Michael Carbajal vs. Humberto Gonzalez I
Encyclopedia
The Michael Carbajal vs. Humberto González
I boxing
fight was an encounter that made history in many ways. While this pair of world junior flyweight champions fought three times, their first fight is the one that writers and fans usually remember with fondness.
fighter faces a Mexican, for example, in a major title fight, most of the time the fight itself is considered a big boxing event. The same can be said about Mexicans fighting against a fellow Mexican for a world title.
The Mexican versus Mexican-American rivalries also fall among boxing fans' favorite rivalries. A good example is the sustained rivalry between Bobby Chacon
, from California
, and Rafael Limón
, from Mexico. A more recent example is Oscar De La Hoya
against Julio César Chávez
.
When Michael Carbajal, from Phoenix, Arizona
, became a professional boxer in 1989, Humberto González, from Mexico, was already a seasoned professional. Carbajal's promoter, Bob Arum
, told Ring magazine that Carbajal would be the first junior flyweight to earn one million dollars for one fight.
Carbajal won the IBF
world junior flyweight title in 1990, joining WBC
world champion Gonzalez as co-champions of that division. After Carbajal won the title, fan excitement about a possible match between the two began to grow. But Gonzalez lost his title to Rolando Pascua on October of that year, and he had to regain it from Melchor Cob Castro
, who took over as champion after beating Pascua.
Meanwhile, Carbajal had begun a streak of defenses against a number of important challengers. When Gonzalez regained his WBC belt, he also retained it against a long list of challengers. The fact that both boxers were seemingly on what boxing fans call a "clash course" brought another element of excitement whenever fans would talk about a future match between Carbajal and Gonzalez.
Knowing that this was a well talked about match-up, promoter Arum began to work towards making it happen. In what could perhaps be called a rare case of boxing unity, both the WBC and IBF agreed to have their champions fight a unification bout. The date set was March 17, 1993. The fight received much media attention both in the United States and in Latin America, with Carbajal and Gonzalez being featured on the cover of multiple magazines on the months preceding the bout.
Arum proved half prophetic in his guess that Carbajal would be the first junior flyweight to earn one million dollars in a fight: Both Carbajal and Gonzalez got a guarantee of one million dollars, after they paid their due fees, and Carbajal-Gonzalez I became the first time in history that a fight fought at the Flyweight division or a smaller one garnered one boxer that amount of money. It was also the first time that a junior flyweight world title bout was shown as the main event of a Pay Per View fight card.
hotel
parking lot. Among the people watching the fight in person were many Hollywood stars, which is also very rare for a junior flyweight bout.
Gonzalez set the pace in round one with his jab and cross, stunning Carbajal as he (Gonzalez) counter-punched. Gonzalez proved very slick for Carbajal, who had trouble finding his rival, but nonetheless, fought back furiously. In round two, a Gonzalez right to Carbajal's chin sent the Arizona
native down for a short count.
Carbajal started landing stronger punches by round three. But Gonzalez's ability to counter-punch Carbajal's attack seemed to be the factor that would dictate the fight. By the end of the round, Carbajal sported a cut over one of his eyes.
Gonzalez and Carbajal kept trading punches in round four, but it was apparent that Gonzalez was faring better than Carbajal. Carbajal's corner team had begun to grow impatient by this point.
Gonzalez almost had Carbajal knocked out in round five. Ironically, that round might have been the round that turned the fight in Carbajal's favor. A straight right landed flush on Carbajal's chin, and Carbajal struggled to stay inside the fight's ring as he fell, grabbing to the rope with his left hand. Gonzalez was now eager to finish the fight by knockout, and Carbajal realized he was behind on points so badly, that he had to try to win by knockout as well.
Fighting with desperation, Carbajal finally got to Gonzalez, who by now was tired, in round six, connecting strong punches to the head and causing swelling around one of Gonzalez's eyes.
Still, Carbajal felt that he had to do more to win the bout. As both fighters were looking for a defining, knockout punch they traded punches in the seventh round, as they say in boxing, "toe to toe". During one of these exchanges, Carbajal unexpectedly landed a right uppercut to Gonzalez's chin, leaving him paralyzed on his feet. As Gonzalez did not move from his stand for the next couple of seconds, Carbajal took advantage and moved to the right, adding a left to Gonzalez's face that would make Gonzalez fall to the canvas on his back. The referee counted Gonzalez out, giving Carbajal the fight by a seventh round knockout.
and another one in Mexico City
, but both of Gonzalez's wins came by decision and the two sequels to fight one between Carbajal and Gonzalez were considered to be boring fights by fans and writers alike.
Gonzalez retired after losing the IBF and WBC belts to Saman Sorjaturong
in 1995. Carbajal, for his part, kept on winning, and losing, world titles until his last fight, when he knocked out Jorge Arce
in eleven rounds at Tijuana
in 1999 to regain the WBO version of the world junior flyweight championship.
Michael Carbajal and Humberto González were both elected as members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame
in 2006.
Humberto Gonzalez
Humberto González is a Mexican former world boxing champion. Nicknamed Chiquita, he earned many admirers during his professional boxing career...
I boxing
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...
fight was an encounter that made history in many ways. While this pair of world junior flyweight champions fought three times, their first fight is the one that writers and fans usually remember with fondness.
Background
In boxing, there are certain types of "rivalries" that fans get excited about most of the time. When a Puerto RicanPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
fighter faces a Mexican, for example, in a major title fight, most of the time the fight itself is considered a big boxing event. The same can be said about Mexicans fighting against a fellow Mexican for a world title.
The Mexican versus Mexican-American rivalries also fall among boxing fans' favorite rivalries. A good example is the sustained rivalry between Bobby Chacon
Bobby Chacon
Bobby Chacon is an American former, two-time, world boxing champion.-Career:Chacon turned professional in 1972 and won his first 19 fights, including a win against former champion Jesus Castillo...
, from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and Rafael Limón
Rafael Limon
Rafael Limón is a Mexican former boxer who was a world champion in the Super Featherweight /Jr. Lightweight division twice.He is better known as Bazooka Limón. Limón shares his nickname, Bazooka, with at least two other known world boxing champions: Puerto Rico's Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gómez and...
, from Mexico. A more recent example is Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
against Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez is a retired Mexican professional boxer.He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world...
.
When Michael Carbajal, from Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, became a professional boxer in 1989, Humberto González, from Mexico, was already a seasoned professional. Carbajal's promoter, Bob Arum
Bob Arum
Robert "Bob" Arum is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. He also worked for the US Attorney's Office for the southern district of New York in the tax division....
, told Ring magazine that Carbajal would be the first junior flyweight to earn one million dollars for one fight.
Carbajal won the 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 junior flyweight title in 1990, joining 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 champion Gonzalez as co-champions of that division. After Carbajal won the title, fan excitement about a possible match between the two began to grow. But Gonzalez lost his title to Rolando Pascua on October of that year, and he had to regain it from Melchor Cob Castro
Melchor Cob Castro
Melchor Cob Castro a professional boxer in the light flyweight division.- Pro career :...
, who took over as champion after beating Pascua.
Meanwhile, Carbajal had begun a streak of defenses against a number of important challengers. When Gonzalez regained his WBC belt, he also retained it against a long list of challengers. The fact that both boxers were seemingly on what boxing fans call a "clash course" brought another element of excitement whenever fans would talk about a future match between Carbajal and Gonzalez.
Knowing that this was a well talked about match-up, promoter Arum began to work towards making it happen. In what could perhaps be called a rare case of boxing unity, both the WBC and IBF agreed to have their champions fight a unification bout. The date set was March 17, 1993. The fight received much media attention both in the United States and in Latin America, with Carbajal and Gonzalez being featured on the cover of multiple magazines on the months preceding the bout.
Arum proved half prophetic in his guess that Carbajal would be the first junior flyweight to earn one million dollars in a fight: Both Carbajal and Gonzalez got a guarantee of one million dollars, after they paid their due fees, and Carbajal-Gonzalez I became the first time in history that a fight fought at the Flyweight division or a smaller one garnered one boxer that amount of money. It was also the first time that a junior flyweight world title bout was shown as the main event of a Pay Per View fight card.
The Fight
The fight took place on the date (March 17, 1993) that it was set for (unlike many major fights that sometimes get postponed). Carbajal and Gonzalez fought that night in front of an estimated number of about 20,000 fans in a Las VegasLas 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...
hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
parking lot. Among the people watching the fight in person were many Hollywood stars, which is also very rare for a junior flyweight bout.
Gonzalez set the pace in round one with his jab and cross, stunning Carbajal as he (Gonzalez) counter-punched. Gonzalez proved very slick for Carbajal, who had trouble finding his rival, but nonetheless, fought back furiously. In round two, a Gonzalez right to Carbajal's chin sent the Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
native down for a short count.
Carbajal started landing stronger punches by round three. But Gonzalez's ability to counter-punch Carbajal's attack seemed to be the factor that would dictate the fight. By the end of the round, Carbajal sported a cut over one of his eyes.
Gonzalez and Carbajal kept trading punches in round four, but it was apparent that Gonzalez was faring better than Carbajal. Carbajal's corner team had begun to grow impatient by this point.
Gonzalez almost had Carbajal knocked out in round five. Ironically, that round might have been the round that turned the fight in Carbajal's favor. A straight right landed flush on Carbajal's chin, and Carbajal struggled to stay inside the fight's ring as he fell, grabbing to the rope with his left hand. Gonzalez was now eager to finish the fight by knockout, and Carbajal realized he was behind on points so badly, that he had to try to win by knockout as well.
Fighting with desperation, Carbajal finally got to Gonzalez, who by now was tired, in round six, connecting strong punches to the head and causing swelling around one of Gonzalez's eyes.
Still, Carbajal felt that he had to do more to win the bout. As both fighters were looking for a defining, knockout punch they traded punches in the seventh round, as they say in boxing, "toe to toe". During one of these exchanges, Carbajal unexpectedly landed a right uppercut to Gonzalez's chin, leaving him paralyzed on his feet. As Gonzalez did not move from his stand for the next couple of seconds, Carbajal took advantage and moved to the right, adding a left to Gonzalez's face that would make Gonzalez fall to the canvas on his back. The referee counted Gonzalez out, giving Carbajal the fight by a seventh round knockout.
The aftermath
Michael Carbajal defended the IBF and WBC world junior flyweight titles twice before his second fight with Gonzalez. The pair fought three fights, with Gonzalez winning the next two, one in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and another one in Mexico City
Mexico 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...
, but both of Gonzalez's wins came by decision and the two sequels to fight one between Carbajal and Gonzalez were considered to be boring fights by fans and writers alike.
Gonzalez retired after losing the IBF and WBC belts to 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...
in 1995. Carbajal, for his part, kept on winning, and losing, world titles until his last fight, when he knocked out Jorge Arce
Jorge Arce
Jorge Armando Arce Armenta is a Mexican professional boxer. Arce is the former WBO World Light Flyweight, WBC World Light Flyweight, Interim WBC World Flyweight, Interim WBA World Super Flyweight, WBO World Super Flyweight, WBO World Super Bantamweight, and is the current WBO World Bantamweight...
in eleven 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...
in 1999 to regain the WBO version of the world junior flyweight championship.
Michael Carbajal and Humberto González were both elected as members of 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.