Rosales battles 2-division world champion July 22

UNBEATEN Cebuano boxer Jessie Cris Rosales of the Omega Boxing Gym believes he has a big chance of upsetting Mexican former WBC world featherweight champion Johnny Gonzales when they trade mitts on July 22 in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Rosales, one of the fast rising boxers of Omega Boxing Gym, will try to snatch Gonzales’ WBO Latino super featherweight title.

The 25-year-old Danao City native Rosales, holds an unblemished record of 21 wins with nine knokcouts while the veteran Gonzales, a former two division world champion has 63 wins, 53 knockouts with 10 defeats.

“I have a big chance of winning this fight because he is already old. What is important is that you really give your best,” said Rosales of his foe, who is already 35 years old.

Gonzales won the WBO world bantamweight title in 2005 against Thai Chaya Pothang via TKO and defended it once against another Mexican legend, Fernando Montiel. He tried to clinch the WBC world super bantamweight title against Israel Vasquez in 2006 but he came up short after suffering a TKO loss. He went back to the bantamweight class and reclaimed the WBO bantamweight belt in 2007 only to lose it in his first title defense against Filipino former two division world champ Gerry Peñalosa in the 2007 World Cup of Boxing.

Gonzales climbed to the featherweight division where he won the IBO world featherweight crown in 2010 against Jackson Asiku via TKO and annexed the WBC featherweight belt against Japanese Hozumi Hasegawa in 2011. He successfully defended the title twice before losing it to Daniel Ponce De Leon in 2012.

When Gonzales became world champion in 2005, Rosales was still making the rounds in the amateur ranks piling up a 33 fight winning streak before turning pro in 2008.

Now the reigning PBF featherweight champ, Rosales said that despite his advantage in age, under-estimating Gonzalez is the last thing on his mind.

“I can’t be complacent because he is very experienced and he is a former world champion,” said Rosales.

He is also wary of the possibility of a hometown decision so he plans on not letting the judges decide the outcome of the ffight. “I will try my best to make sure it won’t reach the 10th round,” added Rosales. “I won’t say what round I will stop him, but I will really try my best to go for the knockout.”

Gonzales will fly to Chihuahua, Mexico on July 18 along with his trainer Julius Erving Junco.

This is going to be the second foreign foray for Rosales, who beat Japanese fighter Ibuki Tanaka in Thailand on May 6, 2016.