Saul Sanchez faces Franklin Gonzalez in duel of power punchers in Florida
A crossroads bout between high-volume boxer-punchers will highlight the next ProBox TV card.
Saul Sanchez will square off against Franklin Gonzalez Wednesday night. The 10-round junior featherweight bout will take place at the Whitesands Events Center in Plant City, Florida and will headline a three-bout card that will stream live on the ProBox TV app and YouTube page (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).
“It’s a really well-matched fight,” said ProBox TV executive Chris Glover to The Ring Monday night. “You have someone who is well-known to boxing fans in Saul Sanchez. He’s Mexican and an action guy, who is a really good fighter, against a game Venezuelan (fighter) in Franklin Gonzalez, who is not as well-known. But he had a good fight last time out. He’s looking to get back on track with a win.
“If (Gonzalez) beats Sanchez, then that means he’s a top fighter. Sanchez is coming into the fight full of confidence. It’s a great 50-50 fight. It’s going to be all action, all night. Neither fighter is going to take a step back. It will be a great fight on June 14.”
Sanchez (18-2, 11 knockouts), who resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Pacoima, has not fought since June 17 of last year, losing a 10-round split-decision to Eros Correa in a fight many thought Sanchez did enough to win.
The loss to Correa snapped a string of six consecutive wins, including an impressive knockout win over Ja’Rico O’Quinn in September 2021. That fight took place on a ShoBox card.
The 26-year-old has been a staple on Thompson Boxing cards. Sanchez also fought twice on Boxeo Telemundo cards, notching first-round knockout victories over Daniel Lozano and Frank Gonzalez, respectively.
Gonzalez (25-2, 25 KOs) is hoping to snap a two-fight winless streak. In his last fight on February 23, Gonzalez rallied late, but fell short, losing a split-decision to Manuel Flores. Gonzalez was knocked down in the fifth round.
The 26-year-old, who resides in Los Teques, Venezuela and is managed by Shane Shapiro, also has a split-decision loss to Jorge Chavez that took place in February 2021.
Gonzalez’s most notable victory was a knockout over former world titleholder Felix Machado in May 2019 in a fight where Machado’s best days were way behind him.
In the co-feature, Dominic Valle of nearby Lutz will face Carlos Rosario in a six-round junior lightweight bout.
Valle (5-0, 4 KOs) defeated Jose Antonio Meza by unanimous decision in his last bout on November 4. The 22-year-old, who is the twin brother of unbeaten junior middleweight Marques Valle, has fought all of his bouts at the Whitesands, also known as the ProBox TV, Events Center.
Rosario (6-1, 3 KOs), who is originally from Fajardo, Puerto Rico and now resides in Winter Haven, Florida, suffered his first loss as a pro to Ezequiel Borrero on November 4 in a clash of unbeaten fighters. The 27-year-old rebounded in his last bout on April 29, defeating previously-unbeaten Joshafat Ortiz by split decision.
In the opening bout of the stream, Oscar Alvarez of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico will face Jonhatan Cardoso in an eight-round lightweight bout.
The 19-year-old Alvarez (9-0, 7 KOs) had a stellar amateur career, accumulating an impressive 665-12 amateur record. The 6’3” prospect, who is promoted by Guy Taylor, defeated Diego Lopez Juarez by majority decision in his last bout on March 8. The victory over Lopez took place six weeks after Alvarez won a technical decision over fringe contender Nicolas Polanco.
Cardoso (15-1, 14 KOs), who resides in San Paulo, Brazil, also fought on the same day (January 25) Alvarez defeated Polanco, defeating previously-unbeaten Jose Arellano by unanimous decision.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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