Matchroom signs unbeaten two-time Olympian Gongora

Gongora knocked out the highly touted Ali Akhmedov on DAZN last month

A month to the day after securing the biggest win of his professional career, undefeated super middleweight and two-time Ecuadorian Olympian Carlos Gongora has joined forces with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing.

Gongora (19-0, 14 KO), a two-time Pan-American bronze medalist, fell to Vijender Singh in the 2008 Athens semifinals and to future two-time Olympic silver medalist Adilbek Niyazymbetov in the 2012 London second round. From 2015 to 2020, he spent his pro career in a holding pattern, but answered the call to face Gennadiy Golovkin acolyte Ali Akhmedov last December.

Despite being a considerable underdog, Gongora took over in the latter half en route to a dramatic 12th-round, come-from-behind knockout. The victory earned him both the IBO super middleweight belt and a spot in the WBC’s rankings, and we could very easily see the 31-year-old in a major fight sometime in 2021.

“I want to thank Eddie Hearn and Matchroom for allowing me to shine,” said Gongora. “I want to thank my manager Mike Criscio for believing in me and pushing to get me in the best position possible. I proved to the world I have what it takes to be a champion with only two weeks of training.

“I will not stop until I have all the belts. I want to fight the best and only the best. I want to support my family and give them a great life, one they never had before. One that I want to give them. I fight for my family and my country.”

“I am delighted to add Carlos to the Matchroom team,” said Hearn. “His win over Akhmedov in an all-action fight was one of the most dramatic I’ve seen, and I believe the division stood up and took notice of Carlos’ name that night. His team says that Carlos will take on anyone, and I believe that we can make some huge fights for Carlos to chase his dream of holding all the belts.”