GONZALEZ TAKES SPLIT DECISION

May 27, 2006

Jhonny Gonzalez held on to his WBO Bantamweight Belt by edging out Fernando Montiel in a split decision, outside and under the lights at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Gonzalez (33-4-0) had trouble establishing his superior size and power early as the slick Montiel (32-2-1) moved well and countered. But not giving in to the restless crowd or Montiel, Gonzalez slowly loosened up and became more active.

The technical dance promised to become a fight in the fourth round as the fighters saved the best action for after the bell, when the referee had to break up an exchange.

From the fifth round on, the action continued to increase as Montiel tried to work inside and counter off Gonzalez's punches. Gonzalez stuck to his strategy, using his superior reach and sharp jab. By the tenth round both corners had a sense of urgency, as the fight appeared to be up for grabs.

In the last two rounds both fighters dug in, with the best exchange of the fight coming in the last of the twelfth. By the time the final bell sounded, Gonzalez had used his style and jab to pile up enough points to grab a split decision. The judges scored it 115-113 Montiel, 116-112 Gonzalez and 118-111 Gonzalez.

Williams Victorious in Undercard

In the undercard, two undefeated welterweights stepped into the ring looking for the victory that would make them a legitimate contender. Paul "The Punisher" Williams (30-0) TKO'd Walter Matthysse (25-1) in the tenth round. Williams' size, skill and condition were too much for Mattysse who was out-worked and outclassed in each round. Referee Jack Reiss stopped the one sided affair at the 1:56 mark in the tenth round.