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TWO BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE BOUTS HIGHLIGHT
“BOXEO DE ORO” ON NOVEMBER 18
LOS ANGELES, November 17 – Even though they check in at just 118-pounds each, bantamweights Jhonny Gonzalez and Gabriel Elizondo pack heavyweight excitement into each of their bouts. On Thursday, November 18, in the main event of HBO Latino’s hit series “Oscar De La Hoya Presents Boxeo De Oro,” Gonzalez and Elizondo will meet for the NABO Bantamweight crown at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. In the twelve round co-feature, Cesar Morales will battle former US Olympian Clarence Vinson for the WBO International Bantamweight Championship. These championship matchups, part of an exciting seven-bout card presented by Golden Boy Promotions, will air live on HBO Latino beginning at 10pm. For fans attending the live show, doors open at 7:00pm, and the first bell rings at 7:30pm.
Mexico City’s Jhonny Gonzalez (25-4, 23 KOs) has a well-earned reputation as one of boxing’s most compelling young warriors. An exciting fighter with devastating power in his fists, boxing insiders believe that the best is yet to come for the twenty-three-year-old NABO champion, who is riding an eleven fight winning streak dating back to 2002, with each of those victories coming by knockout. In his last bout, on September 3, Gonzalez knocked out Hugo Vargas in three short rounds.
The challenger, San Antonio’s Gabriel Elizondo (17-0, 8 KOs), doesn’t know what it’s like to lose, and he wants to keep his record clean against Gonzalez on November 18. Luckily, Elizondo is a versatile boxer-puncher with impressive skills who will also have the added incentive of performing well in front of his fellow Texans. A Texas State Super Flyweight champion, Elizondo proved in his last bout that he is more than comfortable at bantamweight, dropping Terrence Roy three times en route to a fourth round stoppage.
Hailing from Tijuana, hard-hitting Cesar Morales (13-1, 10 KOs) fights with a style reminiscent of the greatest Mexican warriors – one of all-out aggression from bell to bell. This philosophy has led the 26-year-old to 13 wins, including four in a row. In May, Morales decisioned Marcel Kasimov over eight rounds to earn his shot on national television on November 18.
Facing Morales will be one of the top prospects in the bantamweight division, Clarence “Untouchable” Vinson (14-1, 6 KOs). A Bronze medallist for the United States in the 2000 Olympics, the Washington, DC native dazzles with an array of speed, flash, and boxing savvy. In his last bout, on May 27, Vinson was impressive, nearly shutting out Paulino Villalobos over eight rounds.
The November 18 undercard packs plenty of punch as well, led by a Miller Lite Texas Middleweight Championship bout between Corpus Christi’s Victor Lares (8-1, 2 KOs) and Lawton, Oklahoma’s “Fast” Eddie O’Neal (5-5-2, 1 KO).
Also featured on the card will be super middleweight prospect Miguel Martin (17-2, 8 KOs), who will square off against Larry Vaughn (8-1, 4 KOs) in a battle of Houston residents, a lightweight contest between debuting hometown product Tomas Pena and San Antonio’s Ignacio Valencillo (1-2), and bouts involving cruiserweight Tony De La Garza (3-1-2) and welterweight Roberto Garcia (15-2, 11 KOs) against opponents to be announced shortly.
