he and Carbajal had a rubber match, this time in Mexico City. Gonzalez once again prevailed, on points over 12 rounds.
After retaining the title once in 1995, on July 15 of that year, he fought for the last time. Again, he dropped his rival, Saman Sorjaturong
Saman Sorjaturong
Saman Sorjaturong was a Thai former world boxing champion.Sorjaturong turned pro in 1989 and won the WBC and IBF junior flyweight title during his career. He defeated reigning champion Humberto González in a thrilling fight that was named Ring Magazine fight of the year in 1995 to win the IBF and...
, a couple of times before being knocked out in round seven to lose his world title.
Retirement
Immediately after the fight with Sorjaturong, he announced he was retiring, to pursue another dream of his: to become a successful businessman in Mexico City. Gonzalez had a record of 43 wins and 3 losses as a professional boxer, with 31 wins by knockout.Life after boxing
Gonzalez has stayed retired ever since, and he has been able to open three meat markets in Mexico. He is a part-time butcher on his stores, and has been able to find that success he dreamed about as a businessman.Comeback
Now 42 years old, , Gonzalez is rumored to be coming out of a 13-year retirement to face 38-year-old former two-division Rosendo ÁlvarezRosendo Álvarez
Rosendo José Álvarez Hernández is a flyweight boxer, and is well known for giving Mexican legend Ricardo Lopez two tough fights. He is the only person to hold the undefeated flyweight champion to a draw....
.
Trivia
His first fight with Carbajal and his fight with Sorjaturong were both chosen as 1995's Fight of the Year by The RingThe Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
. The Ring also placed Carbajal on their list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time.
Both Humberto González and former rival Michael Carbajal were elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
in 2006.
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