Humberto Gonzalez vs Jung Keun Lim

Humberto “Chiquita” González retained the World Boxing Council light-flyweight championship by stopping Jung Keun Lim of South Korea after 34 seconds of the fifth round at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, on July 23, 1990. Lim had been knocked down near the end of the fourth and was caught by another succession of heavy punches immediately after the fifth began, prompting referee Rudy Ortega to intervene. The Korean protested little, although some among the crowd of 7,187 whistled at the timing of the stoppage. By then, however, he had absorbed a severe beating and appeared unlikely to reverse the course of the contest.

González weighed 107¼ lb and Lim 107½ lb. The 24-year-old Mexican was making the fourth defence of the championship he had won from Yul-Woo Lee in South Korea thirteen months earlier. He had subsequently defeated the experienced former champion Jung-Koo Chang and stopped Francisco Tejedor and Luis Monzote. Lim, aged 25 and fighting out of Busan, held a record of 12 victories and four defeats. Although his record was modest for a mandatory challenger, he was ranked first by the WBC and had relinquished the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation championship to accept the contest. González received $75,000 and Lim $10,000. The attendance represented an increase of more than 1,500 upon González’s previous Forum appearance against Monzote seven weeks earlier, evidence that the small Mexican champion was beginning to establish a following in Southern California.

González began with his customary forward movement, but his approach was more considered than reckless. He led from the orthodox stance, stalking Lim and looking to bring his hooks into range against the taller challenger. Lim fought defensively through much of the early action, attempting to keep González outside with straight punches and movement. Late in the second round, the champion changed stance, leading with his right hand and placing himself in position to deliver the straight left. The alteration caused Lim difficulty because González could switch without losing either balance or punching force.

By the third round González had concluded that Lim’s punches did not carry sufficient power to discourage him. His caution diminished, and his attacks became more sustained. He drove the Korean backwards with left hooks and straight rights in the centre ring, then struck heavily to the ribs when Lim reached the ropes. The champion’s compact build allowed him to punch with unusual force for the division, and he worked at a pace which gave Lim little opportunity to organise a reply. Left uppercuts repeatedly lifted the challenger’s head, and five unanswered punches sent him across the ring shortly before the bell. Lim remained upright, but the difference in strength and authority had become plain.

Lim made his best effort in the fourth. He came out quickly, landed a left to the jaw and drove González towards the ropes. For much of the round the Korean threw steadily while the champion defended along the perimeter. Lim’s work was energetic, but many of the punches lacked the weight required to keep González under restraint. The Mexican waited rather than attempting to force his way out immediately, blocking and taking the attack before looking for an opening. In the last ten seconds, he suddenly came away from the ropes and landed a straight left which dropped Lim. Another contemporary account described the knockdown as the result of a four-punch combination, but both agreed that the decisive left hand arrived late in the round. Lim rose and was saved from further action by the bell.

González did not allow the interval to interrupt his advantage. He advanced as soon as the fifth began and struck Lim with a rapid series of punches from both hands. A heavy right turned the challenger around, after which the champion continued punching without reply. Ortega stepped between them at 34 seconds. The crowd’s brief disapproval appeared to concern the abrupt manner of the intervention rather than any belief that Lim had been winning. He had shown courage and durability, but he was no longer defending himself adequately and had already taken repeated clean blows to the head and body.

The victory was recorded as González’s fourth successful defence of the WBC championship. Contemporary reports listed him as unbeaten in 28 professional contests, although later career records place the Lim bout as his 29th victory. The difference does not alter the substance of the performance. González had overwhelmed the governing body’s leading contender by switching stance, increasing the pressure as the rounds progressed and exploiting the challenger’s lack of punching power. Lim’s fourth-round rally briefly forced the champion into defence, but it ended with the Korean on the canvas and merely delayed the conclusion.

González’s promoter, Rafael Mendoza, was already considering further appearances in Cancún and Sacramento. The Forum also wanted the champion back, having seen his drawing power rise sharply between the Monzote and Lim contests. The attraction was easily understood. González stood only 5ft 1in, but his broad shoulders, short punches and willingness to attack made him more forceful than many heavier fighters appearing at the building. Against Lim, he required fewer than thirteen completed minutes to turn a cautious opening into a decisive championship defence.