Wilfredo Gómez

Wilfredo Gómez Rivera[4] (Spanish pronunciation: [wilˈfɾeðo ˈɣomes]; born October 29, 1956), sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer and three-time world champion. He is frequently mentioned among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time by sports journalists and analysts, along with Félix Trinidad, Miguel Cotto, Wilfred Benítez, Esteban De Jesús, Edwin Rosario, and Carlos Ortíz.[5]

Wilfredo Gómez
Gómez c.2003
Statistics
Real name	Wilfredo Gómez Rivera
Nickname(s)	Bazooka
Weight(s)	Super bantamweight Featherweight Super featherweight[1]
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Born	October 29, 1956[2] San Juan, Puerto Rico
Stance	Orthodox[1]
Boxing record[3]
Total fights	48
Wins	44
Wins by KO	42
Losses	3
Draws	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Puerto Rico World Amateur Championships Havana 1974 Bantamweight

His seventeen consecutive knockouts in championship defenses is a record for all boxing divisions. He was ranked number 13 on The Ring magazine's list of the "100 greatest punchers of all time".[6] In 1995, Gómez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Biography

Gómez was born in a poor area of Las Monjas in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of Jacobo Gomez and Julia Rivera. Gómez himself reportedly used a bicycle as means of transportation when he was young, and he sold candy to earn pocket money before becoming an amateur boxer.[7]

Amateur career and professional debut

Gómez won the gold medal at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and 1974 World Championships in Havana, Cuba before turning professional.[8] He also competed in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, getting eliminated by an Egyptian rival in the Olympic's first round of bouts.[9] He compiled an overall record of 96 wins and 3 defeats as an amateur boxer. Because of his family's economic situation, he decided not to wait for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, opting to begin making money right after the 1974 World Amateur Boxing championship instead. Coming from Puerto Rico, he settled for less money and exposure from the American media, and moved to Costa Rica, where he began to tour all of Central America in hopes of finding matches. His professional debut came in Panama City, Panama, where he fought to a draw with Jacinto Fuentes.

Professional career

After this inauspicious debut, he reeled off a streak of 32 consecutive knockouts[8] including wins over Fuentes, who was dispatched in 2 rounds in a rematch, and future world champion Alberto Davila, who lasted 9 rounds before being defeated. His 32 consecutive knockouts place him in a third place tie with Deontay Wilder and behind LaMar Clark (44) and Billy Fox (43) for the all-time knockout streak.

Gómez's knockout streak caught the eye of the WBC and Lineal Super Bantamweight champion Dong Kyun Yum of South Korea, who travelled to San Juan, Puerto Rico to defend his crown against Gómez. Yum had a promising start, dropping Gómez 30 seconds into the bout, but Gómez picked himself up and eventually won the crown, his first world title, with a 12th-round knockout.[10][7] His first defense took him to Tokyo, where he beat former world champion Royal Kobayashi in three rounds.[7] Kobayashi had lasted 5 rounds vs Alexis Argüello. Next was Sagat Petchyindee in a small city of Thailand. He lasted two rounds. Petchyndee later became a world champion Thai and kick-boxer and famous actor in Thailand.[11]

Gómez's streak reached 32 knockouts in a row, including what is generally considered to be his biggest victory ever, a five-round defeat of bantamweight champion Carlos Zarate, who was 55–0 with 54 knockout wins coming into their San Juan bout.[12] Also included in that streak was future world champion Leo Cruz, beaten in 13 rounds at San Juan and Derrick Holmes, knocked out in five rounds in a fight attended, among others, by Sylvester Stallone, Carl Weathers and Alexis Arguello.[13] After recording his 32nd. knockout win in a row, he moved up in weight to face the world featherweight champion Salvador Sánchez of Mexico.He lost to Salvador Sanchez by 8th-round TKO.

External audio
You may watch Wilfredo Gomez fight various boxers, among them Lupe Pintor, here

Hoping to get a rematch with Sanchez, Gómez went back to the super bantamweight division, where he got a dispense from the WBC to make two preparation bouts before defending his title again.[14] He did so and won two non-title bouts, both by knockout in the 2nd round, one over Jose Luis Soto, who was a stablemate of Julio César Chávez back in Culiacán, Mexico. Wins over future world champ Juan 'Kid' Meza, knocked out in six in Atlantic City, and Juan Antonio Lopez, knocked out in ten as part of the Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney undercard followed.[14] But all chances of a rematch with Sanchez were dashed when Sanchez died in a car crash outside Mexico City the morning of August 12, 1982. Boxing fans across Latin America mourned the tragedy. Gómez, who was training to defend against Mexican Roberto Rubaldino only five days later, took a quick trip to Mexico to offer Sanchez flowers and then returned to Puerto Rico the same afternoon. He beat Rubaldino by knockout in 8 rounds and made one more title defense, against the Mexican bantamweight world champ Lupe Pintor in the Carnival of Champions in New Orleans, winning by knockout in 14 rounds.[14] The Pintor contest was the only time a Gómez fight was showcased on HBO, which at the time exclusively showcased the largest boxing fights, much like the Pay Per View system does currently.

By the time he was done with the Junior Featherweights, Gómez had established a division record of 17 defenses, and a world record of most defenses in a row won by knockout, all his defenses finishing before the established distance limit.[15]

Featherweight division

He then re-tried winning the Featherweight title and this time, he achieved his dream, winning his second world title by dethroning Juan Laporte, a fellow Puerto Rican who had won the title left vacant after Sanchez died. He beat Laporte by a 12-round unanimous decision. This time, however, he didn't enjoy a lengthy title reign. Ahead on all scorecards, Gómez was the victim of a rally by Azumah Nelson of Ghana who knocked him out in 11 rounds in San Juan, December 8, 1984.[16]

Gómez wanted either a rematch with Nelson or a shot at WBA and Lineal Junior Lightweight world champion Rocky Lockridge of New Jersey, whichever came first. Lockridge was first to offer Gómez a try, and the 2 battled a closely scored 15 round bout in San Juan, with Gómez being given a unanimous 15-round decision, which many experts have said Lockridge deserved, but also which in the opinion of most who saw it live, was a justified decision.[17][14]

This reign also came to an end quick, Gómez being handed his 3rd loss at the hands of young Alfredo Layne by knockout in 9 rounds. Layne lost the title in his own first defense to South Africa's Brian Mitchell, and it became obvious Gómez's best years had gone by, so he retired after this fight.

Last fights and retirement

Gómez tried a comeback in 1988 and 1989, but after winning 2 more bouts by knockout, he realized boxing wasn't in his heart anymore and retired for good. He later moved to Venezuela, where he ran into drug problems, causing him trouble with the law and spending some months in jail.[18] He attended a rehabilitation center in Colombia. Gómez rebounded and is now back in Puerto Rico, where he has managed to stay off drugs. He helped Hector 'Macho' Camacho with the training of Camacho's son Héctor Camacho Jr., who was a boxer in the Jr Welterweight division. In 1998, Gòmez became a born-again Christian.[19]

On May 18, 2003, Gómez returned to Panama, where he was received by Duran and Eusebio Pedroza, among others. In a message geared towards Panamanians, he expressed thanks to that country, calling it his second country and saying, among other things "I'm very motivated now that I will return to Puerto Rico, and no one should be surprised if I buy an apartment in Panama and move my family here".[20] However, he bought a house in Orlando, Florida in 2006.

Gómez had a record of 44 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw, with 42 knock out wins. In 1978, he was named Boxing Illustrated's fighter of the year. He is now a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Gomez was voted as the Greatest Super Bantamweight Ever in 2014 by the Houston Boxing Hall Of Fame. The HBHOF is a voting body composed totally of current and former fighters. In 2003 a biographical film entitled Bazooka: The Battles of Wilfredo Gómez was produced by Cinemar Films, the documentary was directed by Mario Diaz and was filmed in New York City.[21][22]

Personal

Gómez has three daughters Jennifer, Gina and Liz Irina and one son Wilfredo Junior.[23] He is good friends with Panamanian boxing legend Roberto Durán.[13]

Gómez declared that Fighting Harada was his idol as a child.[24]

Gómez was once married to Carolina Gamboa.[25]

On April 17, 2015, Gómez was arrested by Puerto Rican police after allegedly hitting his 59-year-old companion, a lady with whom he had been living for ten months. He was released after she refused to raise charges against him.[4]

British boxer Michael Gomez adapted his last name from Armstrong to Gomez as a homage to Wilfredo, who was his childhood idol.[26]

A biographical book about Gomez, written by author Christian Giudice and named "A Fire Burns Within", was released May 9, 2016.[27]

Gomez was hospitalized on May 21, 2018 in Cupey, Puerto Rico, suffering from a pulmonary edema and pneumonia.[28]

Honors

Both the Wilfredo Gomez boxing gym[29] and the Complejo Deportivo Wilfredo Gomez (Wilfredo Gomez Sporting Complex) in Guaynabo are named after him.[30]

Professional record

Puerto Ricans in the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Number	Name	Year inducted	Notes
1	Carlos Ortíz	1991	World Jr. Welterweight Champion 1959 June 12- 1960, September 1, WBA Lightweight Champion 1962 Apr 21 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1963 Apr 7 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1965 Nov 13 – 1968 Jun 29.
2	Wilfred Benítez	1994	The youngest world champion in boxing history. WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1976 Mar 6 – 1977, WBC Welterweight Champion 1979 Jan 14 – 1979 Nov 30, WBC Light Middleweight Champion.
3	Wilfredo Gómez	1995	WBC Super Bantamweight Champion 1977 May 21 – 1983, WBC Featherweight Champion 1984 Mar 31 – 1984 Dec 8, WBA Super Featherweight Champion 1985 May 19 – 1986 May 24.
4	José "Chegui" Torres	1997	Won a silver medal in the junior middleweight at the 1956 Olympic Games. Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion 1965 Mar 30 – 1966 Dec 16
5	Sixto Escobar	2002	Puerto Rico's first boxing champion. World Bantamweight Champion 15 Nov 1935– 23 Sep 1937, World Bantamweight Champion 20 Feb 1938– Oct 1939
6	Edwin Rosario	2006	Ranks #36 on the list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time." according to Ring Magazine. WBC Lightweight Champion 1983 May 1 – 1984 Nov 3, WBA Lightweight Champion 1986 Sep 26 – 1987 Nov 21, WBA Lightweight Champion 199 Jul 9 – 1990 Apr 4, WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1991 Jun 14 – 1992 Apr 10.
7	Pedro Montañez	2007	92 wins out of 103 fights. Never held a title.
8	Joe Cortez	2011	The first Puerto Rican boxing referee to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame
9	Herbert "Cocoa Kid" Hardwick	2012	Member of boxing's "Black Murderers' Row". World Colored Welterweight Championship - June 11, 1937 to August 22, 1938; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 11, 1940 until the title went extinct in the 1940s; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 15, 1943 until the title went extinct in the 1940s
10	Félix "Tito" Trinidad	2014	Captured the IBF welterweight crown in his 20th pro bout. Won the WBA light middleweight title from David Reid in March 2000 and later that year unified titles with a 12th-round knockout against IBF champ Fernando Vargas. In 2001 became a three-division champion.
11	Héctor "Macho" Camacho	2016	First boxer to be recognized as a septuple champion in history. WBC Super Featherweight Championship - August 7, 1983 – 1984, WBC Lightweight Championship - August 10, 1985 – 1987, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - March 6, 1989 – February 23, 1991, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - May 18, 1991–1992.
12	Mario Rivera Martino	2019	First Puerto Rican boxing sports writer to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He served Puerto Rican boxing for more than 50 years as a writer and eventual commissioner.

  = Indicates the person is no longer alive

See also

• List of super bantamweight boxing champions
• List of featherweight boxing champions
• List of super featherweight boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of boxing triple champions
• List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
• Sports in Puerto Rico

References

1. "Wilfredo Gomez". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
2. "Wilfredo Gomez". ibhof.com. International Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
3. "Boxing record for Wilfredo Gómez". BoxRec.
4. No radicarán cargos contra exboxeador Wilfredo Gómez, El Nuevo Día (2015-04-18). Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
5. Sánchez, José A. (November 25, 2012). "Entre leyendas Macho Camacho". El Nuevo Día.
6. Eisele, Andrew (2003). "Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers". About.com. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
7. Michael Klimes (2007-05-16). "Wilfredo 'Bazooka' Gomez, Part 1". East Side Boxing. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
8. "Wilfredo Gomez". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
9. George Diaz Smith (2005-03-01). "Boxing:RSR Looks Back at Former champion, Wilfredo Gomez". Ring Side Report. Archived from the original on 2007-08-23. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
10. "Wilfredo Gómez – Lineal Jr. Featherweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
11. Sagat Petchyindee. Siamfightmag.com. Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
12. Lee Groves (2007-02-28). "Vazquez-Marquez May Add to a Tremendous Tradition". Max Boxing. Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
13. YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
14. Michael Klimes (2007-05-17). "Wilfredo 'Bazooka' Gomez, Part II". East Side Boxing. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
15. Andrés Pascual (2006-10-20). "El récord impresionante de Wilfredo Gómez en las 122 libras". Diario Las Americas. Archived from the original on 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
16. Nelson wins title. Nytimes.com (1984-12-10). Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
17. "Wilfredo Gómez – Lineal Jr. Lightweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
18. Gabriel Cordero (2006-11-01). "Los 50 años de Wilfredo Gómez" (in Spanish). Lo Mejor del Boxeo. Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
19. Jason Gonzalez (2006-02-21). "Q&A: Wilfredo Gomez!". Fightnews.com. Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
20. Gustavo Ampudia (2003-05-18). "¡Mil gracias, mi Panamá!" (in Spanish). La Prensa. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
21. Robert Dominguez (2003-09-25). "A Boxer's Saga, Blow By Blow". The Puerto Rico Herald. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
22. "Bazooka: The Battles of Wilfredo Gómez". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
23. Scoop Malinowski. "Boxing Legend Biofile: Wilfredo Gomez". Boxing Insider. Archived from the original on 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
24. http://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-culture/sports/japan-boxing
25. VIOLENCIA DOMESTICA: – Archivo Digital de Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo desde 1.990. eltiempo.com (1994-06-22). Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
26. SMASH-HIT GOMEZ FITS THE BILL. The Mirror. London, England. (February 12, 2000)
27. Giudice, Christian (2016) A Fire Burns Within: The Miraculous Journey of Wilfredo 'Bazooka' Gomez. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785311154.
28. https://www.elnuevodia.com/deportes/boxeo/nota/hospitalizanalexboxeadorwilfredogomez-2423551/
29. https://www.primerahora.com/deportes/otros/notas/inauguran-bulevar-del-deporte-en-guaynabo/
30. https://earth.google.com/web/search/Wilfredo+G%c3%b3mez+Boxing+Gym,+Guaynabo,+Puerto+Rico/@18.3749712,-66.1099888,44.29892638a,996.5445264d,35y,0h,45t,0r/data=CnoaUBJKCiUweDhjMDM2OWM0NDBkOTIzMzE6MHg1MDVmZGQ1ODk5MDY1NDkyKiFDb21wbGVqbyBEZXBvcnRpdm8KV2lsZmVkbyBHw7NtZXoYAyABIiYKJAlY5TE9Mh8yQBFiJ8RrTRsyQBng_zGewIhQwCGK_bZrq4lQwCgC
31. Salvador Sanchez. BoxRec. Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
32. Mario Gonzalez. BoxRec. Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
33. Eladio Santana. BoxRec. Retrieved on 2017-07-14.

External links

• Boxing record for Wilfredo Gómez from BoxRec
• IBHOF.com, Wilfredo Gómez Biography at the International Boxing Hall of Fame Website
• Oneeyedfilms.com, "Bazooka: The Battles of Wilfredo Gómez"
• Wilfredo Gómez – CBZ Profile