Gonzalez v Marriaga
After ten rounds of lively action, Joet Gonzalez (24-1, 14 KO’s) claimed a unanimous decision victory over Miguel “The Scorpion” Marriaga (29-4, 25 KO’s). The prizefight was his first fight, and victory, since suffering his premiere professional loss to “Fearless” Shakur Stevenson (14-0, 8 KO’s). The particularly bitter feud took place last October 26, 2019, also on ESPN telecast.
Prior to that fight, there was a bright light shined on the fact that Stevenson was dating Gonzalez’s sister. Due to that relationship, which Gonzalez did not approve of, there had arisen a big family rift. Given the unusually personal distaste that the Californian had for Fearless, he was particularly motivated to win. Sadly for him, Stevenson was able to fairly easily dominate Gonzalez for twelve complete rounds.
BACK BETWEEN THE ROPES
With this showing against the Scorpion, Gonzalez wanted to prove he was more than that last abysmal performance. This bout opened with an acutely aggressive Marriaga taking the fight straight to Gonzalez. Over the first two rounds, the Columbian pressed the action and outworked Marriaga with high volume combinations.
In response, the Californian shelled up and fought out of a high-guard defense. When Gonzalez did let his hands go, he landed accurate, thudding shots. During the third period, those hard, crunching blows would appear be making a significant impression on Marriaga. Even worse for the Scorpion, Gonzalez’s output was steadily increasing and now he was stalking Marriaga.
Up top, Gonzalez was wreaking havoc with his stiff jab, straight right and right hook. Mindful of the body, he also sank a great deal of heavy hooks on the ribs and straight rights to the belly. By the end of the sixth round, Marriaga’s high output had virtually disappeared and he had no answers for Gonzalez’s swelling offensive success.
By the eighth round, the Scorpion was all out of venom and operating in complete survival mode. To his credit, Marriaga dug deep and put his foot on the gas in the ninth. Yet, while admirable, it still was not enough to secure the round. Throughout the tenth and final round, Joet Gonzalez battered the Columbian around the ring. Despite his effort, his veteran foe was able to endure until the final bell.
When the scorecards were read, Gonzalez walked away with a well-earned UD.
By: Bakari Simpson
