Jhonny Gonzales breaks down his fight against Abner Mares with Juan Manuel Marquez

Original video can be found here:


http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/videohub/video/clipDeportes?id=1888654&categoryid=834455&cc=3888


Enjoy.
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Sanchez: Here we are in the Golpe A Golpe Ring with Juan Manuel Marquez and Jhonny Gonzales (jokes about being referee). Well, without a doubt, we’re to discuss what defined last Saturday’s fight. Jhonny, last week, we talked about your left, your hooks to the body, and you defined it with your left hand, but upstairs. How did it go?

Gonzales: With intelligence, with a lot of practice during camp, always keeping the left hand high because of the bolados (overhand shots) Abner throws , he’s a strong fighter, throwing bolados with his right and left. We recognized that those are his strong punches, so we always had our hands up so we could block them.

JMM: What we were commenting last Friday was what Jhonny Gonzales had to do, and what Abner Mares had to do. In order for Abner Mares to connect his punches onto Jhonny Gonzales was to get in his guard, because he takes the advantage at close range; Abner Mares, connecting 4 or 5 punches (throws short combinations). To pressure, move the waist-

Sanchez: Close the distance.

JMM: Close the distance. And Jhonny Gonzales (had to) maintain that distance, as we had commented. Lateral steps, maintain that distance with the 1-2-uppercut, and keeping Abner Mares at distance so that he can throw his combinations.

Sanchez: How did you finish him Jhonny? Or rather, how did you send him to the canvas in the first place? Because some people say it was a lucky punch. It wasn’t a lucky punch.

Gonzales: No, no. There was an exchange in which Abner Mares threw two bolados at me (blocks left, slips inside of right), and I was able to throw two good left hooks downstairs. I felt how he pushed, how he went “huh”, and so one as a fighter recognizes when a punch hurts you.

Sanchez: You heard him.

Gonzales: And from there, when we separate, I’m thinking about that punch that hurt him downstairs, of how I’m going to feint him. So I landed it with all my force, all of my heart, upstairs, and I got it.

JMM: But before the knockout, there was also an overhand right thrown at a distance from Jhonny Gonzales, which he felt. He was jabbing, and suddenly that overhand right came out, which drove Abner Mares back hurt. He took it, but it did hurt him.

Sanchez: How do you throw that left hook to the liver, Jhonny, that turns into a left hook (upstairs)?

Gonzales: I just go towards practically the waist, and then it goes (up), the trajectory shifts, and it comes up with all the force.

Sanchez: Your waist.

Gonzales: From the waist. And the precision of the punch, which I worked on, being with Nacho. Nacho always told me to throw the punch like this (throws left hook with elbow high). Even if it doesn’t have much power but travels with the right position, anyone goes down, and I think thanks to that, I got that result.

JMM: Also, whenever you’re moving your waist, that same movement of the waist gives you the trajectory for your hook to land right. Jhonny Gonzales did it very well. He does this (dips down towards left), and at the moment he does it, he pulls this shoulder, the right shoulder, and that allows the hook to be more powerful, this movement (throws hook). And if you throw that hook with the proper trajectory (points to alignment of arm), it’s jarring, and it’s practically a knockout punch, as he already demonstrated.

Sanchez: How do you defend against it, Juan?

JMM: It’s very difficult. I also got hit by that punch by Michael Katsidis, in that knockdown.

Sanchez: With Pacquiao, a right (hook).

JMM: Yes, Pacquiao; it’s very difficult to decipher. You can defend that punch with your elbow when its thrown; but when it’s a feint, what you do is drop your hand. What you need to do is keep your hand high, like this (blocks left hook), and if you do lower it, to roll with it, to move with it. You have to have great reflexes and put in a lot of work defensively. And sometimes-not sometimes, always-all fighters have gotten hit with that punch.

Sanchez: It’s inevitable that during a long fight, a hook sneaks in.

JMM: Yes. In a long fight, it’s more difficult. That’s important when you land it in the early rounds, early. Why? Because the opponent starts to predict it, starts to read it. When you do that several times and don’t connect it, a fighter is already going to know what to do. So very well done on the part of Jhonny Gonzales, who on the first time he did it, connected very well.

Sanchez: It’s a complete mental game, a psychological game, when it appears to be completely punitive, two fighters exchanging punches, but it’s total intelligence. And whoever can win that fight remains with the title.

JMM: Agreed. Very good fights fought with intelligence and good technique in the ring.

 

*Bonus translation! Julio Cesar Chavez Advises Abner Mares on Taking His First Loss.*

Original video can be found here:

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/videohub/video/clipDeportes?id=deportes:1891455&cc=3888

Enjoy.
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JCC: Abner, welcome to the Champion’s Corner. Listen, I’m going to tell you a story. When I lost for the first time, the headlines read, “The Berlin Wall Has Fallen”, The Twin Towers Have Fallen, May Julio Cesar Chavez Not Fall”, (laughs) so, it’s no big deal. But, quickly, in that fight, I felt that I hadn’t prepared like I should have, and I lost for the first time. But I came back with a lot more eagerness, and I think you have the capacity, the abilities, to fight Jhonny Gonzales again and regain your championship.

Mares: Thank you very much. That’s how it’s going to be. It’s a bit sad, because it’s my first time, as you said, it’s my first time feeling this, living it. I see the people who are still there for me. But my question Julio is, what do you recommend I do?

JCC: What do I recommend?!

Mares: “Don’t drop your hand!”(They laugh)

JCC: I told you not to drop your right hand! I told you when we were right here! So you dropped your right hand-

Mares: A mistake.

JCC: These mistakes happen, but I think, as I said, that you have all the capability, you’re young; sincerely. Jhonny Gonzales beat you; personally, I don’t think he’s the best fighter you’ve fought. It was simply the kind of punch that happens in boxing, like when Frankie Randall dropped me for the first time. I got up a bit dizzy. I feel you got up too fast. You should have waited a bit, you probably would have recovered better, and things would have changed. But well, it happened. I think you have all the capacity to recover your championship.

Mares: For that reason, we’re looking for the rematch. Lots of people are telling me, “No Abner, take an easier fight”-

JCC: No, no…

Mares-But I want it right away. You recommend the same, right?

JCC: Yes, I sincerely recommend that you make the fight directly.

Mares: I didn’t come out battered or anything, it was purely that punch. But it’s nothing, I’m ready, I’m going to learn from this.

JCC: Yes, I think so too. And when I lost the fight with Frankie Randall, I asked for an immediate rematch, and they gave it to me, and I recovered my championship. So I think you are also going to ask for a direct rematch and recapture your championship.

Mares: That’s right. Thank you so much for your advice.

JCC: No problem champion.

 

I was happy for him. You can't take anything for granted in this sport.