On Saturday, June 15th, Angel “Set It Off” Gonzalez (13-0, 7 KOs) faces Josue “Zurdo” Morales (28-13-4, 10 KOs) in a ten-round flyweight contest. The fight serves as the co-feature for CES Boxing’s “Championship Jackpot 2024” at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut and televised live on Swerve Combat TV. The event includes eleven pro bouts, preceded by “Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Invitational,” an amateur showcase featuring the best young boxers in the nation. “Training is going well, said Gonzalez just a few days before the bout. “My weight is on point, I’m focused, and I’m ready to win my first pro title.”
For the 30 year-old Gonzalez, this fight presents both his toughest test to date and what he hopes will be the beginning of a title run in the flyweight division. “This fight means everything to me,” says Gonzalez. “It gets me to the next level, where I can fight world ranked guys. This is what I worked hard for over the years. I’ve been boxing for 14 years. 10 years as an amateur and 4 years as a pro. It all leads up to this big moment where I fight for my first title.”
While Gonzalez first began training in boxing at 8 years old, he didn’t have his first amateur fight until he was 14, mainly because basketball was his passion while boxing was an activity. A few years later, his focus changed, and the Sweet Science became something he saw a future in. “I figured my Dad [Angel Sr.] was a pro fighter, so why not try boxing seriously,” says Gonzalez, whose father fought in the 90s against the likes of Junior “Poison” Jones (twice), Kevin Kelley, Frankie Toledo and Edwin Santana (4x). “My Dad took me to the gym and showed me the right way to do things. Three months later, I had my first amateur fight, won, and decided that this is what I wanted to do.”
Under his father’s tutelage, Gonzalez compiled a 50-6 amateur record while competing in 3 National Golden Gloves tournaments and winning 4 Western New England Golden Gloves titles. After moving to Florida in 2017, Angel decided to turn pro in December 2020, racking up 13 consecutive victories while fighting in Colombia, Mexico, Florida, and all-over New England.
“It’s great to fight in all of these places, but it’s very important for me to fight at home,” says Gonzalez, who is fighting at Mohegan Sun Arena for the second consecutive time this year. “As a Hartford kid, I’m showing the youth that if you put your mind into something and stay the course, you can make something great out of your life. Yes, I was born in a rough neighborhood, but I stayed focused and I’m here now, undefeated and fighting for a title.”
After boxing only once in 2023, Gonzalez’s braintrust dramatically stepped up his level of opposition in 2024. In February, Angel won an eight-round unanimous decision over the once beaten Christian Robles at Mohegan Sun Arena. While on paper the matchup looked like a 50/50 fight, Gonzalez took over the bout in the mid rounds to win a dominant unanimous decision.
“I knew he trained at the Wild Card, but he didn’t have as much of an amateur background as me,” says Gonzalez of Robles, who was 8-1 with 3 knockouts when they met. “I went into that fight very focused. I knew I was going to overwhelm him. I get stronger as the fight progresses, and while I was getting stronger through the rounds, he was deflating, so I broke him down and came out victorious.”
The win convinced CES Boxing founder Jimmy Burchfield Sr. that ‘Set it Off’ was ready. “Angel is a tremendous young fighter,” said Burchfield Sr. “I’ve seen him develop over the years and I believe that he has the talent, skills, and most importantly, the discipline to... compete for a major world title over the next few years.”
In Angel’s way on Saturday stands Josue Morales, an experienced southpaw whose record is quite deceiving. While ‘Zurdo’ has 13 losses on his ledger, the Texan is 17-1 in his last 18 bouts, with 9 of those wins coming by knockout.
“He’s definitely a boxer,” says Gonzalez of the 31-year-old Morales. “He paces himself and doesn’t waste punches. His losses are to guys who put constant pressure on him to slow him down and overwhelm him. He has 10 knockouts in 45 fights, so I don’t think he’s really a power puncher, but you never know. I’m ready to go 10 rounds with him, but my goal is to stop him because he’s never been stopped before, and I want to make a statement in the 112-pound division.”
With his father by his side, Angel is convinced that this fight is the start of a run that will culminate in one of several world titles.
“My Dad molded me into the man I am today,” said Gonzalez, whose father remains present in his career, flying between Connecticut and Florida to go over strategy and help prepare his son for battle.
With his Dad by his side, there’s no better occasion to show it than on Father’s Day weekend in front of his hometown crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena. Purchase your tickets now at CESFights, Ticketmaster, or the Mohegan Sun box office.
