‘84 Gold Medalist Gonzalez to Fight Tonight in Irvine

Paul Gonzalez, a 1984 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, will headline tonight’s six-bout boxing card at the Irvine Marriott.

Gonzalez (17-4), who lives in Los Angeles, will fight junior featherweight Henry Lopez (29-5) of San Diego in the 10-round main event. After turning pro in 1984, Gonzalez has fought sporadically and even retired for a couple of years.

Rodney Toney (8-0) of San Diego meets Fresno’s Donaldo Ortega (9-4) in the featured undercard fight, a six-round middleweight bout. Toney, 25, is managed by Campo’s Joe Sayatovich, who also manages world junior middleweight champion Terry Norris. Toney has knocked out only two of eight opponents, but Sayatovich said Toney has a bright future.

“I have a lot of hopes for this kid,” Sayatovich said. “He’s a natural talent. He’s got as much talent as Terry Norris did at this stage in his career.”

Tickets are $25, $32 and $35 for the card, which starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Irvine Marriott’s ballroom. Tickets can be purchased by calling 553-0100.