8 Count Boxing: Tarvoris Cloud vs. Julio Gonzalez Headlines ESPN2 Broadcast August 8

The highly anticipated showdown between unbeaten light heavyweight Tavoris Cloud and former world champion Julio Gonzalez will take place on Friday, August 8 at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom and will be broadcast on ESPN2, announced Dominic Pesoli, President of 8 Count Productions, who will promote the event along with Chicago- based A Team Management.

The Cloud/Gonzalez twelve round bout is an IBF title eliminator to fight Champion Antonio Tarver.

Said Pesoli, “Tavoris has thrilled the fight fans in Chicago over the last couple of years with his skills and bone crushing KO’s and has become somewhat of a Youtube legend as we’ve posted his fights there. We’re very happy to work with ESPN2 on his televised debut to show the world what we believe; Tavoris Cloud is a future world champion.

“This bout has ‘Fight of the Year’ written all over it. Gonzalez is a very tough Mexican warrior who has been in numerous world class battles over his career. He’s a former world champion who has beaten the likes of other champions including Glen Johnson and Dariusz Michalczewski.

“I remember Gonzalez’s war with the late Julian Letterlough in 2001 that was also broadcast on ESPN2. It was an outstanding back and forth battle in which they each were knocked down a couple of times. At that end of the year, many of the boxing writers named it their ‘Fight of the Year’. We anticipate this fight to be a similar type of war given their styles.”

Neither Cloud nor Gonzalez will have to look far for each other; they’re both true, all-action fighters and the fans should see a world class battle from the opening bell.”

The 26 year old Cloud of Tallahassee, Florida, brings an unbeaten record of 18-0 with seventeen knockouts into the battle with Gonzalez. Most recently he destroyed Mike Wood in the first round on March 28, 2008 in front of a packed Aragon Ballroom.

In his most explosive outing, which took place on August 24, 2007, Cloud, cut badly from a head butt in the fourth round, devastatingly knocked out Jose Luis Herrera in the fifth round at Chicago’s Congress Theater.

With explosive power in both hands, world class skills, a granite chin, his no nonsense attitude in the ring and his “close the show style”, Cloud has become a must see for Chicago fight fans over the last two years. He has knocked out all nine of his opponents over this period, typically in breathtaking fashion.

A native of Guerrero Negro, Mexico, now residing in Huntington Beach, CA, the 31 year old Gonzalez sports a record of 41-5 with 25 knockouts. He is coming off a very close split decision loss to former world champion Reggie Johnson on February 23, 2008 in Lake Charles, LA. Along with battles with Johnson and Michalczewski, he has also fought world champions Roy Jones Jr., Clinton Woods (twice), Montell Griffin, and Zsolt Erdei.

This will be Gonzalez’s second Chicago appearance having knocked out Kenny Bowman in the third round on April 11, 2003 at the DePaul Athletic Center .

Ticket information for this fight along with a full undercard will be announced in the very near future, said Pesoli.