Gonzalez Wants Carbajal After Easy Forum Victory

Humberto Gonzalez demolished an inept challenger Monday night at the Forum, easily preserved his light-flyweight championship and set up a February unification title match with Michael Carbajal.

Gonzalez, the powerfully built, hard-hitting 108-pounder from Mexico City, moved his record to 34-1 with 26 knockouts in stopping Thailand’s Napa Kiatwanchai (15-3-1) in two rounds.

Among the 5,431 watching was Carbajal, the 1988 Olympic silver medalist who has been chasing a rich match with Gonzalez the last two years. Carbajal is the International Boxing Federation champion, and Gonzalez owns the World Boxing Council’s version of the light-flyweight title.

Carbajal wasn’t impressed.

“I’m too much for him. I’m too sharp and I have too much boxing ability,” Carbajal said. “He’s a strong guy, but he throws those wide punches and I come right down the middle.”

Whatever, Gonzalez didn’t prove much Monday night. Gonzalez completely outclassed Kiatwanchai, knocking him down four times, three times in the second round.

Gonzalez rocked Kiatwanchai with his first serious punch, a left uppercut to the chin 30 seconds into the fight. A punch like it ended the fight a round later.

Kiatwanchai, who weighed 109 at the 11 a.m. weigh-in and made 108 pounds 30 minutes later, swung wildly at Gonzalez to start the second round, missed and fell on his face. After the two bumped heads several times, Gonzalez knocked Kiatwanchai down with a combination at center-ring.

He went down again from a right-left seconds later, got up again but Gonzalez quickly closed him out with the left uppercut.