Brandon Figueroa vs Joet Gonzalez Predictions: Featherweight war can steal Manny’s show

Two-weight world champion Brandon Figueroa bounces back this Saturday, July 19 when he takes on long-time contender Joet Gonzalez. The featherweight showdown takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao emerging from mummification to fight Mario Barrios. Prime Video PPV will screen the event live.

Here are my Brandon Figueroa vs Joet Gonzalez predictions ahead of this intriguing battle of storied feathers.

Brandon Figueroa vs. Joet Gonzalez Odds

Figueroa opens at 4/9 for this featherweight firefight. Gonzalez is a tough and game campaigner who has had his fair share of underdog outings. He comes in at 15/8. The draw is 14/1.

Brandon Figueroa vs. Joet Gonzalez Fight Preview

This is a satisfying piece of matchmaking. Figueroa has done it all while Gonzalez is the quintessential nearly man. Aged 28 and 31 respectively, the victory will be a huge platform for the man who claims it. Given their omnipresence near the top of the super bantamweight and featherweight divisions, it is actually surprising they have never met before.

Figueroa is searching for the all-important redemption. For the second time in his career, Stephen Fulton dethroned him as a world champion. In 2021, ‘Cool Boy Steph’ snatched his WBC and WBO super bantamweight straps on a majority decision. Then in February of this year, history repeated itself as Fulton went home with the WBC featherweight strap on a unanimous nod. 

Perversely, both of Fulton’s wins kiboshed Figueroa getting a crack at the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Naoya Inoue ruled the 122lb roost back in 2021, with Fulton going on to lose Figueroa’s old belts to ‘The Monster’. Now, Inoue is the undisputed super bantamweight king and has mentioned a possible featherweight move. But without a belt of some form, it is unlikely Figueroa would get the ‘Kaibutsu’ call-up.

Gonzalez might sniff at me framing Figueroa’s struggles as particularly unfortunate. After all, the Texan is still a two-weight world king who has held three major world belts. Whereas Gonzalez has fought three men for versions of the global championship and has lost on points every time. 

Those losses were generally hard-fought. Shakur Stevenson made him look silly in their 2016 WBO title tussle, which had the irresistible sub-plot of the fact Gonzalez’s sister was dating his opponent. Move over, WWE.

But Gonzalez had far more success against Emanuel Navarrete and Luis Alberto Lopez, with a late push against the latter bringing him the closest he has come to strapping a title around his waist. Gonzalez has fought the best opposition there is. Two of the three men to beat him are world champions as we speak while Lopez remains in The Ring and IBF top-fives.

Gonzalez bounced back from the Lopez defeat with a split win over the excellent Arnold Khegai. Following up that fine victory with a triumph over Figueroa would put the 31-year-old back at the front of the queue. It is hard to argue for a fighter receiving a fourth world title shot after losing in his three previous attempts. But writing this from England, the nation that brought you Frank Bruno’s heroic failures against Messrs Witherspoon, Tyson and Lewis before he annexed the WBC belt from McCall, I am willing to let it slide.

A good fight this one. While I do not expect anything to take airspace from the hand-wringing that follows Pacquiao’s inevitable failure to turn back the years, I am expecting a thriller between these two top featherweights.

Brandon Figueroa vs. Joet Gonzalez Full Card

Mario Barrios vs. Manny Pacquiao 

Sebastian Fundora vs. Tim Tszyu II

Isaac Cruz vs. Angel Fierro 

Brandon Figueroa vs. Joet Gonzalez

Gary Russell Jr. vs. Hugo Castaneda

Alan Romero vs. Kyonosuke Kameda

Mark Magsayo vs. Jorge Mata Cuellar

Abel Ramos vs. Jose Luis Sanchez

Omar Salcido Gamez vs. Brian Gallegos

Eumir Felix Marcial vs. Bernard Joseph

Jursly Vargas vs. Sergio Aldana

Joseph Brown vs. Aaron Watson

Brandon Figueroa vs. Joet Gonzalez Prediction

There is a fascinating dichotomy at play here. Figueroa is the harder puncher, with 19 knockouts from 25 victories. But Gonzalez has never been stopped before. He cannot match Figueroa’s best punches, with 15 knockouts in his 27 outings, but he sure can take them.

That will not win you a fight, as many pointed out when Navarrete teed off on him at will in their world title bout. But it will help you survive one at least. I feel like that will be the order of the day here. 

Gonzalez will go into the ring to win, of course. I expect nothing less. But Figueroa has been an elite level competitor for a long time now. Unlike Gonzalez, he is accustomed to not just impressing but winning when the lights are on bright.

I think Figueroa wins and looks good doing it. But he will be in the ring for the entire distance. Gonzalez is going nowhere. Figueroa on points is the sensible choice at 19/20.

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