Humberto González facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Humberto González |
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Humberto González (left) with Pakistan boxing official Nauman Shah
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | Chiquita |
| Rated at | Light flyweight |
| Height | 5 ft 1 in |
| Reach | 65 in |
| Born | March 25, 1966 Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 46 |
| Wins | 43 |
| Wins by KO | 30 |
| Losses | 3 |
Humberto González (born March 25, 1966) is a famous Mexican former professional boxing champion. He was known as Chiquita, which means "little one" in Spanish. He held the WBC, IBF, and Lineal Jr. Flyweight titles multiple times during his career.
Contents
Humberto "Chiquita" González's Boxing Journey
Starting His Boxing Career
Humberto González began his professional boxing journey on September 1, 1984. His first fight was in Mexico City, where he won by decision after four rounds. Just a few months later, he got his first knockout win. He beat Narciso Perez in the first round.
By the end of 1987, González had an amazing record of 20 wins and no losses. He had also won the Mexico light-flyweight title. In 1988, he continued his winning streak, winning all four of his fights by knockout. He successfully defended his national title twice that year.
Becoming a World Champion
On June 25, 1989, González had a very important fight. It was his first time fighting outside of Mexico, in Chonju, South Korea. This fight was also his first chance to win a world title. He was fighting for the WBC world Jr. Flyweight championship. González won the fight against world champion Yul-Woo Lee after 12 rounds, becoming a world champion!
Later that year, on December 9, he fought in South Korea again. He defended his world championship against Jung-Koo Chang, who was a former champion and later became a Hall of Famer. González won by decision after 12 rounds. Chang had defended the same title 15 times before, which was a record for that weight class.
Losing and Winning Back the Title
In 1990, González defended his world title four more times. He even beat future champion Francisco Tejedor. However, on December 19, he faced a surprising defeat. He lost to Rolando Pascua, a boxer not many experts knew about, in Inglewood. Pascua knocked González out in the sixth round, and González lost his world title.
But González didn't give up! After winning another fight in 1991, he got a chance to win his world title back. He fought Melchor Cob Castro, who had taken the championship from Pascua. They met on June 3 in Las Vegas, and González won by decision after 12 rounds, becoming a world champion again.
In 1992, he defended his title four more times. He beat Castro in a rematch, an Olympic gold medalist named Kim Kwang-sun, Domingo Sosa, and former world champion Napa Kiatwanchai.
The Big Rivalry with Michael Carbajal
Around this time, everyone was talking about a "superfight" between González and IBF world champion Michael Carbajal. Their first fight happened on March 13, 1993. It was a huge event! It was the first time in Jr. Flyweight boxing history that both fighters were guaranteed one million dollars. It was also the first Jr. Flyweight fight to be the main event on a Pay Per View boxing show. Many Hollywood stars and thousands of fans watched the fight. González knocked Carbajal down in the second and fifth rounds. But Carbajal fought back and knocked González out in the seventh round. González lost his world title again.
After that, González won two more fights by decision. Then, Carbajal and González had a rematch on February 19, 1994, in Inglewood. This time, González won by decision after 12 rounds, becoming a three-time world Jr. Flyweight champion! This was a special achievement, putting him in a group with other boxing legends like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.
González won two more fights, including a title defense. Then, on November 12 of the same year, he and Carbajal had their third and final fight, called a "rubber match," in Mexico City. González won again by points after 12 rounds.
Final Fight and Retirement
After defending his title once more in 1995, Humberto González had his last fight on July 15 of that year. He knocked his opponent, Saman Sorjaturong, down a couple of times. But in the seventh round, Sorjaturong knocked González out, and González lost his world title.
Right after this fight, Humberto González announced his retirement from boxing. He wanted to follow another dream: to become a successful businessman in Mexico City. He finished his professional boxing career with 43 wins and only 3 losses, with 30 of his wins coming by knockout.
Life After the Ring
Humberto González has stayed retired from boxing since his last fight. He has successfully opened three meat markets in Mexico. He even works as a part-time butcher in his shops, showing that he achieved his dream of business success.
Fun Facts About "Chiquita"
- Humberto González's first fight with Michael Carbajal (in 1993) and his last fight with Saman Sorjaturong (in 1995) were both chosen as the "Fight of the Year" by The Ring magazine.
- The Ring magazine also included both Carbajal and González on their list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time.
- Humberto González and his former rival Michael Carbajal were both chosen to be part of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006. This is a very high honor for boxers.
- Many people admired Humberto during his boxing career. One of them was a female boxer named Delia Gonzalez, who was nicknamed Chikita after Humberto.
See also
- Lineal championship
- List of Mexican boxing world champions
- List of world light-flyweight boxing champions
