Leon Margules, President of Warriors Boxing, proudly announces the signing of Puerto Rican junior middleweight contender Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez (16-0-1, 13 KOs) to an exclusive promotional contract.
Despite at one time being considered a top prospect in the 154-lb division, promotional problems had kept the 24-year-old Gonzalez out of the ring since last January. Margules says after a couple of return fights, Gonzalez will step directly into a high-profile showcase.
“We’ve relocated him from Puerto Rico to Florida to train. He’s 100% focused now and ready to live up to his reputation as the ‘Next Puerto Rican Superstar,'” said Margules. “We’re going to let him shake off some ring rust, starting December 6 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago and then go to work getting him a title shot or an important fight to get back in the mix.”
Gonzalez had run up a streak of 13 consecutive knockouts to begin his career, drawing comparisons to a young Tito Trinidad, before going the distance in his last four fights, including a draw with former world champion Serhiy Dzinziruk. One of the goals for the newly refocused Gonzalez will be to return to his past power-punching ways.
[Editor’s note: The performance against Dzinzizurk was a disgrace. Gonzalez came in vastly overweight, and made no efforts to cut down to size. It was inexcusable.]
“This kid is a true old-time fighter,” added longtime boxing expert Luis DeCubas. “He’s slick, but he can punch. That’s what he’ll be working on with his trainers, John David Jackson and Chico Rivas: sitting down on his shots more and going back to the destroyer he was earlier in his career. Now that he’s in Florida training full-time, he’s a lot more focused and away from the distractions back home. He’ll be coming in on-weight and ready to go.”
As an amateur, Gonzalez had over 160 fights and won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games and qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a professional, he has held the NABO and WBA Fedelatin titles and was named to ESPN Columnist Dan Rafael’s Super 25 list of the best prospects of 2011.
“Jonathan has all the talent and experience to become a star,” continued Margules. “We’ve made several adjustments to his training routine, including the relocation. We think a Jonathan Gonzalez who is focused and without distraction is a formidable force in one of boxing’s best divisions.”
Gonzalez’s opponent for December 6 in Chicago is still TBA. In the 12-round main event tha tnight, WBC Cruiserweight Champion Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk (48-2-1, 34 KOs) of Warsaw, Poland, will attempt to make the sixth defense of his title and complete an epic trilogy of fights with Milan, Italy’s former WBC Cruiserweight Champion Giacobbe “Gabibbo” Fragomeni (31-3-2, 12 KOs).
