This Friday night at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada, former amateur standout Brandon Gonzales looks to continue his ascension up the ranks as he squares off against Victor Villereal (8-4-2, 4 KOs) of Longmont, Colorado in a six-round middleweight bout. Gonzales (8-0, 7 KOs) will be making his debut under the promotional banner of Let’s Get It On Promotions as part of a dual boxing and mixed martial arts card. Gonzales recently took time out to discuss his upcoming fight with 15rounds.com.
How has training camp been for you upcoming fight this Friday?
Training has been great. It has been about five weeks now, with hard training and good sparring. I got in a little work with [Mikkel] Kessler. I got in a little work with Andre [Ward]. Everything has been going great.
How was that experience to be working with both Ward and Kessler for their fight last month?
Anytime you can get world class experience, it is always a benefit. I have learned a lot from Andre. I have been sparring him a little over a year now. With Kessler, it was good international experience against the European style. So I was getting two completely different looks, but at the same time, both at the world class level.
Ward’s victory over Kessler, especially in the emphatic fashion in which he won, was considered an upset by most ringside observers. Did you have any premonition while you were sparring with them, that the fight might turn out the way it did?
I had a strong feeling that Andre was going to perform the way he did, just based off styles. With Kessler, I didn’t think he could adapt to that style very well. I experienced that in my sparring with him and I kind of knew it was going to benefit Andre going in. I think he will make some corrections should he have to fight Ward [again,] Dirrell or maybe even Taylor. I think their styles could give him problems if he does not adapt.
What do you know about your opponent on Friday, Victor Villereal?
I haven’t really heard too much about him. He is a tough guy from what I hear, never been stopped. He is a tough customer, so I am going to make it a priority to try and get him out of there.
You have been out of action since May, are you anxious to get back into the ring?
Yeah, it has been getting to me for a while. We only got one round in May. The whole year, I am lucky if I got nine rounds in. I am definitely anxious to get back in there and see my progression since then. So I am definitely excited.
Is it hard to maintain your focus with such a long layoff? As a fighter, you obviously do not want to get too far from your fighting weight, but is it hard to maintain that discipline without having a fight on the table for such a long period of time?
Honestly, I just try to pick out different things to keep me going. Sometimes some stuff will wear off. But, I always use my family as a big motivation to keep moving forward. The opportunity is out there, especially in the middleweight division, I think the division is wide open. These things keep me motivated. I have seen other guys be successful, guys that I came up in the amateurs with. You just have to pick different things to keep yourself motivated. I just have to stay motivated and stay focused.
You recently signed with Let’s Get It On Promotions. I know early in your career, it was hard at times to get fights or find willing opponents, most likely due to your reputation as a top amateur and budding prospect. Is it a relief to now have a promoter looking out for your interest?
It is a big relief. It is a lot of weight off of my shoulders, in terms of wondering where my next meal is coming from. You are not worried about that next date. It takes a lot of negotiating, a lot out of my way. I had brought my uncle in to negotiate with these guys. Now it is smooth sailing so I can focus on being the best fighter that I can. Definitely a lot of stress has been taken out of the way, so I can concentrate on fighting now.
In prior interviews we have had, you mentioned how important it was to you to be associated with your hometown of Sacramento, to bring boxing back in the city and hopefully become another one of the star fighters in the city’s rich boxing tradition. Did you express to your promoters when you signed that you want to fight in Sacramento when possible?
When we sat down with Tommy and Terry [Lane,] I had a direction I saw my career going in and they had a direction for not only their company, but for my career as well. I think the reason why it was so easy to make everything happen was because we were all on the same page before even discussing it with each other. That is why is was so easy to get on board with Let’s Get It On, due to the fact that they had a similar direction as far as where I wanted to be. Not only to be a big draw in Sacramento, but on the national and international scale as well. Starting out with the support we established in the amateurs in Sacramento. It has been tremendous the support we are getting from Sacramento [for this event,] despite the snow, we have a big turnout coming from Sacramento. Reno and Sacramento are neighbors, so it worked out perfect.
The card on Friday features both boxing and mixed martial arts. Yourself, and the locally-based Derek Hinkey co-headline the boxing portion, and Ashe Bowman heads up the MMA side. What do you think these types of events can do to help the sport of boxing?
It is a great opportunity to bring new fans to the sport. Since you are bringing in fans who are not necessarily there to see the boxing, and vice versa for the MMA, it gives them a chance to experience both sides. It provides the possibility of getting some fans to cross over. It is a good mix of a crowd. Terry and Tommy think out of the box, and that is another benefit of being with Let’s Get It On.
What can your fans expect to see on Friday at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino?
World class boxing. This is what I spend day in and day out in the gym for, looking to get better at world class boxing. A lot of excitement. I plan on putting on a big show to not only make my mark here in Reno, but to give the fans that are coming out from Sacramento something to look forward to coming back to.
Friday’s event marks the debut of Reno Xtreme Fights, a new regular fight series featuring both boxing and mixed martial arts at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. In the boxing co-main event, Reno’s Derek Hinkey (8-1, 7 KOs) will take on Paul Mendez (2-1, 2 KOs) of Bakersfield, California in a six-round middleweight bout. In the MMA main event, Reno’s Ashe Bowman (9-6, 2 KOs, 6 Submissions) meets Kito Andrews (5-2, 2 Submissions) of Sacramento in a three-round middleweight fight. Four other bouts round out the card. Tickets for the event, promoted by Let’s Get It On Promotions, are available online at GrandSierraResort.com.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.