Abraham Perez edges Jonathan Gonzalez for interim WBA flyweight title

Abraham Perez claimed the interim WBA flyweight title Saturday night in Grand Rapids, Michigan, edging Jonathan Gonzalez on a split decision in a Salita Promotions main event.

Two judges favored the undefeated Perez at 115-113, while the third saw it 115-113 for Gonzalez, according to Bad Left Hook. Perez improved to 15-0 with seven knockouts, while the 35-year-old Puerto Rican southpaw fell to 29-5-1.

Perez and Gonzalez both claimed victory

Both fighters insisted they deserved the nod. "I stayed busy and had the better angles on my shots," Perez said after the fight. "I took opportunities when I had them and stayed mobile, tried to stay unpredictable. I still don't feel like that was my best." Gonzalez countered that he landed cleaner punches despite Perez's volume, telling reporters he was disappointed and surprised by the verdict.

Gonzalez had entered the bout with momentum after stopping Yankiel Rivera in January, a rebound from his 2024 loss to Anthony Olascuaga. The veteran remains competitive at flyweight despite questions about how much he has left.

Perez said he's willing to wait for a unification shot against full WBA and WBC titleholder Ricardo Sandoval, who was scheduled to face Galal Yafai this month before Yafai pulled out with an injury. No rescheduled date has been announced for that bout. Sandoval won both belts from Kenshiro Teraji last July and carries a 27-2 record with 18 stoppages.

On the undercard, lightweight Joshua Pagan stayed unbeaten at 16-0 with a lopsided decision over Rodolfo Bustamante, and middleweight Troy Isley stopped Leonardo Di Stefano in the fifth round for his first win since leaving Top Rank.

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• Bad Left Hook — Abraham Perez nicks decision over Jonathan Gonzalez to win interim WBA belt