Gonzales Expects To Dominate Truax

By Ray Kilgore: Brandon Gonzales is too nice a guy to trash-talk his opponent. Gonzales faces Caleb Truax on January 20^th at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

And why should Gonzales go down that road when he’s so confident of victory? He knows the significance of the fight that, he believes, will promote his continued rise as a ‘prospect,’ while Truax will be left to find ways to rebuild his career.

On paper, the fighters look equal: Gonzales is 27 years old, Truax a year older. Gonzales made his professional debut in February 2007; Truax made his two months later. Gonzales is 15-0, (10 KOs) and Truax is 18-0-1, (10 KOs). They both came late to the sport of boxing: Gonzales was 19, and Truax was in his early 20s. And each is 6’0”. Even their ring aliases have similar tones—Gonzales goes by “Flawless,” and Truax “Golden.”

“There’s no such thing as a perfect fighter,” said Gonzales about his moniker. “But I set the bar that high, and I am searching for perfection--not only in boxing, but in life. I should never be satisfied with my career and will continue to be hungry for more.” And it’s this need to push and prove himself that will make the difference come fight night.

Many boxing experts are not high on Minnesota fighters. To their way of thinking, these fighters are either “one-dimensional,” or they know how to “talk the boxing lingo, but can’t translate that into consistent performances in the ring.” This is a viewpoint Gonzales completely ignores.

“As far as I am concerned, I am walking into a fighter who’s never been beat, and to me, that’s serious enough. I am expecting a very dangerous guy,” said Gonzales. Even though Gonzales says he feels otherwise, he has to know that when Minnesota boxers have gone up against fighters from Goossen -Tutor Promotions (Gonzales’ promoter), they haven’t fared well, with an 0-and-five showing— Chris Arreola won in stopped fights versus Joey Abell and Raphael Butler, Andre Ward and Paul Williams defeated Andy Kolle, and Shawn Estrada defeated Jon Schmidt.

To Gonzales, the trend means nothing. Even if Goossen -Tutor had compiled a 55-0 failure rate against Minnesota guys, Gonzales says it wouldn’t matter to him. He remains confident that not only will he be the better boxer On January 20^th, but the inspiration he draws from a solid team, both in and outside the ring, is keeping him focused as a boxer.

“I started boxing before I had children,” said Gonzales, a graduate of Granada high school.  “As they come into the picture, he says of 11-year-old-Seneca and six-year-old Ayahna, “they gave a whole new meaning to [boxing].  At first I did things for myself, but I am now doing it for others,” he said. “Inside of that ring I push myself to the limits during preparations, knowing that I got a family to take care of.” 

For a while, Gonzales’ brother, Justin, was stationed in Afghanistan, risking his life for his country.  Gonzales has just learned that Justin will head back to the USA soon. Gonzales views such a patriotic mission as a role model for what he needs to do against Truax. “[Justin] is a fighter in every sense,” said Gonzales. “It drives me, knowing what he’s fighting for. I for sure draw inspiration from him.”

If Justin wasn’t enough, Janelle, Gonzales’ wife of six years, would fulfill that gap. Gonzales relies heavily on her, not only for emotional support, but also for what she provides in his role as a fighter. “Whether she fought or not, she’s going to give me advice,” Gonzales said, laughing. “She’s been around the game [boxing] for a while, and she’s someone who you respect in and out of the ring because she knows what she’s talking about.” Janelle is an amateur boxer—that is how the couple met, when they trained at the same gym—who won the open Northern California Golden Gloves several years ago.

Gonzales will enter the fight under Virgil Hunter’s guidance as a lead trainer; Hunter’s marquee fighter, as of now, is Andre Ward, who, last month, won a convincing 12 round decision over Carl Froch to unify the world super middleweight titles.

“Having a trainer like Virgil is to my advantage,” said Gonzales. “He took a Gold Medalist to a world championship,” he continued, referring to Ward’s recent victory. “You can judge a trainer by how he’s made a fighter from scratch or made a good fighter even better.”

Gonzales is African- and Mexican-American.  He was born in Portland, Oregon, and moved around with his parents, mother Terecia and father Logie, until they found a permanent home in Sacramento, when the boxer was 18.  From there, Gonzales (who always had an interest in boxing and a love for football) focused on the sport and learned his craft, so much so that, by the time he ended his amateur career, he had a record of 56-7, numerous amateur titles, and the number one USA amateur acclaim at one point.

“I think [the amateur background] helps you make that transition to being a professional more easily,” said Gonzales. “It gives me a certain level of confidence going in there [to the Truax fight], knowing what to expect. [By] going to different counties and seeing a lot of [fighters’] styles…it definitely helps.”

And it definitely helps that Gonzales has plans not only for Truax, but in the bigger picture as well. “I fight looking for a knockout…When it’s time to perform, it’s on [me],” he said. “You want to… give a spectacular performance any time you’re on national TV. If I went by my timetable, I would be defending my championship right now,” he said. “[But] I am focusing on the fight and will see what doors open up for me after this win.”

January 8, 2012