By Scott Gilfoid: WBA Super World super flyweight champion Kal Yafai (24-0, 15 KOs) will be defending his title next month against former word title challenger Israel Gonzalez (23-2, 10 KOs) on November 24 on DAZN and Sky in Monaco, according to @BarbosaBox.
Boxing fans might remember Gonzalez for him recently challenging IBF 115 lb champion Jerwin Ancajas earlier this year in losing a 10th round knockout last February in Corpus Christi, Texas. Gonzalez put on a spirited effort, but ended up getting knocked down three times in the fight before the contest was stopped.
Ancajas knocked Gonzalez down three times i the fight in stropping him in round one and twice more in the 10th round before the referee stepped in toe stop the contest. Since that fight, Gonzalez has won his last two fights in beating Jairo Gutierrez (6-12, 2 KOs) and Daniel Arturo Vega (7-10, 4 KOs). Yafai’s promoter Eddie Hearn might be picking out Gonzalez as
Gonzalez lacked the punching power for him to be competitive in his fight against Ancajas.
Hearn matching Gonzalez against Yafai makes sense in terms of giving boxing fans a chance to compare him to Ancajas, but that’s about it. Yafai looks bad in taking on Ancajas’ leftovers, especially with him looking so bad recently in his last fight against #14 IBF Alejandro Santiago Barrios, who held him to a 12 round draw last month on September 28. Ancajas lost that fight in the eyes of a lot of people. Yafai taking on Gonzalez isn’t going to do much for him.
Since winning the WBA super flyweight title against Luis Concepcion in 2016, Yafai has successfully defended the title three times in beating Suguru Muranaka, Sho Ishida and David Carmona. Yafai has talked about wanting a fight against struggling former three division world champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, who has lost two out of his last three fights, but nothing has happened with that. A good test for Yafai would be for him to face WBC champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai or WBO champion Donnie Nietes. However, those guys would have a good chance of beating him badly, so it doesn’t look as if Hearn is interested in putting Yafai in with any of those guys. Yafai is a popular fighter right now, but he might not be if Hearn matches him against Rungvisai, Juan Francisco Estrada or Nietes.
Instead of Hearn matching Yafai against Ancajas’ knockout victims, it would be nice to see him put in with at least the likes of McWillians Arroyo, Carlos Cuadras or Kazuto Ioka. If Hearn doesn’t want to match Yafai against the talented guys, then he should go for the next rung down the ladder.