He reached the US and turned professional in
Miami in June 1991. His progress as a professional was severely hindered by González's refusal to co-operate with trainers or training, feeling as a top Cuban amateur there was nothing he could be taught. He went through several different trainers during his first few years as a pro. At 6'7, he towered over his opposition, and the majority of his fights featured the huge Gonzalez crudely clubbing his victims to defeat. Although he was criticised for not fighting anyone of note, at the time he was a genuinely feared contender and top-class opponents were reticent to fight him. His most notable results in accumulating a 23-0 (22 KO's) record were his 10-round beating and TKO of the faded but still very game and tough
Renaldo Snipes, a first-round KO of a faded Phil Brown, and a one punch, two-round KO of Mike Evans, a tough fringe contender that nobody had been able to stop in ten years. In June 1995, after a heated build up, he fought hated arch rival
Riddick Bowe in
Las Vegas, for the
WBO Heavyweight championship. Bowe exposed González for his limitations and lack of development, savagely pounding the Cuban before knocking him clean out in the 6th round. In 1996 González returned, seemingly out of shape, for a high-profile fight with ex-champ
Tim Witherspoon in New York. Gonzalez blew his chance of redemption, as Witherspoon used his superior skills and big power to take González apart, decking him twice and knocking him out in five rounds, issuing an even more complete defeat than Bowe had done. Later that year González quit midway through a fight with trial horse
Ross Puritty, ending his term as a contender. In 1997 hot prospect and equally giant
Michael Grant blew him away in one round, although in 1999 a new and improved González resurfaced, in-shape and more polished, bombing out
Alex Stewart in two rounds and outpointing ex-champ
Greg Page over ten. A
Mike Tyson fight failed to materialise as Tyson-lookalike
Cliff Couser demolished the Cuban in three rounds in 2000. In 2001 González lost to
Joe Mesi in four, and his career was effectively dead in 2002 when last minute sub
Derek Bryant walked over him in one round. His only title was the
WBO Latino Heavyweight title in which he defeated Daniel Eduardo Neto by Points decision. ==Professional boxing record==