Fighting in front of raucous crowd of 6,714 at The Fabulous Forum on Saturday night, Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (46-0-0, 38KO’s) captured his fourth divisional world title with a unanimous decision over WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-1-1, 27KO’s) in a sure-fire “Fight of the Year” candidate telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing. Scores were 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.
In a fight that lived up to it’s billing and the strong legacy of historical fights at The Fabulous Forum, Gonzalez and Cuadras battled at an extraordinarily high pace amidst loud chants of “Nicaragua” and “Mexico” throughout the fight.
The 29-year-old Gonzalez displayed excellent skills featuring his legendary combination punching, consistent pressure throughout the fight and excellent accuracy against the taller and bigger Cuadras.
The Mexican also performed at a very high level, countering Gonzalez, displaying very strong movement and terrific hand speed.
Stated Gonzalez after the fight, “We both gave a good fight, this was the most difficult fight of my career. I’ve never fought at this weight before, but I felt I won the fight.”
“I wasn’t hurt to the body but I definitely felt the head blows.”
“With pleasure I would face Naoya Inoue.”
“Alexis Arguello will always be number one, he is my teacher and I am his son. This victory is for my family, for Nicaragua and for God.”
Said a disappointed Cuadras, “It was close but I think I won, he’s never been hit that much in his career, just look at his face.”
“He is relentless; he didn’t get tired all night. His defense was better than I expected. He was stopping my shots with his arms and coming right back with his own punches.”
In the HBO World Championship Boxing co-feature, Yoshihiro Kamegai, (27-3-2, 23KO’s) stopped Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass, (28-11-4, 18KO’s) in the eighth round of their scheduled 10-rounder. The fight, a rematch of their epic clash from this past April in Los Angeles, was stopped by Soto Karass’ corner before the start of the ninth round.
Kamegai controlled the action throughout the fight, backing up the Mexican gatekeeper with heavy handed punches to the head and body. Scoring a knockdown in the eighth, Kamegai capped the punishment as Soto Karass’ corner had seen enough.
“I feel great, Soto Karass is a very tough fighter but tonight I was stronger.”
“Hopefully this victory will lead to better opportunities and bigger fights for me.”
“Thanks very much to Mr. Honda and Golden Boy Promotions along with HBO.”
Headlining the undercard, undefeated lightweight prospect Ryan “Blue Chip” Martin, (16-0, 9KO’s) of Cleveland, Ohio by way of Chattanooga, Tennessee stayed perfect with a dominant performance over Bogota, Columbia’s Cesar Villarraga, (9-2, 4KO’s) earning the vacant WBC Continental Americas Title. Scores were 79-72 twice and 78-73.
Utilizing a range finding jab, Martin controlled the action, scoring at will in the early rounds. Martin capped his performance by dropping Villarraga in the fourth with a huge right cross and continued to control the action throughout the fight.
“I’m happy with my performance, I know I have improvements to make however,” said Martin. “He was a tough fighter, a little awkward but I was able to adjust. “
‘I’m very excited to win my first title and look forward to much more success with the WBC.”
“I love fighting here at The Fabulous Forum, it feels like home and I’m very thankful to Tom Loeffler for the opportunity.”
Also on the undercard, undefeated flyweight prospect Seniesa “Superbad” Estrada” of East Los Angeles, improved to 8-0 with two knockouts with an excellent, crowd pleasing performance over two-time world title challenger Nancy “Chatito” Franco, (14-10-2, 5KO’s) of Guadalajara, Mexico.
Fighting for the third time at The Fabulous Forum, Estrada displayed a full arsenal, thrilling the early arriving crowd as she dominated every round.
Said Estrada, “This fight was a risk for me, she had much more experience, but it’s the type of risk I needed to take and will continue to take.”
“My defense was strong against her early aggression and it allowed me to stick to my game plan.”
“This was my third fight this year, I’d like to fight once more before the year is out. It feels great to fight here and I’m so grateful to K2 Promotions and The Fabulous Forum for this opportunity. It’s very important not just for me but for all of women’s boxing to fight on such a big card.”
In the opening bout of the evening, Brahmabigi Montgomery of Apple Valley, California, improved to 2-1-1 with two knockouts with a fourth round stoppage (2:44) of pro debuting Chazz Moleta of Hawaii in their scheduled four round lightweight but.
Gonzalez vs. Cuadras was presented by K2 Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions. Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass 2 was presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.
Photo credit: Chris Farina / K2 Promotions
