PRESS RELEASE: As if a disappointing performance in a loss to Clinton Woods two years ago in an IBF Light Heavyweight title fight wasn’t enough to motivate Julio Gonzalez to prepare himself for a rematch of the IBF Championship Bout, a pullout by the Englishman just prior to their scheduled June 23rd confrontation made him hotter than a jalapeno!!
It appears that the 31-year-old Gonzalez (41-3, 25 KOs) will get to let off some of that steam and once again try to wrest the IBF Light Heavyweight title from Woods (40-3-1, 24 KOs) when the two meet for the second time in the same location as their first encounter – the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield, England – on Saturday, September 29, 2007.
“It didn't take the postponement of the June 23 fight to rile me up,” insisted Gonzalez, who was on the short end of a unanimous decision in their first go-round.
“I was already there mentally based on my sub-par performance the last time I faced Woods. I was ready to show him on the June 23 event that our first fight was not me at my best, and that he would be seeing the better Julio Gonzalez.
“It was a tremendous blow when he pulled out so close to the fight that it didn't matter to me whether it was right or wrong, just that he did it. It has given me even more motivation to go out and win this fight by now having to do it in front of his home town fans.”
Gonzalez, who was born in Guerrero Negro, BC, Mexico, and currently resides in Huntington Beach, California, has rebounded nicely from his loss to Woods by winning his three fights since: a 12-round unanimous decision win over Jason DeLisle to earn the #2 contender spot in the IBF Light Heavyweight division, followed by stoppages of Rodney Moore (KO3) and Vitali Kopitko (TKO3).
Woods, age 35, stopped American Rico Hoye (TKO5) to win the vacant IBF Light Heavyweight title in March 2005. He outpointed Gonzalez in his first title defense and has since stopped DeLisle (TKO6) and split-decisioned former champion Glen Johnson over 12 hard-fought rounds. The rematch with Gonzalez will be the fourth title defense for Woods.
Gonzalez’ promoter, Dan Goossen, President of Goossen Tutor Promotions, shuns all talk of trepidation of having his charge return to England to take on the champion in his own backyard, due mainly to the recent successes of two of his stable’s most notable boxers.
“I've always felt that going into someone's hometown was only meaningful if that hometown fighter was better than our fighter,” Goossen explained.
“Robert Guerrero went to Denmark where victories for visitors are as remote as winning the lottery, and came back to the U.S. with the IBF Featherweight title belt securely around his waist. Tony Thompson experienced similar results in Germany last month when he knocked out hometown favorite Luan Krasniqi to emerge as the mandatory contender for the WBO Heavyweight title. We wouldn't go to England or anywhere else if we didn't think Julio would be able to come back with the belt.”
