Puerto Rico is home to Hall of Fame legends and all-time greats. On this island with a small population, they produced many great champions in the past, like Wilfredo Gomez, Wilfred Benitez, Tito Trinidad, and many more. Today, they can shamelessly boast the likes of Miguel Cotto and Juanma Lopez. With prospects and countless amateur boxers, it is safe to say that Puerto Rico will produce more world champions in the future, and Orlando Gonzalez Jr. may be one of them.
The 16-year-old southpaw, hailing from Aguadilla City, Puerto Rico, had his first amateur fight when he was 5 and now holds a record of 106-8. It did not take long for his parents to realize that Orlando was destined to set foot in the ring. "My father was a boxer. My parents told me that when I was a baby, my dad would come home from the gym, I would open his training bag, take out his gloves, and then put them on," said Orlando.
Orlando trains in a gym being run by his parents named the Atlantic Boxing Club. Unlike the usual boxing gyms, the facility is free of charge. His retired father, who used to work at the University of Puerto Rico, is now at the gym training kids for free, noting that they do it to keep the kids off the street and stop them from wasting their lives with drugs and such. "They are the best parents; they are community leaders and motivators for the youth. Many people look up to them and love them," says the proud Orlando.
Standing 5'7", Orlando fights in the 106-pound division and considers himself to be a technical boxer. He looks up to the likes of Ivan Calderon, Hector Camacho, Wilfred Benitez, Ricardo Lopez, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Erik Morales for their technical abilities.
Competing at a young age, even Orlando could not escape being fed with the bitter taste of the sport, having been cheated on the scales and being robbed in National Tournaments. Orlando won his first 35 amateur fights before suffering his first legitimate defeat. "I lost against a much older boxer. He has a twin from Utuado city. I felt so sad because I lost to both of them 4 times in a row. From there on, my dad decided to give me a little time off, so I rested and prepared for more technical boxing," said Orlando. Filled with courage and acting like a true champion, Orlando came back to beat the twins three times each, making them dislike the idea of fighting him again.
As of this day, Orlando has won a total of 15 tournaments (9-time champion in Punta Borinquen Region, West Region, Sixto Escobar, 2010 Platinum Gloves, Puerto Rico Jr. National sub champion, PR School league sub champion and tournament International La Amistad in La Romana Dominican Republic)
"I see boxing as an independent sport. It's one against one and if you make a mistake, you have to correct it. You won't have an excuse to blame others," said Orlando when asked why he chose boxing. "When I do my job in the ring, I am the one that gets the credit. I don't see boxing like a violent sport. I see it like an art, to hit and don't get hit. Inside the ropes, I have to demonstrate that I'm the best and I have the ability inside the four corners," continued Orlando.
Orlando is looking to be part of the Olympic boxing amateur team and eyes to turn pro at the age of 18 or 19. Given the opportunity, Orlando said he would like to sign with Golden Boy Promotions.
When not boxing, Orlando spends his time studying to get better grades. One of his many goals is to be a pediatrician some day.
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