Gonzales Sees He Can Paint in Red : He Is Cut and Takes a Fall, Beats Canizales to Retain Title

Paul Gonzales, full of youthful bravado, just had to ask. “Was I a painter today, or what?” As Gonzales works on canvas, he may be assured he didn’t mean of houses. Gonzales means to include himself with the masters.

The bravado is warranted. Gonzales, 22, was indeed an artist Sunday, although he did suffer several unprecedented indignities, such as getting knocked down and cut in his fight with Orlando Canizales.

“How about Picasso?” Gonzales suggested. That may be rushing it, although Pablo likely wasn’t painting twelve-rounders this early in his career.

Gonzales, weighing 111 1/2, retained his North American Boxing Federation flyweight title with a virtual 12-round shutout in the Alpine air behind Caesars Tahoe. He still has a few things to learn before he is shopped around museums. But for a kid with just five pro fights--and as many victories--under his belt, well, he’s impressive.

The Olympic hero managed to learn a few of those things Sunday, discovering he can get knocked down and get up again and he can bleed and still win. He hadn’t had occasion to practice either.

As for getting knocked down, the first time in his pro career, it had more to do with Gonzales being off balance than with his chin or Canizales’ punch. In the third round, Gonzales missed with a right hand, got his legs tangled up and got hit with what the challenger even called a “wild right hand.” Gonzales spun to one knee but quickly got up.

“Nice left hook but it didn’t hurt me,” Gonzales said. “Hit me on the top of my head.”

Far more exciting was a head butt in the 10th round that immediately opened a cut at the corner of Gonzales’ right eye. Some of it dripped to Gonzales’ glove and the sight of it seemed to stun him beyond belief. He looked at his glove surprised, for what seemed a long time before he remembered what he was doing here.

Gonzales was not happy about his first cut in 325 fights, pro and amateur, either when it happened or afterward.

“When I get knocked down, I say nice hook,” he said. “When he butts me, I want to cuss him out.” Also, there was the disturbing possibility, “I’ll be ugly.”

Gonzales, the legend of East L.A., looked pretty enough in the ring, dazzling a CBS television audience and a live crowd of about 3,500 with his marvelous boxing skills. His jab is a piece of art, as well as artillery. It’s not just that it’s unusually long, as well it should be from a flyweight who is 5-9. It’s that it’s so quick and accurate.

Sunday he piled jab upon jab.

“You’ve seen people double jab,” said Jessie Reid, Canizales’ trainer. “But four in a row? And this kid is moving. He groups punches.”

Certainly the judges liked it. Two judges, Keith MacDonald and Doug Tucker, gave Gonzales all but one round; Vince Delgado gave the challenger two rounds.

And Gonzales was a wonderful defensive fighter as well. Canizales (11-1-1), who weighed 112, could not really hurt Gonzales, even when he swarmed him. And that was his only chance.

As Reid told his boxer between rounds, “Boxing is great, but it’s not going to win this fight.” Yet Canizales was quickly discouraged from this bullish tactic every round after Gonzales sharply countered.

It may be that this defensiveness, though, is what’s holding Gonzales back, in terms of power. For this disturbing statistic remains: Gonzales has yet to knock anybody down in 48 rounds of professional boxing.

Gonzales is not real disturbed.

“If I go in and try to knock a guy out I get cut, get ugly,” Gonzales said.

Anyway, he realizes the problem. “I’ve got to plant my feet more,” he admitted. “I’ve got blisters from moving around today.”

Reid, though admiring of Gonzales’ boxing skills, said he isn’t much of a puncher.

“He’s too much a stand-up boxer, like in the amateurs,” he said. “And when he punches, he pulls right out, thinking defense. Punch in, step out, he never stops and shoots.”

Reid said Gonzales could become a puncher because “he’s got the speed. But mentally, I don’t know. It may be more of a habit--afraid to extend himself, to think anything but his speed. It’s hard to break these rhythms.”

In the meantime, Gonzales gives good value, going the full distance each fight. If it’s Gonzales at work you want to see, you’ll likely see a lot of him. He doesn’t leave the office early.

Anyway, it may be that asking Gonzales to score knockouts would be like asking Picasso to paint quicker. What’s the point? You still get your work of art, one way or another.