Today in Boxing History: Gonzalez decisions Carbajal in rematch

On this day in 1994, Humberto Gonzalez won the WBC and IBF Light Flyweight titles with a 12-round split decision over Michael Carbajal in Inglewood, California. It was the second of three meetings between these two hall-of-famers.

The two had first met in 1993 in a title unification bout. Carbajal was 27-0 and the IBF Light Flyweight champion. He had won the belt in 1990 with a seventh-round stoppage of Muangchai Kittikasem. Gonzalez was a two-time WBC titleholder and had most recently won the belt with a decision over Melchor Cob Castro in 1991.

Carbajal’s and Gonzalez’s first bout was a highly anticipated affair. It was one of the most financially lucrative junior flyweight bouts in history and the first to be featured as a pay-per-view main event. The fight lived up to the hype, as Gonzalez sent Carbajal to the canvas twice. However, Carbajal turned the tide and stopped Gonzalez in the seventh round.

A rematch was inevitable. When the two met again in February of 1994, Gonzalez avoided going for the knockout and concentrated on winning rounds, which he did effectively. The final scorecards read 116-114 for Carbajal, and 117-112 and 115-113 in favor of Gonzalez.

The two met for a rubber match nine months later in Mexico City, and Gonzalez won a bloody majority decision.