Gonzalez (18-0, 11 KOs) is a 24-year-old from Southern California who is coached by Robert Garcia. He turned pro less than five years ago and is already ranked No. 8 in the IBF and No. 13 by the WBO.

Gonzalez's latest conquest arrived earlier this month, and it was an eye-opening one when he became the first fighter to stop former title challenger Aaron Alameda in just two rounds.

After ousting Alameda with ease, Gonzalez announced himself by challenging 126-pound titleholders Bruce Carrington (WBC), Rafael Espinoza (WBO), Brandon Figueroa (WBA) and Angelo Leo (IBF).

"I don't mean to sound cocky, boastful, or anything like that. Top Rank has been keeping me busy, but I don't want to just stay busy. I know what I want. That's to be a world champion. I hope this performance proved that," Gonzalez said.

"There are world champions who are signed with Top Rank. I'm pretty sure it's not hard to make. 'Shu Shu' Carrington, 'Divino Espinoza – let's make it happen. I'm not here to just pick up checks. I'm here to be a world champion. And these guys are standing in my way. Angelo Leo, Brandon Figueroa – all of these guys know me. I'm grateful to God for all of this, but it's not enough."

"Anybody can get it, whichever one we can line up. I'm not picking and choosing. They are all world champions for a reason. I know these guys are good. To be a real champion, you gotta be doing something right. Whichever one gives me the opportunity first, I'm running it. I need a world title. I'm not stopping till I get one."

In the meantime, Gonzalez can hang his hat on passing the toughest test of his upstart career by blasting Alameda, whose previous defeats were against Luis Nery and Angelo Leo in competitive decisions before Gonzalez turned pro, and against Yan Santana last year.

"Nobody was able to get Alameda out of there, and I was able to do it in two rounds," Gonzalez said. "I knew I had to put on a performance. I thought it was gonna be a lot tougher, but we were able to get the job done early. The work speaks for itself."