Gonzalez takes Asiku’s IBO crown with TKO

Jackson Asiku can forget about plans to line up a fight against Yuriorkis Gamboa or Juan Manuel Lopez after the terrible beating Jhonny Gonzalez gave him Wednesday at the Las Vegas Hilton.

The hard-hitting veteran from Mexico took Asiku's IBO featherweight belt with a sixth-round technical knockout.

"I believe this win will open a lot of doors for me," Gonzalez said through an interpreter. "I want to fight the best and fight in the big-money fights."

Gonzalez (46-7, 40 knockouts) used an effective left hook to dominate Asiku.

He floored him with the left 1:40 into the fourth round and again one minute into the fifth. Gonzalez landed another hook in the sixth and followed with a flurry of punches that left Asiku defenseless and forced Kenny Bayless to stop the fight at the 1:09 mark.

"I knew I was the stronger fighter and the harder puncher," Gonzalez said. "(Asiku) may not be as hard a puncher as I am, but he landed some good shots."

Asiku (26-4) left several red welts on Gonzalez's face but suffered far more damage and barely survived the fifth round.

"I was surprised he got up in the fifth round. I hit him with some big punches," Gonzalez said. "But he fought like a true champion and I have a lot of respect for him."

Gonzalez, the former WBO bantamweight champion, hopes to fight Gamboa, Lopez or Chris John in 2011.

"I'll fight anybody who wants to take me on," Gonzalez said. "I'm not ducking anyone."

In the co-feature, Miguel Roman stopped Tyrone Harris in the fifth round of their 12-round eliminator bout for the IBO super featherweight title.

Roman (31-7) dropped Harris (24-7) with a right hook to the body, and referee Jay Nady counted him out 2:03 into the fifth.

Roman dominated the first four rounds but had been warned by Nady for leading with his head and punching Harris in the groin in the fourth round.

But his KO punch was legal and devastating as Harris went down in a heap.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.