When he first went to the gym as a 10-year-old, all Joet Gonzalez wanted was to lose some weight and learn how to defend himself against bullies who were picking on him in school. Little did he think that one day he would be an undefeated prospect fighting the main event on a Golden Boy on ESPN card.
It was watching the Oscar De La Hoya-Fernando Vargas fight in September 2002 that transformed Gonzalez from a dilettante to an ambitious, hard-working boxer.
“That fight was the one that really pushed me. I really wanted to do this for a living,” Gonzalez said. “After that, we took it seriously.”
On Friday, Gonzalez (19-0, 11 KOs) takes the next step in his budding career when the faces Rafael “Big Bang” Rivera (25-1-2, 1 NC, 16 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight bout at The Nova at L.A. Live in Los Angeles.
Rivera, 24, is looking to rebound after losing for the first time as a pro, against Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz on Sept. 16, 2017. There were, however, some extenuating circumstances.
Tijuana’s Rivera was a late replacement for Jorge Lara, who withdrew from his match with Diaz four days before the fight, claiming a back injury.
“That fight was the one that really pushed me. I really wanted to do this for a living. After that, we took it seriously.”
Joet Gonzalez on watching Oscar De La Hoya vs. Fernando Vargas in 2002
“I feel that trying to make weight in time for the fight really drained me and I wasn’t able to perform at my tip-top best,” said Rivera, who became interested in boxing pretty much the same way as Gonzalez.
“I watched boxing on television one day. It caught my attention and I wanted to give it a try.”
Rivera made his pro debut in April 2012 with a second-round TKO of Mario Lemus and remained unbeaten until the Diaz bout. His most impressive win was an up-from-the-floor 10-round split decision over former junior featherweight titleholder Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in December 2015. Another notable victory was a unanimous 8-round decision over previously undefeated Ruben Garcia in October 2015.
“Rivera is a special guy. He’s fast and aggressive, and he’s disciplined. He’s a good boxer and he’s young,” said Rivera’s manager-trainer, Pedro Moran. “This fight is going to be interesting. I don’t think Joet Gonzalez has fought anybody like Rafael.”
Gonzalez, 24, won a gold medal at the 2012 U.S. National Championships and had one fight in the AIBA’s World Series of Boxing prior to turning pro.
The Glendora, California, resident has fought marginally superior opponents than Rivera, including Derrick Murray and Marcos Rios. In his most recent bout, he knocked out Rolando Magbanua in the fifth round on March 22, 2018.
“I feel it’s going to be a tough fight and I need to be on my A-game,” Gonzalez said. “I finally get to show what I have on ESPN in a main event. I’ve been a pro since 2012 and I’ve been working hard. I feel like now it’s my turn. I’ve got to make the best out of this.”
In the co-main event, Seniesa “Superbad” Estrada faces Jhosep “La Chica de Oro” Vizcaino in a scheduled eight-round flyweight bout.
Following an outstanding amateur career that saw her win a gold medal at the 2009 Women’s U.S. National Championships, Estrada (13-0, 3 KOs) turned pro in May 2011 with a four-round decision over Maria Ruiz.
Estrada, from East Los Angeles, was the first woman to fight a main event on a Golden Boy Promotions show, winning a decision over Sonia Osorio on March 16, 2018.
In her most recent bout she stopped Amarilis Adorno in the third round on May 4 in Carson, California. Estrada, 26, moves well and has good boxing skills, but is not a hard puncher. Her TKO of Adorno was due to cuts.
“They called us about this fight [with Vizcaino] about three or four weeks ago, but she’s always in the gym, always maintaining,” said her father and advisor, Joe Estrada. “But since she’s been a kid, 8 years old, she’s always been in the gym. She does not take a break. She just continues to train, so when we get the call she has no problem making weight.”
Viscaino, 21, from Quito, Ecuador, has had a strange career. Officially, she has a 6-6, 3 KOs record, but has fought two non-sanctioned bouts with Paola Loaiza, both of which Viscaino won. The reason the two bouts were not sanctioned was because no commission member was on site to oversee the events.
Viscaino’s most impressive victory was an eight-round decision over Maria Vega, who had outpointed in their first match.
Viscaino, the only female professional boxer in Ecuador, returned to action this May following a two-year layoff, due to the birth of her son, Angel. The Estrada match is her first in the United States.