Gonzalez victory sets up fight vs. Mayweather

Dean Juipe

Monday, Oct. 9, 2000 | 9:59 a.m.

School was in session Sunday and Alejandro Gonzalez assumed the role of teacher.

Appearing steadfastly determined to keep a February date with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Gonzalez defeated a very fine young fighter, Omar Bernal, in the main event of a Top Rank boxing card at the Plaza.

Once the World Boxing Council champion as a featherweight, Gonzalez has been fighting at 135 pounds for the past two years and that's the weight he'll take into the ring when he tangles with the undefeated and highly regarded Mayweather early next year.

Mayweather has an interim fight, Oct. 21 in Detroit, with something of a pushover for a man of his skills, Emanuel Burton.

"It's going to be a great fight," Gonzalez said of his fight with Mayweather, which appears to be set in stone despite the latter's unpredictable nature. "I hope he comes to fight and not run."

Gonzalez got plenty of fight and a little chasing in his bout with Bernal. While the match went its fully scheduled 10 rounds and was competitive until Bernal found the tank empty in the ninth, Gonzalez dominated with deliberate, hard-landing blows.

He won by unanimous decision, with each of the three assigned judges scoring it 97-90 in his favor.

"I was very prepared and knew he was an undefeated fighter," Gonzalez said through a translator. "He's a good fighter, very strong. He's not as fast as Maywether but he's a similar fighter."

Bernal, 23, dipped to 18-1-2 despite a game effort that likely would have sufficed against the majority of his division mates.

Gonzalez, 27 but with 12 years of experience on his side, is 44-4.

Mayweather, 23, is 23-0.

Bernal was down twice in the fight, with a stiff left hand followed by a quick right doing the job in the second round and a right taking its toll in the ninth. He was not quite the same thereafter.

While the fight was cleanly contested, each man landed the occasional low blow and referee Kenny Bayless deducted a point from Gonzalez later in the ninth. There were also periodic and unintentional head butts, although neither man was seriously hurt and no blood was spilled.

In the semi-main event, promising lightweight Julio Diaz improved to 18-0 when the cornermen of his opponent, Gerardo Mijares, threw in the towel in the third round of an increasingly one-sided match.