By Ian S Palmer
Former world-title challengers Diego Magdaleno of Los Angeles, California and Jose Gonzalez of Puerto Rico will be facing off against each other in a 12-round lightweight contest this Friday, June 26 at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The bout can be seen live on truTV in North America. Both boxers fell short in their shots at a world title and are now aiming to get back on track and earn another crack at a belt with a big win here. That means this will be a huge fight for both of them as another defeat could derail the loser’s career, at least for the time being. The bout is for the vacant WBO International Lightweight Crown.
The 28-year-old Magdaleno will climb through the ring ropes with an impressive record of 27-1 along with 11 Kos. He rose to the number one ranking in the WBO’s junior lightweight division by winning his first 23 pro bouts. This put him in line for a 2013 world title shot against WBO Lightweight Champion Rocky Martinez. Magdaleno handled himself well, but came out on the wrong end of a close split decision. The former NABF Super Featherweight Champion is riding a four-fight lightweight winning streak since that loss and is now ranked number six in the world by both the WBO and WBA.
The 32-year-old Gonzalez of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico also has a fine record of 24-1 with 19 Kos. He also got off to a flying start in his pro career by earning victories in his first 22 outings with 17 of them being stoppages. He rose in the WBO rankings until he reached the number one spot in the lightweight division. He was then matched up against then champion Ricky Burns of Scotland in 2013. Gonzalez was ahead on all three of the judges’ scorecards after nine rounds, but had to pack it in as he suffered a wrist injury. He’s won both encounters since then by stoppage and is ranked number three in the world by the WBO. He’s also listed as the current WBO Latino Lightweight Champion.
Magdaleno is 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 69-inch reach. He turned pro in 2007, has boxed 167 rounds since then and has a 39 per cent knockout ration. He’s also a southpaw. Gonzalez is 5-foot-8 with a 73-inch reach. He’s fought 108 rounds since turning pro in 2008 and has a knockout ratio of 76 per cent. Both boxers have pretty good experience as they’ve fought some decent opponents along the way. However, the edge in power, height and reach lies with Gonzalez while Magdaleno is four years younger.
Prediction
This is a fine matchup between a couple of skilled boxers who have worked their way up the rankings. Both of them have the skills to win decisions against most opponents and they each have enough power to stop their foes. However, Gonzalez has proven over the years that he’s more adept at earning stoppage victories. If Magdaleno’s chin can hold up against the Puerto Rican’s bombs then fans are in for a good, entertaining fight. He was dropped in the fourth round by Martinez when he had his world title shot and could fall again. This is another close encounter and a hard one to call between two equally-matched fighters. But we’ll go with Gonzalez since he has more power, giving him a better chance of winning by either late stoppage or decision.
