BOXING NOTEBOOK: GONZALEZ'S CHIN GIVES HIM A CHANCE.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Assistant Sports Editor 

The boxing world will be shocked if Julio Gonzalez beats light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. tonight at Staples Center.

One service listed Gonzalez as a 20-1 underdog. Las Vegas casinos won't even post odds; the matchup appears to be too one-sided and Gonzalez is a relative unknown. The assumption is Jones (44-1, with 36 knockouts) is too quick and too skillful for the tough, but limited challenger.

However, one authority on the subject gives Gonzalez a decent chance.

``Yeah, he has a shot,'' said Julian Letterlough, who lost a decision to the Huntington Beach resident in February even though he knocked Gonzalez down three times in an unforgettable fight. ``Anyone who is as strong as Gonzalez and anyone who has a chin like Gonzalez, you have to give him a chance.

``He's no pushover, that's for sure.''

The key for Gonzalez?

``Hard work,'' said Letterlough, who went down twice himself against Gonzalez. ``Strong pressure, consistent pressure.''

Letterlough, a big puncher who hadn't lost before he met Gonzalez, said he's nearing a deal to fight cruiserweight champion Vassiliy Jirov.

--And if he loses? Gonzalez (27-0, 17 KOs) doesn't plan to taste defeat for the first time tonight. He's convinced (or so he says) that his determination will be the difference in the fight.

And if it doesn't work out that way?

At only 24, he'll probably continue to fight even though there are no guarantees another title shot will come along soon - if ever. His longtime trainer and father figure Mack Kurihara knows what he'd like to see Gonzalez do.

``Boxing is b-------, a dirty game,'' he said. ``You know what I mean? He's making a nice payday ($500,000). I'd like to see him get a good job, look toward the future, take care of his family. It could be two, three years before he gets another title fight and nothing is guaranteed.

``He could go to college. He's not a dummy, he's a smart kid.''

Gonzalez studied to be an airplane mechanic at a community college before turning to boxing fulltime.

--Weighty issues: Jones weighed in at 173 pounds - two below the light heavyweight limit - Friday afternoon before several hundred fans at the ABC Entertainment Center in Century City. Gonzalez weighed 174 1/4.

Erik Morales, who defends his featherweight title against Injin Chi on the undercard, weighed in at the 126-pound limit. Chi was 125 1/2. And Andrew ``Six Heads'' Lewis, who defends his welterweight championship against Ricardo Mayorga, weighed 146 3/4. Mayorga was at the 147-pound limit.

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Roy Jones Jr., right, looks oblivious to Julio Gonzalez during their weigh- in Friday in Century City. They fight for Jones' title tonight.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer