The heart of Wilfredo Gomez

Borinken25 · Post by **Borinken25** » 23 Feb 2006, 13:45

In the fight with Rocky Lockridge he told his corner that if they stop the fight he will kill them. Wow to me that show his intensity and the bravery he had. Another was his fight with Sanchez I mean Sanchez was hitting him with everything and still he kept coming forward even after his eyes were nearly shut. Another one was his fight with Pintor that neither man wanted to give up and was a slugfest not too be seen by the weakest heart. Gomez was a little brave man that deserves some recognition for his bravery. what do you guys think?

Jorge · Post by **Jorge** » 23 Feb 2006, 14:49

Yup, but he paid a very heavy price. Just listen to his present speech. He also suffered one of the worst knockouts I have ever seen. He was practically helpless on his knees when he got his with a flush point blank bomb. Was it agains Nelson or Lockridge? Im sure you saw that documentary on him on HBO latino "Las Batallas de Wilfredo G" He seems like a good person that has been through alot.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 23 Feb 2006, 15:22

Yeah, Gomez was a true warrior, on of the gutsiest fighters I've seen. I think the bad ko defeat was against either Nelson or Layne. Gomez's courage in his fight with Alfredo Layne was quite frightening, although he was shot he kept literally throwing himself at Layne and did well for the first 5 rounds till be ran out of gas... the ko in that fight, like the Nelson and Sanchez defeats was quite nasty, ...Gomez always carried on till he really had nothing left to give. I think he damaged his vocal cords in his fight against Lockridge, which is why his voice is poor... I hope he is well other than that...

pete · Post by **pete** » 23 Feb 2006, 18:53

I'm sure Gomez is often thought of as the great fighter who was destroyed by Sanchez.Gomez put up a very tough fight,especially considering the brutal hammering he took in the first round.He was also very arrogant,I believe he was 4 pounds over at the weigh in.I think Wilfredo did himself a great disservice by staying at 122 for so long,he struggled to make that weight for years and was likely the reason his prime was over by age 26,not to mention his other vices.He was truly a marvel at his best and yes,he was very brave as he showed when his skills had deserted him.A fabulous fighter.

ferroz · Post by **ferroz** » 25 Feb 2006, 01:56

I heard that he was undisciplined when it came to training. Is this true? and if so how was he able to have such a great career?

ferocity · Post by **ferocity** » 25 Feb 2006, 04:38

ferroz wrote:I heard that he was undisciplined when it came to training. Is this true? and if so how was he able to have such a great career?

I know that was the case with Wilfredo Benitez. Dont' know about Wifredo Gomez, but he did say in the interview that he did not train as he would have wanted for Sanchez. But Sanchez was just to strong in my opinion. But Gomez was a baddass.

barry · Post by **barry** » 25 Feb 2006, 05:13

Gomez was as big a party guy as there has ever been in boxing. He enjoyed living like a playboy probably more than he enjoyed being a champion, but then again, had he not been champion he would never have had the means for the playboy life. I know he got pretty messed up on drugs after he retired and was arrested a couple of times that I know of on cocaine charges. Regardless of all that though, he was still one of the best fighters that I have ever seen. As I have said many times before, Gomez simply had it all and if there was a chick in his armor, then it was his training.

Jaime Garza · Post by **Jaime Garza** » 26 Feb 2006, 16:12

Wifredo Gomez was a great fighter and very heavy puncher who would have been a real handful in any era between 122 and 126lbs. I could have fought him in early 1983 for the title but he moved up to fight Sanchez. In some ways im glad he moved up beacuse with no disrespect he would have been a lot tougher than Bobby Berna. In some ways im sad about it because it would have been nice to have shared a ring with such a great fighter.

Expug · Post by **Expug** » 26 Feb 2006, 16:32

Welcome aboard Jaime. I enjoyed watching you fight.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 27 Feb 2006, 10:57

Jaime Garza wrote:Wifredo Gomez was a great fighter and very heavy puncher who would have been a real handful in any era between 122 and 126lbs. I could have fought him in early 1983 for the title but he moved up to fight Sanchez. In some ways im glad he moved up beacuse with no disrespect he would have been a lot tougher than Bobby Berna. In some ways im sad about it because it would have been nice to have shared a ring with such a great fighter.

Garza vs Gomez would have been a real classic... didn't you have the same trainer/manager as Danny Lopez?....

Borinken25 · Post by **Borinken25** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:45

Jaime Garza wrote:Wifredo Gomez was a great fighter and very heavy puncher who would have been a real handful in any era between 122 and 126lbs. I could have fought him in early 1983 for the title but he moved up to fight Sanchez. In some ways im glad he moved up beacuse with no disrespect he would have been a lot tougher than Bobby Berna. In some ways im sad about it because it would have been nice to have shared a ring with such a great fighter.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for your opinion and yes it would have been a great fight between two great punchers of that era.

dalek · Post by **dalek** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:58

i've just watched gomez against pintor and nelson.he showed tremendous heart in both fights and almost literally had knocked cold against azumah as the guy had no quit in him.can't wait to view his other fights in the next couple of days. 8)

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 27 Feb 2006, 12:03

Yes you'll never see a fighter with a bigger heart than Wilfredo Gomez: he just did not know when he was beat ( which in his prime wasn't often )

He went on for two or three fights too long, and yes, he's paid the price with his health. But watching the documentary "Bazooka" it seems he's lucky to even be alive these days ( with the drugs etc ).

The man had such talent he could get away with minimal training, but it caught up with him in the Sanchez fight. I heard he was running in the desert on the morning of the fight, to shed the weight.
It was in the Sanchez fight that Wilfredo first showed his incredible courage - somehow surviving a nightmare first round, to turn what looked like being a one round massacre into a fight for the ages.
The great Sanchez eventualy caught up with him though.

And Wilfredo Gomez and Jamie Garza - what a terrific fight that would have been

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 27 Feb 2006, 12:47

MightyWarrior wrote:Yes you'll never see a fighter with a bigger heart than Wilfredo Gomez: he just did not know when he was beat ( which in his prime wasn't often )

He went on for two or three fights too long, and yes, he's paid the price with his health. But watching the documentary "Bazooka" it seems he's lucky to even be alive these days ( with the drugs etc ).

The man had such talent he could get away with minimal training, but it caught up with him in the Sanchez fight. I heard he was running in the desert on the morning of the fight, to shed the weight.
It was in the Sanchez fight that Wilfredo first showed his incredible courage - somehow surviving a nightmare first round, to turn what looked like being a one round massacre into a fight for the ages.
The great Sanchez eventualy caught up with him though.

And Wilfredo Gomez and Jamie Garza - what a terrific fight that would have been

Do you know how I could get hold of the Gomez doc?... have you got it??...

Jaime Garza · Post by **Jaime Garza** » 27 Feb 2006, 13:42

silkov wrote:
Jaime Garza wrote:Wifredo Gomez was a great fighter and very heavy puncher who would have been a real handful in any era between 122 and 126lbs. I could have fought him in early 1983 for the title but he moved up to fight Sanchez. In some ways im glad he moved up beacuse with no disrespect he would have been a lot tougher than Bobby Berna. In some ways im sad about it because it would have been nice to have shared a ring with such a great fighter.
Garza vs Gomez would have been a real classic... didn't you have the same trainer/manager as Danny Lopez?....

Yes I did. Bennie Georgino.

BoxBuzz · Post by **BoxBuzz** » 27 Feb 2006, 14:19

JaimeGarza Nice to have you here!

I have a question did you see either of the fights between Danny and Ocatavio Gomez? Or do you know anything "inside" about those encounters? I have never spoken to anyone who saw either of them. I did and have some questions about that first encounter.

I would appreciate any of your thoughts or memories on those fights.

Saw you KO Zuniga in Calif many years ago!

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 27 Feb 2006, 14:44

Jaime Garza wrote:
silkov wrote:
Jaime Garza wrote:Wifredo Gomez was a great fighter and very heavy puncher who would have been a real handful in any era between 122 and 126lbs. I could have fought him in early 1983 for the title but he moved up to fight Sanchez. In some ways im glad he moved up beacuse with no disrespect he would have been a lot tougher than Bobby Berna. In some ways im sad about it because it would have been nice to have shared a ring with such a great fighter.
Garza vs Gomez would have been a real classic... didn't you have the same trainer/manager as Danny Lopez?....
Yes I did. Bennie Georgino.

Watching some of your fights you reminded me quite a bit of Lopez, though I think you possibly punched even harder!... did you use to spar with Danny?. Were there ever any plans for you to have a rematch with Juan Meza?... I always thought that it would have made a great rematch!

...

pete · Post by **pete** » 27 Feb 2006, 14:48

Welcome Jaime,remember watching you in the early 80's,you were an exciting warrior.

Jaime Garza · Post by **Jaime Garza** » 28 Feb 2006, 17:49

BoxBuzz wrote:JaimeGarza Nice to have you here!

I have a question did you see either of the fights between Danny and Ocatavio Gomez? Or do you know anything "inside" about those encounters? I have never spoken to anyone who saw either of them. I did and have some questions about that first encounter.

I would appreciate any of your thoughts or memories on those fights.

Saw you KO Zuniga in Calif many years ago!

Hi, thanks for your kind words

I never got to see those fights I think they were before my time as a pro But i know Danny had a much easier time in the second fight which was not long after the first. I think Danny was coming off his loss to Bobby but im not sure.

Danny did blow hot and cold sometimes but he was a great fighter.

Jaime Garza · Post by **Jaime Garza** » 28 Feb 2006, 17:57

silkov wrote:
Jaime Garza wrote:
silkov wrote: Garza vs Gomez would have been a real classic... didn't you have the same trainer/manager as Danny Lopez?....
Yes I did. Bennie Georgino.
Watching some of your fights you reminded me quite a bit of Lopez, though I think you possibly punched even harder!... did you use to spar with Danny?. Were there ever any plans for you to have a rematch with Juan Meza?... I always thought that it would have made a great rematch! ...

Hey, thanks for your nice words.

A rematch with Meza might have happened but I took too much time out after the loss. I should have come back rightaway. Ive noticed that guys with big knockout records unbeaten, if they lose in a title shot they take too much time out and are never the same. I think that happened with me. Like that guy that fought Hagler, Kod everyone and lost to Hagler. An african guy, he took too much time out and came back but he was never the same.

Expug · Post by **Expug** » 28 Feb 2006, 18:24

Jaime ,beating Berna in front of the hometown fans had to be a big thrill.What are you up to these days?

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 01 Mar 2006, 12:40

Jaime Garza wrote:
silkov wrote:
Jaime Garza wrote: Yes I did. Bennie Georgino.
Watching some of your fights you reminded me quite a bit of Lopez, though I think you possibly punched even harder!... did you use to spar with Danny?. Were there ever any plans for you to have a rematch with Juan Meza?... I always thought that it would have made a great rematch! ...
Hey, thanks for your nice words.

A rematch with Meza might have happened but I took too much time out after the loss. I should have come back rightaway. Ive noticed that guys with big knockout records unbeaten, if they lose in a title shot they take too much time out and are never the same. I think that happened with me. Like that guy that fought Hagler, Kod everyone and lost to Hagler. An african guy, he took too much time out and came back but he was never the same.

Yes I've noticed that with many big punchers too Jamie. I think you were talking about John Mugubi... you could also say that George Foreman and Gerry Cooney were simular... though Foreman did come back eventually, it took him quite a while!!. Cooney was never the same after his loss to Holmes. I suppose when you are used to winning every fight in such a devastating way a loss can be that much harder to take.

barry · Post by **barry** » 02 Mar 2006, 10:51

Welcome aboard Jaime Garza! You are one of my favorites and one of the true knockout artists in boxing history. Very, very few fighters of the 80s could match you for excitement and fans certainly were satisfied and content to part with hard earned money whenever your name was on the bill. I imagine that you and Danny Lopez must have had some very intense and heated sparring sessions. Would you be kind enough to share some of your favorite memories?

Seamus · Post by **Seamus** » 03 Mar 2006, 01:46

Jaime Garza v Marcos Villasana was an outstanding bout, and even though MV won by KO, he took alot of punishment.