Gonzales Is Pushed to 10, but Wins in a Decision

A bloodied, dazed Javier (Suzuki) Diaz took 1984 Olympic gold medalist Paul Gonzales the distance before losing a unanimous 10-round decision Monday night in the main event of a five-fight card at the Irvine Marriott.

It was Gonzales’ first bout since his controversial loss to United States Boxing Assn. champion Ray Medel on June 17 in San Antonio, Tex. Eager to rebound from a fight he believed he won, Gonzales struggled at times against the smaller but quicker Diaz. Diaz used his quickness to make Gonzales go to his head and wear down his hands.

“His quickness really gave me problems,” Gonzales said. “The way he was bobbing up and down, he was able to make me hit his head instead of his body, and after 10 rounds, that wore on my hands. His height (5 feet, compared to the 5-9 Gonzales) really gave him an advantage. When he came in, I never had a clear shot at him. And when he stood away and I would jab, he would be able to bob away.”

Even up close, Gonzales at times was unable to score in combinations, allowing Diaz to go the distance instead of finishing him off.

“He wasn’t as sharp as I wanted,” said his manager, Al Stankie. “I think he probably gave me 75% of what he’s got. He’s got to do better, but this was pretty good.”

In the early rounds, Gonzales appeared tentative. Diaz was able to force him to the ropes, where he scored most frequently in the last half-minute of each round. But in the seventh, Gonzales launched a crushing right jab to Diaz’s right eye, leaving him stunned and his eye bloodied.

“I thought maybe that was it,” Gonzales said. “He was staggered. But he kept coming, he kept bringing the fight to me.”

Stankie said he was pleased with his fighter’s third fight in three months.

“We’re ready for a title fight,” he said. “This was a good warmup. Paul’s got to be sharper than he was tonight, but he’s in good shape.”

In the preliminaries, Los Angeles lightweight Genaro Hernandez scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Jose Mosqueda of Mexico City, Kola Havea of Huntington Beach took a unanimous four-round win over Hawaiian Gardens’ Doc Holiday and Richard DeMarco of Orange won a technical knockout of Baldwin Park’s James Fenderson at 1:46 of the third round in a scheduled four-round bout.