Jesus Ernesto Gonzales Jr (born October 3, 1984) is a Mexican-American former professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. Gonzales was the NABF and IBF North American

Super Middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...

Champion. Gonzales was considered by

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

critics to be one of the top amateur medal contenders for the United States in the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Amateur career

Gonzales' decorated amateur career includes wins over 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and later WBA World Super Middleweight Champion

Andre Ward Andre Michael Ward (born February 23, 1984) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including unified super ...

; WBO Light Middleweight Champion

Alfredo Angulo Alfredo Angulo López (born August 11, 1982) is a Mexican professional boxer who held the WBO interim light middleweight title from 2009 to 2010. As an amateur he represented Mexico at the 2004 Olympics, reaching the first round of the middlewe ...

; IBA Intercontinental Light Middleweight champion Sechew Powell; and an astonishing four wins over former WBC Welterweight Champion

Andre Berto Andre Michael Berto (born September 7, 1983) is a professional boxer who holds dual Haitian and American citizenship. A two-time former welterweight world champion, he held the World Boxing Council, WBC and International Boxing Federation, IBF t ...

. In addition, Gonzales won the National Boxing Championship in the middleweight division in 2002, including the Outstanding Boxer Award.

Professional career

Widely considered to be America's top medal contender for the 2004 Olympic Games, Gonzales stunned fans on June 12, 2003 when he decided to bypass the games and turn pro at the age of 18. Signing to Top Rank under promoter Bob Arum for $30,000, with another $30,000 from manager Cameron Dunkin. Gonzales was touted as the next Oscar De La Hoya. Over the next two years Gonzales fought 17 fights including two of the fastest knockouts in the history of boxing: 16 seconds over Josh Peters and a 17 seconds over Bobby Green while climbing to a 17-0 record. Against the advice of his trainer/father on September 17, 2005 Gonzales became one of the youngest fighters ever (age 20) to fight for the Vacant IBC Middleweight Title. Gonzales suffered an eighth round knockout by former IBC Middleweight Champion José Luis Zertuche. After this crucial fight, Top Rank's Peter McKinn climbed into the ring and had a short conversation with Jesus' trainer/father Ernie Gonzales Sr. That conversation ended with Ernie Gonzales Sr. delivering a left hook to the side of McKinn's face. Jesus was unable to get a fight for nearly a year but had vowed to avenge his loss. He finally got the opportunity August 18, 2005 against Fernando Vela. Six victories later, Jesús found himself fighting for the Interim WBC Continental Americas Light Middleweight title on May 1, 2008. With a 12 round unanimous decision, Jesus became the WBC Continental Americas Light Middleweight Champion at the age of 22 with a record of 24-1. Several weeks later, Jesus signed his second contract with Star Boxing in New York. With Star holding the rights to Jesus over his head and refusing to pay him, Jesus was forced into a two-year hiatus. For the second time in his career, his climb to the top was shattered over a bad contract and Jesus was forced to resign his WBC Continental Americas Light Middleweight title because of non-defense. Crushed and struggling to support his son, Jesús was forced to take a security job at a local high school to make ends meet. Gonzales was discovered by Fan Base promotions while they were on a trip to Arizona to train one of their prized Canadian fighters. He was at a local gym tearing up the speed bag and Fan Base immediately noticed his outstanding talent. Fan Base put up the money and legal team to release Gonzales from his Star contract and immediately got him a fight in Canada against top Canadian contender Jason Naugler. After TKO’ing Naugler in the second round, Jesús was granted an opportunity to fight for the IBF N. American Super Middleweight Title in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. In March 2011, Jesus defeated Dhafir Smith in a unanimous decision to become the IBF North American

Champion. He was only 26 years old then and vowed not to stop until he achieved a World Title.

NABF Super Middleweight Championship

Jesus became the new NABF

Champion, by beating tough veteran Francisco Sierra on July 8, 2011 at US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. This bout was televised on

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...

. In the fight there were two knockdowns, one by each fighter. Gonzales was named the winner by unanimous decision after 12 rounds.Q&A: Phoenix boxer Jesus Gonzales
/ref>

IBF Inter-Continental Super Middleweight Championship

In 2012,

Adonis Stevenson Stevenson Adonis (born 22 September 1977), best known as Adonis Stevenson, is a Haitian Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2018. He won the WBC, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal light heavyweight titles in 2013 by defeat ...

brutally knocked out González in the first round with his signature straight left hand. The knock out was a candidate for KO of the year by Ring Magazine. Prior to the fight, González famously had exposed Stevenson's criminal past. This would turn out to be González last ever fight.

Professional record

, - style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;" , align="center" colspan=8, 27 Wins (14 knockouts), 2 Losses, 0 Draw , - style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;" , align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Res. , align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Rd., Time , align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Venue and Location , align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , -align=center , Loss , , 27-2, , align=left,

, KO , , 1 , (1:39) , , February 18, 2012 , , align=left,

Bell Centre Bell Centre (French: ''Centre Bell)'', formerly known as Molson Centre, is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), ...

, Canada , align=left, For vacant IBF Inter-Continental , -align=center , Win , , 27-1 , , align=left, Francisco Sierra , UD , , 12 , , July 8, 2011 , , align=left,

US Airways Center The PHX Arena (formerly America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix Suns Arena and Footprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened under the name America West Arena on June 6, 1992, at ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, align=left, Won NABF super middleweight title , -align=center , Win, , 26-1, , align=left, Dhafir Smith , UD , , 12 , , March 15, 2011 , , align=left, Celebrity Theatre,

, align=left, Won IBF North American

super middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...

title , -align=center , Win, , 25-1, , align=left, Jason Naugler , TKO , , 2 , (3:00) , , , , align=left, Commonwealth Center,

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada , align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 24-1, , align=left,

Durrell Richardson Durrell Richardson (born July 7, 1979) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2012. Amateur career Durrell had a stellar amateur career, finishing with a 46–4 record. He won the 2002 National Golden Gloves welterwe ...

, UD , , 12 , , May 1, 2008 , , align=left, Arena Theatre,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 23-1, , align=left, Joshua Smith , TKO , , 2 , (2:16) , , December 20, 2007 , , align=left,

Convention Center A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

Pasadena, Texas Pasadena () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Harris County. It is part of the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 151,950, making it the 23rd most populous city in Texas and the second mos ...

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 22-1 , , align=left, Anthony Greeley , KO , , 1 , (2:34) , , June 9, 2007 , , align=left,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 21-1, , align=left, Marcos Primera , UD , , 10 , , January 20, 2007 , , align=left, Celebrity Theatre,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 20-1 , , align=left, Darnell Boone , UD , , 8 , , December 15, 2006 , , align=left, Grand Plaza Hotel,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 19-1 , , align=left, Ramon Espinoza , TKO , , 3 , (2:32) , , September 22, 2006 , , align=left,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 18-1 , , align=left, Fernando Vela , UD , , 6 , , August 18, 2006 , , align=left,

Las Vegas Hilton The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is a hotel, casino, and timeshare resort in Winchester, Nevada. Located near the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, it is owned by Westgate Resorts. It opened in 1969 as the International Hotel, and was ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, align=left, , -align=center , Loss , , 17-1-0 , , align=left, José Luis Zertuche , TKO , , 8 , (2:02) , , September 17, 2005 , , align=left,

America West Arena The PHX Arena (formerly America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix Suns Arena and Footprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened under the name America West Arena on June 6, 1992, at ...

, align=left, For vacant IBC

middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

title , -align=center , Win , , 17-0-0 , , align=left, Dumont Welliver , UD , , 8 , , May 28, 2005 , , align=left,

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

, Los Angeles , align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 16-0-0 , , align=left, Kendall Gould , TKO , , 4 , (0:10) , , May 6, 2005 , , align=left, Fort McDowell Casino,

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, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 15-0-0 , , align=left, Chance Leggett , UD , , 8 , , April 8, 2005 , , align=left, Fort McDowell Casino,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 14-0-0 , , align=left, Alberto Mercedes , UD , , 8 , , February 18, 2005 , , align=left, Fort McDowell Casino,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 13-0-0 , , align=left, Abdias Castillo , TKO , , 2 , (1:36) , , January 7, 2005 , , align=left, Veteran's Memorial Coliseum,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 12-0-0 , , align=left, Jorge Garcia , TKO , , 4 , (2:05) , , December 3, 2004 , , align=left,

Entertainment Center An entertainment center (or centre), also known as an entertainment complex or a home entertainment center, is a piece of furniture designed to house consumer electronic appliances and components. It is sometimes a large cabinet with an exterior ...

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, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 11-0-0 , , align=left, Shay Mobley , UD , , 6 , , August 27, 2004 , , align=left, Dodge Theater,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 10-0-0 , , align=left, Chris Grays , DQ , , 4 , (1:36) , , June 18, 2004 , , align=left, Dodge Theater,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 9-0-0 , , align=left, Francisco Mendez , UD , , 6 , , May 14, 2004 , , align=left, Dodge Theater,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 8-0-0 , , align=left, Chris Grays , UD , , 6 , , March 26, 2004 , , align=left, Dodge Theater,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 7-0-0 , , align=left, Vincent Moses , TKO , , 4 , (1:39) , , January 31, 2004 , , align=left, Dodge Theater,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 6-0-0 , , align=left, Nathan Martin , TKO , , 4 , (2:09) , , December 5, 2003 , , align=left, Dodge Theater,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 5-0-0 , , align=left, Craig Oxley , TKO , , 1 , (2:51) , , October 31, 2003 , , align=left, Park ‘N Swap,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 4-0-0 , , align=left, Roy Smith , TKO , , 1 , (2:35) , , October 17, 2003 , , align=left, Celebrity Theatre,

, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 3-0-0 , , align=left, Bobby Green , TKO , , 1 , (0:17) , , October 10, 2003 , , align=left, Desert Diamond Casino,

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, align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 2-0-0 , , align=left, Joshua Peters , KO , , 1 , (0:26) , , October 4, 2003 , , align=left,

, Los Angeles , align=left, , -align=center , Win , , 1-0-0 , , align=left, Rawley Wilson , KO , , 1 , (0:59) , , August 25, 2003 , , align=left, Celebrity Theatre,

, align=left, , -align=center

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Jesus American boxers of Mexican descent Boxers from Arizona Martial artists from Phoenix, Arizona Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers 1984 births Living people American male boxers Middleweight boxers