JESSIE Cris Rosales gets the stiffest test of his young career as he trades leathers with experienced two-division world champion Jhonny Gonzalez on July 22 at the Lienzo Charro Parral in Chihuahua, Mexico. The 25-year-old Rosales has been amazing so far. However, he hasn’t faced an opponent of Gonzalez’s level.
Gonzalez is a four-time world champion, winning both the World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight and World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight titles twice.
The 35-year-old Gonzalez, a veteran of 73 bouts, has fought the cream of the crop in the lower weight divisions. He has beaten the likes of Jorge Arce, Abner Mares, Hozumi Hasegawa and Fernando Montiel; and lost to the likes of Gary Russell Jr., Daniel Ponce de Leon, Toshiaki Nishioka, Israel Vazquez and Filipino Gerry Pe?alosa.
“As of now everything is on point. He’s almost peaking in his training, ” said Omega Pro Sports International (OPSI) vice-president Jerome Calatrava. Rosales is coming off a second round knockout win over veteran Jerry Nardo in a rematch. This will be his second fight outside the confines of home. The first time he fought outside was last year in Thailand, where he won a unanimous decision over unheralded Japanese Ibuki Tanaka.
After a majority decision defeat to Jonathan Oquendo in 2015, Gonzalez has won five straight fights. (EKA)
