LOS ANGELES, CA (August 5, 2008) Former world champion Julio Gonzalez has wrapped up training in Los Angeles and is headed to Chicago to battle unbeaten prospect Tavoris Cloud this Friday night, August 8th, in their IBF Lightweight Title Eliminator in the main event at HARD EIGHT at The Aragon Ballroom.
HARD EIGHT is presented by Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, along with Chicago-based A-TEAM Management. Advance tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com or 312-559-1212). Doors for this event will open at 6:30pm with the first bell at 7:15pm.
Said Gonzalez, “Experience will play a big factor in the outcome of this fight. I’m in great shape, and know this is it and will let it all go in the ring this Friday night. I want the belt around my waist again and I will do whatever it takes to win.
I know it’s going to be a hard fight. That’s why I’m preparing myself to the fullest. Considering that it is an IBF elimination bout, I don’t want to take a risk and lose to Cloud because I wasn’t doing my job in the gym..”
A native of Guerrero Negro, Mexico, now residing in Huntington Beach, California, the 31 year old Gonzalez sports a record of 41-5 with 25 knockouts. He is coming off a very close split decision loss to former world champion Reggie Johnson on February 23, 2008 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Along with battles with Johnson and Michalczewski, he has also fought world champions Roy Jones Jr., Clinton Woods (twice), Montell Griffin, and Zsolt Erdei.
The 26 year old Cloud of Tallahassee, Florida, brings an unbeaten record of 18-0 with seventeen knockouts into the battle with Gonzalez. Most recently he destroyed Mike Wood in the first round on March 28, 2008 in front of a packed Aragon Ballroom. In his most explosive outing which took place on August 24, 2007, Cloud, cut badly from a head butt in the fourth round, devastatingly knocked out Jose Luis Herrera in the fifth round at Chicago’s Congress Theater.
The co-main event pits Chicago’s “KING” Carlos Molina, 11-4-1 (4KO’s) against Denver’s Donald Camarena, 19-4 (9KO’s) in an eight round welterweight bout.
The open to the public weigh in for HARD EIGHT will take place on Thursday, August 7th at 5pm at Beer and Brandy Restaurant, 127 S. State St. in Downtown Chicago.
8 Count Productions was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finest Chicagoland boxers of all talent levels.
To view the seating chart and poster for this event or for more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visit www.8countproductions.com and www.jabbboxing.com