11.06.08 – by James Slater: Unbeaten light-heavyweight puncher Tavoris Cloud takes the potentially toughest fight of his career this August. Taking on the teak-tough Mexican Julio Cesar Gonzalez on the 8th in Chicago in a fight that will be televised on ESPN, the 18-0(17) Cloud will be moving into the big time should he win..
With August’s victor reportedly in line for a shot at IBF 175 pound champ Antonio Tarver, the stakes could not be higher. In the 31-year-old Gonzalez (Julio will have turned 32 come fight time), the 26-year-old Cloud will be facing a very tough man whose world class has been proven many times. A former WBO light-heavyweight champion, Gonzalez has wins over Dariusz Michalczewski, Glen Johnson, Julian Letterlough (in a wild affair where both men hit the mat more than once) and Montell Griffin to his name.
Gonzalez is quite long in the tooth now, however, and after having engaged in a number of very hard fights, the question is, is he ready to be taken by the big-punching Cloud? Now 41-5(25) the Mexican who lives in California has lost his last two fights, but will still easily be the best opponent the 26-year-old prospect from Florida will have faced. Gonzalez gives everyone a tough night’s work, win or lose. But in his last but one fight, against Britain’s Clinton Woods, the Mexican warrior looked more than a little worn at times. Could he be ready to be stopped for the first time in his career?
Cloud, though he will be stepping up in class considerably, has beaten some decent fighters already. Jose Luis Herrera, recent conqueror of “Awesome” Aaron Williams, was taken care of in August of last year (TKO 5) and before that Cloud stopped all but one of his fifteen opponents. The 26-year-old can bang, of that there is no doubt. However, one look at Cloud’s resume lets you know he has yet to have a fight that could in any way be called a long affair. Still to go beyond the 5th round, there may be questions about the unbeaten puncher’s stamina. Also, by the time he gets in there with Gonzalez, Cloud will have had only one fight in eight months. It is possible, then, that should Gonzalez take him into the late rounds Cloud could find himself experiencing something totally new to him – and he may not like it.
If anyone is capable of testing any young light-heavyweight, be that fighter a big puncher or not, it is the fearless Gonzalez. Cloud had better be prepared for a fight that could very easily become a gruelling encounter. Look for Gonzalez to keep his record of never having been stopped intact, while losing yet another points decision.