Figueroa vs Gonzalez Predictions: Puerto Rican fighters square off in home country

Yankiel Rivera Figueroa returns on Saturday, January 3 as he takes on former world champion Jonathan Gonzalez. The bout takes place in both fighters’ home nation of Puerto Rico, at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan. The event will be headlined by Amanda Serrano vs Reina Tellez with DAZN broadcasting live.

Below you can find my Figueroa vs Gonzalez predictions ahead of this flyweight collision.

Figueroa vs Gonzalez Odds

Figueroa is a 2/5 betting favourite as he looks to out-do his countryman. Gonzalez is priced at 23/10 but will fancy himself to defeat a man who has had 25 less pro fights than himself. The draw is marketed at 14/1.

Figueroa vs Gonzalez Fight Preview

The wheels didn’t come off for Figueroa in his last fight, but they did get bashed about a little. ‘Doctorcito’ fought to a majority draw with fellow unbeaten fighter Angelino Cordova for the vacant WBA interim flyweight title. 

Figueroa had his man on the canvas in the bout, with Cordova also losing a point for rabbit punching. One could argue the blows to the back of the head deserved a sterner punishment, as they were a frequent feature of Cordova’s attack. Many felt Figueroa deserved to win, but two of the three scoring judges had them level.

That first blemish on the record of the artful southpaw has done little to stem his momentum. Figueroa now goes in with Jonathan Gonzalez, who was a world champion going into his last fight.

The less said about that outing the better where ‘Bomba’ is concerned. Gonzalez quit in the first round against Anthony Olascuaga after feeling the effects of an accidental clash of heads. It was a bizarre scene and a sad way to lose his WBC flyweight world championship.

It will be interesting to see what Gonzalez has left. He has been out of the ring for over a year and is not getting any younger. The age of 34 is not as ancient as it once was in professional sport, but it is still rare for a flyweight to excel at this stage. 

However, Gonzalez was a fine champion. Two of the men he defeated in title defences, Shokichi Iwata and René Santiago, have become world champions since Gonzalez beat them. The dangerous veteran will take this opportunity to get back amongst the best.

Figueroa is aiming to become part of that bracket himself. An amateur standout, the Pan American Games bronze medalist and the only boxer from Puerto Rico to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Expectations were high when Figueroa turned over and so far he is living up to them.

The Cordova result was a setback but Figueroa emerged from it with some credit. Steeling himself and coming out unbeaten against a fighter trying to frustrate and foul him will have been a learning experience for the 28-year-old. This will be another one. Will Figueroa leave it in the hands of the judges this time?

Figueroa vs Gonzalez Full Card

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Figueroa vs Gonzalez Prediction

This is the right fight at the right time for Figueroa. Gonzalez is far from washed-up but it arguably just leaving his prime. The favourite is likely to be too fresh for him but I reckon the veteran hangs around long enough to ask some questions. I’ll take Figueroa to win at 2/5.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.