Humility Packs a Punch

Mike Sciacca

Julio Gonzalez has lived in Huntington Beach for six years, and so

unassuming is he, that for many of those six years, neighbors had no idea

as to just who he was.

If he comes up with the performance of his young pro career Sunday

night, they’ll all come to know him as the light-heavyweight champion of

the world.

Gonzalez is set to fight the nearly unbeatable Roy Jones Jr. (44-1, 36

knockouts) in a world light-heavyweight title fight at the Staples

Center.

It is the first time Gonzalez will be showcased at Staples, and the

first Los Angeles appearance for Jones Jr.

The two will be featured in Sunday’s main event.

“Without a doubt, this is the biggest fight of my life,” said the

24-year-old Gonzalez. “I am so excited about this opportunity, and that’s

how I view this fight -- as a huge opportunity. To fight the main event,

at the Staples Center . . . well, it just can’t get better than that.”

For Gonzalez, a humble, hard-working, soft spoken young man, the road

to the Staples Center was anything but conventional.

He began boxing at age 14, just “playing around with the punching bag

. . . no big deal,” at the La Habra Boxing Club. But Gonzalez continued

to hang around the gym and he possessed a “certain something” that caught

the eye of club owner and trainer, David Martinez.

“I really thought he had potential and I told him if he was serious

about this, then come in here everyday, and if I see that you really are

interested, then I will teach you more,” said Martinez, himself a former

boxer in the Army. “The rest is history, as they say. He went undefeated

for me as a young amateur.”

That status changed four years ago, when Gonzalez turned pro. The two

things that have stayed status quo since that time are the two men in his

corner of the ring, Martinez and Mac Kurahara, Gonzalez’s main trainer

and a dead-ringer for the character “Mr. Miyagi,” portrayed by Pat Morita

in the “Karate Kid” movies.

Kurahara also resides in Huntington Beach.

“Really, when you have a kid with such tremendous potential as Julio

has, there is so much to work with,” Martinez said. “He’s a gifted

fighter, and he’s put his trust in me and Mac.”

The 6-foot 2-inch, 175-pound Gonzalez will put his 27-0 record on the

line against Jones Jr., a record that includes 17 knockouts.

He comes into the match ranked third in the world by the World Boxing

Organization.

After two years at Sonora High school, Gonzalez and his family moved

to Huntington Beach, for the “nice weather, the nice people and the fact

that there wasn’t any gang activity.” He finished high school at Edison

(a 1994 graduate), where he wrestled at 160 pounds during his senior

year. That season included a trip to the CIF Southern Section playoffs,

where he was eliminated in the first round.

But Gonzalez was to follow with bigger things, and went on to

represent his native Mexico and its boxing team at the 1996 Olympics.

Following those summer games, he came back home, took a month off and

weighed the pros and cons of pursuing boxing as a permanent career.

“It was his, if he wanted it,” Martinez said of that choice. “He was a

family man and there was a lot to consider. During that time off, Julio

missed boxing. He saw what a great opportunity there was for him in the

ring.”

And so, Gonzalez went back to training, hitting the gym every day. In

1997, he turned pro and in his first fight at that level, against a

European opponent at the Pond in Anaheim, Gonzalez won by decision.

But while his boxing was beginning to take off, Gonzalez still had

inner struggles regarding his position of family man. His boxing expenses

were paid from his own pocket. There was no outside help.

“It’s very tough at times to pursue my boxing career and raise a

family at the same time,” lamented the father of two. “At times, I wanted

to quit and get a regular 9 to 5 job. I pick up work from time to time,

but not this year. I’ve been able to concentrate on boxing. I’m very

fortunate.”

For all the sacrifice Gonzalez has made, the biggest supporter in his

corner is his wife, Christine, a medical assistant with the Saddleback

Medical Group in Mission Viejo.

“She has been incredibly supportive of me,” Gonzalez said fondly.

“Christine told me to go after my dreams. Without her, I would not be

here, pursuing this dream.”

But, he’s the big underdog on Sunday.

He knows that -- yet relishes the role he’s been given.

“They are slim and none . . . that’s what everyone is saying about my

chances,” he said with a smile in his voice. “I know not many are giving

me a chance, but I believe enough in myself to know that I have what it

takes to win. As long as I believe, anything is possible.”

Tale of the Tape

Julio Gonzalez vs. Roy Jones Jr.

Julio Gonzalez vs.. Roy Jones Jr.

Born: July 30, 1976 -- January 16, 1969

Birthplace: Guerrero Negro, Baja, Mexico -- Pensacola, Fla.

Hometown: Huntington Beach -- Pensacola, Fla.

Age: 24 -- 32

Weight: 175 pounds -- 175 pounds

Height: 6-foot-2 -- 5-foot-11

Reach: 79 inches -- 74 inches

Chest (normal): 39 1/4 inches -- 38inches

Chest (expanded): 41 3/4 inches -- 40 inches

Biceps: 14 inches -- 15 inches

Forearms: 11 1/4 inches -- 12 inches

Waist: 34 inches -- 32 inches

Thigh: 21 1/2 inches -- 22 1/2 inches

Calf: 14 1/4 inches -- 15 inches

Neck: 17 inches -- 15 1/2 inches

Wrist: 7 1/2 inches -- 7 inches

Fist: 12 1/2 inches -- 11 inches