Photo by Ed Mulholland
Roman Gonzalez (44-0, 38 KOs) scored a ninth-round stoppage victory against Brian Viloria (36-5, 22 KOs) to successfully defend his WBC Flyweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The scheduled 12-rounder was the co-main event of the unification fight between Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux.
Gonzalez, who is playfully being called “Little Drama Show” (the OC Register’s Mark Whicker coined the phrase), had a little bit of a rough first round as a game Viloria used the ring to set up combinations.
The 28-year-old Nicaraguan still managed to land his shots and incessantly pushed forward with short, accurate shots in the early rounds.
in Round 3, Gonzalez landed an extremely short right hand that Viloria couldn’t see coming and that dropped him. The punch couldn’t have traveled more than six inches, and its shortness caused Viloria to be knocked down for the first time in his career.
After the knockdown, Gonzalez had completely found his rhythm and began landing combinations before changing angles to land even more combinations with ease.
Gonzalez’s pressure and accuracy eventually got the best of Viloria, whose chin prevented him from being knocked out, but who nonetheless took enough punishment for referee Benjy Esteves Jr. to stop the fight.
Photo by Ed Mulholland
“I had prepared for a different Roman and he surprised me with his defense and his speed. I do feel like the fight was stopped prematurely, I feel good and can keep going,” said Viloria, before mentioning that he’d like the opportunity to fight him again.
As for Gonzalez, he celebrates his second dominant performance on HBO.
“I was in great shape, my conditioning was terrific,” said Gonzalez.
“I fight for the people of Nicaragua and this is their victory,” the three-division champion said.
There are rumors that he is outgrowing the Flyweight limit 112 and will perhaps move up to Super Flyweight. There is also the possibility that he will face fellow Flyweight titlist Juan Franciso Estrada in a rematch.
What’s next for Gonzalez? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
RBRBoxing Results: Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux http://t.co/kQd62fDfDN pic.twitter.com/Sxl68zVbbh
— RoundByRoundBoxing (@RBRBoxing) October 18, 2015
