Wilfredo Gómez
Gómez (left) with Puerto Rican historian Tony Santiago
Statistics
Real name	Wilfredo Gómez
Nickname(s)	Bazooka
Rated at	super bantamweight
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Birth date	October 29, 1956 (1956-10-29) (age 51)
Birth place	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	48
Wins	44
Wins by KO	42
Losses	3
Draws	1

Medal record
Competitor for  Puerto Rico
Men’s Boxing
World Amateur Championships
Gold	Havana 1974	Bantamweight

Wilfredo Gómez (born October 29, 1956) is a former boxer and three time world champion. Antonio "Tony" Santiago aka “ Tony the Marine ” (born 1950 in New York City, New York) is a Puerto Rican writer and historian Super Bantamweight is a weight division in professional Boxing. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. San Juan (saŋ hwaŋ (from the Spanish San Juan Bautista, " Saint John the Baptist " is the Capital and largest municipality in An Orthodox stance in combat sports such as boxing and karate refers to someone who boxes right-handed as opposed to a left-handed fighter who is referred to as a Southpaw. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, The World Amateur Boxing Championships is the highest competition for boxing amateurs organised by world's governing body AIBA, which stands for the Association International The Men's 1974 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Havana Cuba from August 17 to 30. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, Nicknamed "Bazooka", Gómez had one of the highest knockout win percentages in professional boxing, winning 88 percent of his bouts by knockout. Ring Magazine ranked Gómez as thirteenth on a list of the all-time greatest punchers in 2003. The Ring (often called Ring Magazine) is an American Boxing Magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Amateur career and professional debut 3 Professional career 4 Featherweight division 5 Last fights and retirement 6 Professional Championships 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Biography

Gómez was born in a poor area of Las Monjas in San Juan, Puerto Rico. San Juan (saŋ hwaŋ (from the Spanish San Juan Bautista, " Saint John the Baptist " is the Capital and largest municipality in He has admitted to newspapers that, as a little child, he had to fight off bullies on Las Monjas' streets. Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others through verbal Harassment, physical Assault, or other more subtle methods of Coercion He has told some Puerto Rican newspapers that he felt he was born to fight because of that situation. Gómez's father was a taxi driver and his mother was a homemaker. 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. The bicycle, cycle, or bike is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind ^[1]

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. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The Central American and Caribbean Games are the oldest continuing regional games Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the The Men's 1974 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Havana Cuba from August 17 to 30. Havana ( IPA: aˈβana officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the Capital city, major port and leading ^[2] 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. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. ^[3] He compiled an overall record of 96 wins and 3 defeats as an amateur boxer. Because of his family's economical situation, he decided not to wait for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, opting to begin making money right after the Cuban competition instead. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec 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. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica,) is a Country in His professional debut came in Panama City, Panama, where he fought to a draw with Jacinto Fuentes. Panama City (Ciudad de Panamá is the Capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America.

Professional career

After this inauspicious debut, he reeled off a streak of 32 knockout wins in a row. ^[2] 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. Albert Davila (born August 10, 1954) is a Mexican-American who boxed during the 1970s and 1980s in Boxing 's Bantamweight division and after His 32 knockout wins in a row make him the world champion with the longest knockout streak in history, placing him in third place behind Lamar Clark (44) and Billy Fox (43) for the all-time knockout streak. Billy Fox (born April 20, 1923) is a former American Light heavyweight boxer Among world champions, Gómez had the longest knockout winning streak; neither Clark nor Fox won world titles. ^[1]

Gómez's knockout streak caught the eye of the World Junior Featherweight champion Dong Hyung Yen, who travelled to San Juan, Puerto Rico to defend his crown against Gómez. San Juan (saŋ hwaŋ (from the Spanish San Juan Bautista, " Saint John the Baptist " is the Capital and largest municipality in Yen 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. ^[1] His first defense took him to the Far East, where he beat former world champion Royal Kobayashi in 3 rounds in Tokyo. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. ^[1] Kobayashi had lasted 5 rounds vs Alexis Arguello and 10 rounds vs Roberto Duran when Duran was a Featherweight. Pro career "The Explosive Thin Man" suffered an unavenged first round TKO loss in his 1968 professional debut but then won 36 of his next 38 bouts which then led him to Roberto Durán (born June 16 1951 is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all-time Next was Ryu Tomonari in a small city of Thailand. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj He lasted 2 rounds.

Gómez's streak reached 32 knockouts in a row. Those 32 knockouts in a row included what is generally considered to be his biggest victory ever, a five round defeat of World Bantamweight champion Carlos Zarate, who was 55-0 with 54 knockout wins coming into their San Juan bout. Carlos Zarate Serna (born May 23, 1951) in Tepito, Distrito Federal, Mexico, and better known in the World of Boxing ^[4] Also included in that streak was future world champion Leo Cruz, beaten in 13 rounds at San Juan. Leonardo Cruz (born January 17, 1953 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic) better known in the World of Boxing After recording his 32rd. knockout win in a row, he moved up in weight to face the world Featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez of Mexico. Salvador Sánchez Narvaez ( January 26, 1959 - August 12, 1982) was a Mexican boxer born in the town of Santiago Tianguistenco The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. ^[5] Not realizing Sanchez was the defending champion for this bout, Gómez went in allegedly ill trained and lost the bout by a knockout in 8 rounds in Las Vegas, and later said he had learned never underestimate a foe as a result. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally

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 2 preparation bouts before defending his title again. Super Bantamweight is a weight division in professional Boxing. The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, ^[6] He did so and won 2 non title bouts in a row , both by knockout in the 2nd round, one over Jose Luis Soto, who was a stablemate of Julio César Chávez back in Culiacan, Mexico. Julio César Chávez González (born July 12, 1962 in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora) is a retired Mexican professional boxer Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán 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. Juan Meza (born March 18, 1956) also known for his nickname Kid Meza, is a former boxer who was world Super Bantamweight champion Juan Antonio López ( June 15, 1952 in Culiacán, Sinaloa - June 29, 2004 in Culiacán was a Mexican boxer Larry Holmes vs Gerry Cooney was a Boxing fight that took place on June 11, 1982. ^[6] But all chances of a rematch with Sanchez were dashed when Sanchez died in a car crash outside Mexico City the morning of August 12th, 1982. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Mexico's boxing fans and general public mourned their gone champion, and boxing fans across Latin America joined Mexico in their tragedy. Gómez, who was training to defend against Mexican Roberto Rubaldino only 5 days later, took a quick trip to Mexico to offer Sanchez flowers and then returned to Puerto Rico the same afternoon. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} He beat Rubaldino by knockout in 8 rounds and made 1 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. Early life & career Lupe Pintor was born into a poor working class family in Cuajimalpa just outside of Mexico City in 1955 and is alleged to have had an extremely violent The Carnival Of Champions, as Don King nicknamed it was an important Boxing event held in New Orleans 's Superdome on December 3, New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana ^[6] 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. Pay-per-view (often abbreviated PPV) is the system in which Television viewers can purchase events to be seen on TV and pay for the private telecast of that event

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. ^[7]

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. Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of Boxing and Wrestling (Greco-Roman Juan Laporte (born November 24, 1959) is a former boxer who was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} He beat Laporte by a 12 round unanimous decision. This time, however, it didn't last that long. Ahead on all scorecards, Gómez was the victim of a rally by Azumah Nelson of Ghana who knocked him out in 11 exhilarating rounds in San Juan, December 8, 1984. Azumah Nelson (born September 19, 1958) is a former boxer and three-time world champion The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar)

Gómez wanted either a rematch with Nelson or a shot at Junior Lightweight world champ Rocky Lockridge of New Jersey, whichever came first. Amateur career Lockridge started boxing as an amateur out of the Tacoma Boys Club New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. 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. ^[6]

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 Bryan Mitchell, and it became obvious Gómez's best years had gone by, so he retired after this fight. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

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. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) He later moved to Venezuela, where he ran into drug problems, causing him trouble with the law and spending some months in jail. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global Black market consisting of the cultivation manufacture distribution and sale of illegal Drugs A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of ^[8] He attended a rehabilitation center in Colombia. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Gómez rebounded and is now back in Puerto Rico, where he has managed to stay off drugs. He has helped the Hector 'Macho' Camacho with the training of Camacho's son Hector Camacho Jr., who is a boxer in the Jr Welterweight division. Héctor Camacho (born May 24, 1962) nicknamed "Macho Camacho", is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Hector Camacho Jr (born September 20 1978 in San Juan Puerto Rico) is a professional boxer In 1998, Gòmez became a born-again Christian. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth ^[9]

On May 18, 2003, Gómez returned to Panama, where he was received by Duran and Eusebio Pedroza, among others. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Eusebio Pedroza (born 1953) is a native of Panama who holds two records in Boxing: His 19 defenses as world Featherweight champion are a record 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". ^[10] However, he bought a house in Kissimmee, Florida in 2006, and plans to move there by May of that year. Kissimmee (kɪˈsɪmi with the accent on the second syllable is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Gómez has three daughters Jennifer, Maria Helena and Linselina and one son Wilfredo Junior. ^[11]

Gómez had a record of 44 win, 3 losses and 1 draw, with 42 knock out wins. In 1978, he was named Boxing Illustrated's fighter of the year. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) He is now a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall In 2003 a biographical film entitled Bazooka: The Battles of Wilfredo Gómez was produced by Cinemar Films, the documental was directed by Mario Diaz and was filmed in New York City. A biographical motion picture &mdash often shortened to biopic &mdash is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people The City of New York ^[12][13]

Professional Championships

Preceded by Dong Hyung Yen	Super Bantamweight champion (WBC) 1977–1983 Vacates	Succeeded by Jaime Garza
Preceded by Juan Laporte	Featherweight champion (WBC) 1984	Succeeded by Azumah Nelson
Preceded by Rocky Lockridge	Junior Lightweight champion (WBA) 1985–1986	Succeeded by Alfredo Layne

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
• List of boxing triple champions‎

References

External links

• Professional boxing record for Wilfredo Gómez from Boxrec
• Wilfredo Gomez Biography at the International Boxing Hall of Fame Website
• Oneeyedfilms "Bazooka: The Battles of Wilfredo Gomez"

BoxReccom is a website dedicated to keep updated records of professional boxers, both male and female.

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