Julio César González


Julio César González Ibarra was a Mexican professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2011, and held the WBO and lineal light heavyweight titles from 2003 to 2004.

Amateur career

Gonzalez was a member of the 1996 Mexican Olympic team, boxing as a light heavyweight. He was eliminated in the 1st round by eventual gold medalist Vasili Jirov of Kazakhstan.

Professional career

He entered the professional boxing ranks in 1997 after a moderately successful amateur career and gradually worked his way through the ranks of the light heavyweight journeymen. He had won his first 21 fights by the time he got his first chance at a boxing title, the regional WBC Fecarbox belt, on May 5, 2000. He defeated unbeaten fellow Mexican Jesus Ruiz on a ninth round technical knockout in Commerce, California.
Gonzalez followed that victory up with five more wins, including a 12-round unanimous decision over Julian Letterlough on February 2, 2001, that won him the regional NABO light heavyweight title - and propelled him into the No. 1 contender's position in several sanctioning bodies' ratings.
As the top contender, he earned a fight with WBC, WBA, & IBF champion Roy Jones Jr. in July 2001, in Los Angeles. Gonzalez went the distance with Jones, but lost a unanimous decision for his first career setback.
He took seven months off after the loss to Jones before resuming his career and running off seven straight wins without a loss. Most notable in his comeback streak was a 10-round majority decision over former world champion Glen Johnson on January 24, 2003.

WBO and lineal light heavyweight champion

Gonzalez earned his second shot at a world title on October 18, 2003, when he flew to Hamburg, Germany for a showdown with undefeated Dariusz Michalczewski for the Lineal & WBO light heavyweight championship. Going into the fight, Michalczewski was positioned to tie Rocky Marciano's all-time record of 49 wins and no losses. He also was looking to extend his own world record of 23 straight successful defenses of the light heavyweight title.
In the fight, Gonzalez seemed to take control of the action in the middle rounds, and fought back strongly when Michalczewski, a knockout artist, got him in trouble a few times. When the fight was over, Gonzalez got the verdict on a 12-round split decision; the judge from Germany was the lone dissenter.
Gonzalez lost his title to Zsolt Erdei on January 17, 2004, by unanimous decision.
He challenged Clinton Woods for the IBF light heavyweight title on September 9, 2005, losing by unanimous decision. He met Woods again in a title fight rematch on September 29, 2007. Woods again won the fight by unanimous decision.
In 2008 he was stopped by undefeated prospect Tavoris Cloud.

Death

On March 10, 2012 Gonzalez was killed on impact in a motorcycle accident when he was hit by a drunk driver in B.C. Sur, Mexico. The Julio Gonzalez Memorial Foundation was started in his memory.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
49Loss41–8 Felipe RomeroUD12Sep 30, 2011 Gimnasio Auditorio Jorge Campos, La Paz, MexicoFor vacant WBC FECOMBOX cruiserweight title
48Loss41–7 Felipe RomeroUD12Aug 7, 2010 Auditorio Alvaro Aguilar, Guerrero Negro, MexicoFor Mexico cruiserweight title
47Loss41–6 Tavoris CloudTKO10, 1:50Aug 8, 2008 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
46Loss41–5 Reggie JohnsonSD12Feb 23, 2008 Sudduth Coliseum, Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.For vacant IBA light heavyweight title
45Loss41–4 Clinton WoodsUD12Sep 29, 2007 Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, EnglandFor IBF light heavyweight title
44Win41–3 Vitaly KopytkoTKO3, 2:53Nov 16, 2006 HP Pavilion, San Jose, California, U.S.
43Win40–3 Rodney MooreKO3, 2:30Jul 20, 2006 Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Lemoore, California, U.S.
42Win39–3 Jason DeLisleUD12Nov 17, 2005 HP Pavilion, San Jose, California, U.S.
41Loss38–3 Clinton WoodsUD12Sep 9, 2005 Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, EnglandFor IBF light heavyweight title
40Win38–2 Montell Griffin6, 1:11May 5, 2005 Spa Resort Casino, Palm Springs, California, U.S.Majority TD after González was cut from an accidental head clash
39Win37–2 David TelescoTKO8, 1:06Dec 18, 2004 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
38Win36–2 Orlando RiveraUD10May 21, 2004 Memorial Coliseum, Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
37Loss35–2 Zsolt ErdeiUD12Jan 17, 2004 Dm-Arena, Karlsruhe, GermanyLost WBO and lineal light heavyweight titles
36Win35–1 Dariusz Michalczewski12Oct 18, 2003 Color Line Arena, Hamburg, GermanyWon WBO and lineal light heavyweight titles
35Win34–1 Manu NtohUD10Jun 6, 2003 La Villa Real Convention Center, McAllen, Texas, U.S.
34Win33–1 Kenny BowmanTKO3, 2:58Apr 11, 2003 Sullivan Athletic Center, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
33Win32–1 Glen JohnsonMD10Jan 24, 2003 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Commerce, California, U.S.
32Win31–1 Thomas ReidTKO3, 2:53Oct 12, 2002 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
31Win30–1 Jonathan YoungTKO9, 3:00Jun 29, 2002 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
30Win29–1 Joseph KiwanukaTKO7 Apr 27, 2002 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
29Win28–1 Tyrone ArmsteadTKO2, 3:00Feb 22, 2002 Palace Indian Gaming Center, Lemoore, California, U.S.
28Loss27–1 Roy Jones Jr.UD12Jul 28, 2001 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.For WBA, WBC, IBF, IBO, vacant WBF and IBA light heavyweight titles
27Win27–0 Konstantin SemerdjievRTD5, 3:00Apr 8, 2001 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
26Win26–0 Julian LetterloughUD12Feb 2, 2001 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.Retained WBC FECARBOX light heavyweight title;
Won WBO–NABO and vacant IBA Continental light heavyweight titles
25Win25–0 Jorge AmparoTKO5, 1:00Sep 23, 2000 Convention Center, Ontario, California, U.S.
24Win24–0 Patrick Swann4, 3:00Jul 29, 2000 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC FECARBOX light heavyweight title
23Win23–0 Tony MenefeeTKO4, 2:50Jun 22, 2000 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
22Win22–0 Jesus RuizTKO9 May 5, 2000 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.Won vacant WBC FECARBOX light heavyweight title
21Win21–0 Dave BooneKO5 Mar 11, 2000 Civic Center, Maywood, California, U.S.
20Win20–0 Gary CampbellKO2 Dec 3, 1999 Pechanga Resert & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S.
19Win19–0 Wilson SmithTKO3, 1:59Oct 4, 1999 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
18Win18–0 Akinobu YamamuraTKO3, 1:19Jul 31, 1999 Rainbow Hall, Nagoya, Japan
17Win17–0 Reggie RobertsUD8Jun 21, 1999 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
16Win16–0 Francisco BarraKO3 May 14, 1999 Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S.
15Win15–0 Paul JonesKO2, 0:44Mar 8, 1999 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
14Win14–0 Gustavo EnriquezUD6Dec 7, 1998 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
13Win13–0 Charles Davis6Sep 26, 1998 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
12Win12–0 Derrick EdwardsUD6Jul 20, 1998 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
11Win11–0 Aljenon DeBoseKO4 Jul 11, 1998 Long Beach, California, U.S.
10Win10–0 Calvin CombsTKO5 May 28, 1998 Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.
9Win9–0 Jude AguUD6Mar 26, 1998 Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.
8Win8–0 Nathaniel MilesUD6Feb 23, 1998 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
7Win7–0 Zaire PattersonUD4Dec 8, 1997 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
6Win6–0 James BrockKO2 Sep 29, 1997 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
5Win5–0 Charles JeffersonUD4Aug 11, 1997 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
4Win4–0 Robert RiosTKO1 Jun 27, 1997 Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.
3Win3–0 James Brock1 Jun 9, 1997 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
2Win2–0 Alex Federov2 May 30, 1997 Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.
1Win1–0 Alex Federov4Apr 7, 1997 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.