WBO flyweight titleholder Anthony Olascuaga (7-1-1, 6 KOs) had an early evening on the workplace when obligatory challenger Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez (28-3-2, 14 KOs) withdrew from the bout with a reduce eye after an unintentional conflict of heads within the opening spherical at Ariake Enviornment in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday evening.
Boxing within the opening struggle of the world title tripleheader that additionally featured Kosei Tanaka making an attempt to defend his WBO tremendous flyweight strap towards Phumelele Cafu and WBC bantamweight beltholder Junto Nakatani going through Tasana Salapat, the 25-year-old Olascuaga from Las Angeles put the warmth on Gonzalez early, pressuring the Puerto Rican southpaw and utilizing angles to create openings for his two-handed energy pictures.
Gonzalez was reduce over the left eyebrow when each boxers lunged in. He was despatched to the impartial nook the place the ringside physician examined the reduce and allowed him to proceed. Not lengthy after the motion resumed, referee Robert Hoyle requested Gonzalez if he might see. The 33-year-old stated no, and the struggle was deserted.
Our first struggle is dominated a no choice after Jonathan Gonzalez suffers a reduce in R1. #NakataniChitpattana | LIVE on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/utU2iXsBOO
— Prime Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 14, 2024
The struggle was dominated a no-contest on the official time of two:25 of the primary spherical.
The Rudy Hernandez-trained Olascuaga, who was boxing for the fourth straight time in Japan, has been touted as the way forward for the division after his highlight-reel knockout of Riku Kano within the third spherical of their bout for the vacant WBO 112lb title conflict in March.
Sadly, he didn’t get a lot of an opportunity to indicate his credentials. Gonzalez was fast to discover a manner out of the bout and he shall be lucky to land a significant struggle within the quick future.
Olascuaga, rated at No. 8 by The Ring at flyweight, will hopefully get one other struggle sooner somewhat than later towards a extra prepared opponent. In a great world, that might come towards WBA titleholder Seigo Yuri Akui (21-2-1, 11 KOs), who claimed a 12-round cut up choice victory over Thailand’s Thananchai Charunphak (25-2, 15 KOs) on the identical venue final evening.
The one loss on Olascuaga’s ledger is to proficient Japanese boxer Tanaka, who now containers one division north.
