Croatian featherweight star Arijan Goricki scores two KOs within two weeks
Arijan Goricki (15-4-1, 8KO) stopped Venezuelans Albert Gonzalez and Jean Carlos Vasquez by technical knockout in three rounds, just eight days apart.After a recent bout against a former world champion, Goricki decided to take on the challenge of two professional fights within a two week period against local boxers from Venezuela.
Arijan Goricki vs Albert Gonzalez
The first fight took place on May 2 in La Guairi, where Goricki faced experienced boxer Albert Gonzalez (20-11-1, 16KO, a former Venezuelan champion with an 80% KO ratio.
Despite Gonzalez’s strong start, Archie showed exceptional determination and ended the fight with a knockout in the third round.
Gorički excelled, particularly in the second round when he caused a nose injury to his opponent, which marked a turning point in the match. Towards the end of the third round, a liver shot to ‘El Zorro’ resulted in Goricki’s victory.
“Gonzalez was very loud before the fight, trying to intimidate me. I immediately realised he was doing that because he wasn’t prepared, and I was right.
“At the beginning of the fight, Gonzalez dropped his hands and tried to relax me, but I remained steadfast in my style. Gonzalez had many fans in the audience cheering for him.
“After his nose started bleeding, mentally he collapsed, I think he was aware of where the fight was going and saw that as his way out. When I hit him in the liver and he fell to the floor, I believe he could have gotten up and continued, but that was his exit to avoid embarrassment in front of the home crowd,” said Goricki.
Arijan Goricki vs Jean Carlos Vasquez
The second fight took place on May 10 at Gimnasio Vertical El Dorado, Petare, where Goricki faced Jean Carlos Vasquez, who stepped in as a replacement for the original opponent.
The Croatian also triumphed by technical knockout in the third round. Vasquez’s tactics involved irregular hits, which were not permitted under the rules. The 26-year-old demonstrated his superiority and ended the fight as the winner.
“I’m glad Vasquez accepted the fight on short notice. I knew he didn’t belong in the ring with me because he hasn’t fought at my level. It was a routine fight I had to get through. Now I move forward to pursue my dream,” said Goricki.
In addition to his sporting achievements, Goricki shared his personal experience during his stay in Venezuela, emphasising that this was outside his comfort zone and important for his further development to become a world-class boxer.
The man from Zagreb stated that he views recent losses as lessons that will help him achieve his boxing goals and that this marks just the beginning of his career.
“It was a new experience and stepping out of the comfort zone. I’m glad I saw first hand how top boxers train and the conditions they live in. I want to be at the world level, so after my last fight, I decided I must go to the places where the best fighters in my category come from, and that’s South America.
“I don’t see my last two losses as defeats but as lessons that will help me reach the level I want to achieve since I started boxing. This is just the beginning of my career, just because I lost to a former world champion with steel hands doesn’t mean my abilities are finished, this is just the beginning of my story,” said Goricki.