Rodolfo “El Gato” González Overwhelmed Carmona to Take
Rodolfo “El Gato” González won the WBC lightweight championship at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on November 10, 1972. He defeated Chango Carmona when the champion could not answer the bell for the thirteenth round.
The championship breakthrough
González entered as a three-to-one underdog but seized the initiative with uppercuts and repeated combinations. Carmona suffered sustained punishment through twelve completed rounds before his corner ended the contest.
Born in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, González was based in Long Beach, California. He worked with trainer Jesse Reid and manager Jackie McCoy.
Championship reign and recognition
His WBC reign lasted until April 11, 1974, when Guts Ishimatsu became champion. González’s punching power later earned him inclusion in The Ring’s list of the hundred greatest punchers.
He was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003, adding formal recognition to a career highlighted by his emphatic championship victory over Carmona.
González made two successful defenses in Los Angeles during 1973, stopping Ruben Navarro in March and Antonio Puddu in October. His championship then ended with an eighth-round knockout defeat to Ishimatsu in Tokyo. He challenged the Japanese champion again in Osaka in November 1974, but the return meeting also ended in defeat, this time by knockout in the twelfth round.
Sources
- BoxRec / Associated Press: González–Carmona championship report
- BoxRec: González’s championship reign, team and career recognition
- BoxRec: González’s two defenses and both Ishimatsu championship contests
