Albert Gonzalez carries a weight on his shoulders on his journey to fight for a world title belt.
The unbeaten featherweight wants to make a name for himself and not let down his late brother and others who are close to him.
Gonzalez will face Brandon Chambers on Saturday, March 21, at the Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino. The 10-round bout will stream live on the ProBox TV YouTube page at 4 p.m.
Gonzalez is trained by Robert Garcia, a 1993 Channel Islands High graduate and a former IBF junior lightweight champion who was Oxnard’s first world professional boxing champion.
The 23-year-old Gonzalez (16-0, 11 knockouts), who lives in nearby Riverside, has gained a following throughout the Inland Empire, drawing large crowds to his fights. In his previous fight on Jan. 17, Gonzalez fought before a sold-out crowd at the Soboba Casino in nearby San Jacinto, dropping former fringe contender Franklin Gonzalez four times en route to a knockout win in the seventh round.
The support from his family, friends and new fans may be overwhelming to young fighters, but it was a learning experience for Gonzalez to remain dialed in on the sport.
“I appreciate the fan support and those who come watch me fight,” Gonzalez told The Star on Tuesday. “Robert told me this is something I’m going to experience on my way up. It’s great to have family and friends in the crowd, but I need to continue to focus on the task in the ring. Robert told me to go out and handle my business and not pay attention to what’s outside the ring.
Gonzalez is considered to be a fighter on the rise and has yet to hit his ceiling as a pro. Garcia admires Gonzalez and his work ethic and dedication in the gym in Moreno Valley.
“I think very highly of him,” Garcia told The Star in a recent interview. “We’ve been working on all facets of his game.”
Gonzalez has improved on his skills through working with Garcia and other trainers in the gym. He has sparred regularly with world titleholders, contenders and prospects, including unified world junior bantamweight titleholder Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, former world titleholder Joshua Franco, unbeaten featherweight Javier Zamarron, and unbeaten junior featherweight prospect Emiliano Alvarado.
Among improving his ring generalship, defense, footwork and combinations, there is one facet in Gonzalez’s game that he believes has made him a better fighter.
“More so than anything, I have a sense now of believing more in myself,” said Gonzalez, who is promoted by Top Rank. “My trainers believe in me a lot. I get tough love through sparring. If they believe I can spar against a world champion or a contender, then they believe in me. I have to believe in myself. I can’t let them down.
“This motivates me to be at my best, whether it’s sparring or training. I can’t let Robert down, or my other trainers down. I work and dedicate myself to train harder and to always be ready. I want to be the best version of myself each time.”
Gonzalez also wants to carry on the legacy of his brother, Danny, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in September 2020. Danny Gonzalez was a can’t-miss prospect, who was about to make his pro debut and was signed by Floyd Mayweather.
Although he wants to blaze his own trail, he believes a higher purpose and the memory of his brother will put him on the path to success.
“I want to stay humble or God will humble me. God has high hopes for me,” Gonzalez said. At a young age, I thought I knew everything and then that tragic day with my brother happened. I realized at that moment that I had the power to change my life. God broke me and he built me. I realized God doesn’t like a boastful man. … Boxing has given me more of a purpose.”
Chambers (12-4-1, 5 KOs), who lives in Owings Mill, Maryland, has won three of his last four bouts.
In the main event, Lester Martinez (19-0-1, 16 KOs) and Immanuwel Aleem (22-3-3, 14 KOs) will square off in a 12-round bout for the interim WBC super middleweight title. Should he win, Martinez would be the first world boxing champion from Guatemala.
Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star. He has also written for Ring Magazine and Boxingscene. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at FSalazarBoxing.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Garcia-trained Albert Gonzalez to put unbeaten record on the line
Reporting by Francisco A. Salazar, Special to Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
