BoxRec

That was hard to watch. What a fighter he was back in the day. One of the most impressive British Champions ever.

W Rsf 2 Gary Thornhill
W Pts 12 Dean Pithie
W KO 2 Carl Greaves
W Pts 12 Ian Mcloed
W Rsf 2 Craig Docherty
W Rsf 5 Alex Arthur
W Rsf 6 Leva Kirakosyen

Some sensational wins there. Some great memories.

Jeff Thomas wrote:That was hard to watch. What a fighter he was back in the day. One of the most impressive British Champions ever.

W Rsf 2 Gary Thornhill
W Pts 12 Dean Pithie
W KO 2 Carl Greaves
W Pts 12 Ian Mcloed
W Rsf 2 Craig Docherty
W Rsf 5 Alex Arthur
W Rsf 6 Leva Kirakosyen

Some sensational wins there. Some great memories.

What happened? Didn't see it?

He was some character and although his better days were long behind him by the time he fought Burns I think that fight was a turning point for Ricky. It helped elevate his status in Scotland to another level because Gomez's pre-fight antics really sold the fight and the highlights from the Arthur fight got neutrals interested.

Hopefully Gomez's son can do something in boxing and help his dad re-capture some glory days.

If u consider he lost 2 earlier fights, think back to back 2 and 3rd or something and then went on to win and achieve what he did awesome!!

My personal favourites was Thornhill remember watching it and Alex Arthur as everyone expected Gomez to get beat

He hurt Akan at the end of his career to he was value for money

If he came into every fight in the same mental and physical shape the night he fought Alex Arthur we would be talking about a former world champion. Nothing would have stopped him that night he would have ran through brick walls. Once of the most hostile atmospheres and brutal domestic fights in re memory.

Huge fan of gomez, loved his style and always gave the fans value for money.

Great fighter & great character. I remember getting a call for Micheal to fight Baz Carey in Scotland at the Daziel country club in Motherwell, they had a right tear up, neither knew how to take a backward step, we all went out afterwards, We became friends with Micheal after that, I was glad to see him not long ago in Joe Gallaghers gym with his son who was there sparring and training. It was good to see him in really good spirits & happy and looking well, Mikes son looks a good kid.

It was very sad but somewhat inevitable to see him slurring. Poor sod. He was so extreme personality wise, was never gona handle retirement easily. He was a total warrior and one of my faves. Him and Carl Thompson.

yeah he is slurring quite badly I thought, he was never well spoken, spoke quick with a strong moston style accent,
but you could always understand him, hes only 35 isnt he, hope it doesnt get worse

Said the documentary on his life story and book are getting a release? Thought they had been binned hopefully they do get released anyone heard anything??

Gomez was way better behind closed doors than on fight night. I'm sure guys who've sparred him or seen him sparring would agree. As soon as the lights were on him, a part of his psyche that desperately had to please people kicked in and he'd war for the sake of warring - the same part of his psyche made him the life and soul on a night out. This got worse and worse - he was still relatively controlled when fighting e.g. Thornhill, Pithie and Greaves - and whilst it provided some of his most famous nights, it wasn't good for his health and it stopped him from achieving what he could have achieved, in my opinion.

I often cite the Arthur fight as my favourite sporting watch but in some ways I wish it had never happened. For me Mike was showing the signs that the sport and his lifestyle was seriously taking its toll even before the fights with Bognar. I hoped he'd wrap after the Lear fight but it was almost inevitable he'd carry on and end up where he is.

It's sad that a guy in his thirties is being talked about like he's an old knacker.

Gomez was agreat fighter, like he said he could have been more dedicated and achieved more, but at 21 he was on a murder charge, not long after he was stabbed reacted to to the anaesthetic and could have died, so he should be proud of what he achieved. He has had touble with drink, drugs as well as all the punches he took, but his son is doing well, and if he could stop the drinking sure his speeck and appearance would improve.
However I know he has been pleased to know that people watched it and remember his fights

The Arthur fight is an ATG

You could really sense the respect that Jamie Moore had for him in the interview. Constantly willing the best for Michael and expressing hope that he'd turned the corner. Hopefully he has because he gave the fans the best of him (with the exception of the Peter McDonagh fight).

There's a fair bit about Gomez in, 'Fighting Chance' by Derrick Allsop - very insightful.

I have always loved reading up about characters like Gomez. It seems to me most boxers today are media trained and bland now.

His lads decent you know. He's making good progress and boxes similar to his dad.

I didnt know he beat Kirakosyan???? isnt that the former EBU champ who stopped Johansson twice?

handsofstone wrote:I didnt know he beat Kirakosyan???? isnt that the former EBU champ who stopped Johansson twice?

Yeah the one that Foster Jnr poleaxed.

Plus Johansson/Gomez was a brutal head to head trade off.

handsofstone wrote:I didnt know he beat Kirakosyan???? isnt that the former EBU champ who stopped Johansson twice?

Yep goes under the radar that one

he was magnifico against Arthur and he is a terrific fella but I have to say kevin lear beats him every time. lear was a real major loss to british boxing

misterpunch wrote:he was magnifico against Arthur and he is a terrific fella but I have to say kevin lear beats him every time. lear was a real major loss to british boxing

I didn't know who Kevin Lear was, this from Wiki.


The unbeaten West Ham based fighter then fought Michael Gomez on 1 June 2002 at the MEN Arena on the undercard of the Ricky Hatton vs. Eamonn Magee fight.[1]

From the outset of the fight Lear, a former Amateur Boxing Association of England champion, kept a one-dimensional Gomez at bay with his sharp jab. Lear inflicted damage to the nose of Gomez whose nose began to bleed heavily from the sixth round. By the eighth round Gomez was slowing suffering the effects of Lear's continuing barrage of combinations. At the end of the eight round Gomez's trainer Brian Hughes retired Gomez giving Lear a surprising victory.[2]

Lear was forced to retire from the sport following his victory over Gomez, as a result of serious and long-standing shoulder injuries.

Eddy wrote:I have always loved reading up about characters like Gomez. It seems to me most boxers today are media trained and bland now.

I agree. But look at the way boxers who don't follow the bland approach are referred to, on here for example. From Khan to De Gale, from Frankie Gavin to David Haye, pre-world level Carl Froch to Derek Chisora. Anyone who doesnt follow the script seems to get slated so I can't blame the new batch of Olympians for keeping their personalities under lock and key.

NorthEastBoxingFan wrote:

misterpunch wrote:he was magnifico against Arthur and he is a terrific fella but I have to say kevin lear beats him every time. lear was a real major loss to british boxing

I didn't know who Kevin Lear was, this from Wiki.


The unbeaten West Ham based fighter then fought Michael Gomez on 1 June 2002 at the MEN Arena on the undercard of the Ricky Hatton vs. Eamonn Magee fight.[1]

From the outset of the fight Lear, a former Amateur Boxing Association of England champion, kept a one-dimensional Gomez at bay with his sharp jab. Lear inflicted damage to the nose of Gomez whose nose began to bleed heavily from the sixth round. By the eighth round Gomez was slowing suffering the effects of Lear's continuing barrage of combinations. At the end of the eight round Gomez's trainer Brian Hughes retired Gomez giving Lear a surprising victory.[2]

Lear was forced to retire from the sport following his victory over Gomez, as a result of serious and long-standing shoulder injuries.

Kevin Lear was a really good boxer, he was a good amateur and it's a shame he damaged his shoulder; his brother Danny could box well also and had a good punch but I don't think he turned pro.

Great that time he was calling out corrales,

I wish the thornhill fight was on youtube