Albert Gonzalez after his second round knockout of Alexis Molina on December 16, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Albert Gonzalez could become one of the best fighters to come out of the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy.
That’s saying a lot, considering the amount of talent Garcia has trained over the years.
Gonzalez, a featherweight prospect, remained undefeated this past Saturday night, knocking out Edgar de la Cruz Gonzalez at the Sala Urbana in Naucalpan, Mexico.
The 22-year-old, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Perris, improved to 11-0, 7 knockouts.
Garcia, who began training Gonzalez after his third fight as a pro, has been impressed with Gonzalez’s development over the past few months. Garcia is confident he will be a top contender at the 126-pound division.
“Albert is one of the best fighters in my gym,” Garcia told The Ring early Wednesday. “This (last Saturday) was his first eight round, but we plan to move (him) to 10 rounds soon. Albert will soon be under 126 pounds.”
Against de la Cruz Gonzalez, Albert Gonzalez dominated the action from the opening bell. Gonzalez dropped de la Cruz Gonzalez with a combination in round three, which resulted in him being counted out.
Saturday’s win comes six weeks after Gonzalez stopped Damian Alcala, also in the third round. On July 13, Gonzalez knocked out Conrado Martinez once in round six.
A few days after the victory over Alcala, Gonzalez signed a long-term promotional deal with Top Rank. Garcia acknowledged Gonzalez is in good hands with Top Rank, which is considered the best promotional company to guide young prospects to a world title.
“This kid has a great future,” Garcia told The Ring in August. “Top Rank is great for developing fighters and I think they will get ‘Chop Chop’ to become (a) world champion. (I’m) very excited about his future with Top Rank.”
De la Cruz Gonzalez, who lives in San Cristobal Huichochitlan, Mexico, falls to 9-5, 4 KOs.
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 (email protected)
