Featherweight Joet Gonzalez overcame Arnold Khegai to earn a split decision after 10 hotly contested rounds on Saturday night. Gonzalez (27-4, 15 KOs) overcame a quick start from Khegai and came out on top in an entertaining match that saw both fighters bloodied. The 10-round fight headlined a ProBoxTV card from Long Beach, CA.
Official scores were 97-92 and 96-93 for Gonzalez, 95-94 Kgegai. InTheCorner.net scored it 97-92 for Gonzalez.
Khegai (22-2-1, 14 KOs), ranked #2 by the WBO and #12 by the IBF, got out to a good start with pressure and high volume punching as Gonzalez did not initially take advantage of his edge in reach. In rounds three and four, Gonzalez took control, getting into the right distance and landing power shots while slowing Khegai’s rushes. Khegai started bleeding from the nose in round four.
Round five saw a point deduction from Khegai for holding. In round six, Gonzalez was cut over the right eye and it would bleed the rest of the way.
All the while, the action was was hot with both fighters scoring consistently. Gonzalez had the upper hand, but not by much. Khegai pushed hard down the stretch but came up just short.
Khegai suffered his first pro loss since dropping a decision to Stephen Fulton in his last fight at super bantamweight in 2020. For Gonzalez, he got back in the win column after a decision loss to Luis Alberto Lopez in September. The four losses on Gonzalez’ record are Lopez, Isaac Dogboe, Emanuel Navarette and Shakur Stevenson.
UNDERCARD
Lightweight Luis Torres (21-1, 12 KOs) stopped Nicholas Walters (29-2-1, 22 KOs) after three rounds. Walters’ corner stopped the fight before the start of the fourth.
A 10-round welter weight fight between Jesus Saracho (14-2-2, 11 KOs) and Luis Lopez (16-2-3, 5 KOs) ended in a draw.
