He looks pale in the video. But I also think he'd probably struggled against Gomez. It might have even been like Sanchez-Gomez but the other way around. That Gomez was not in love with his power as of yet and could box from the outside.
Yes, Gomez was still using his boxing skills at this point of his career. A pure boxing match between them would have been interesting because Zarate was a superb boxer too. Zarate just seemed off kilter from the start. I’ve watched a fair number of Zarate fights and I’ve never thought he looked sloppy but he did that night. Again, not taking anything away from Gomez who was dialled in and laser focused. It was practically an assault.
I just went back and rewatched the fight to check my own recollections of it. What’s interesting is the way Zarate was the aggressor from the start. Usually, he started out quite slowly and sized up his opponent, found his range and then started to wind up the pressure but in this one, he went hunting right away. Why? It could be that he decided to take the crowd out of the equation, or it could be that he thought his best chance was to get Gomez out of there early, I don’t know. But, tactically, it does seem an untypical fight that he fought. He left himself much more open to Gomez’s counters and Gomez was a fighter who was very comfortable fighting on the back foot. @ChrisJS Did Carlos ever say what his plan was in this fight? I wonder if the speed at which he went on the attack had anything to do with his physical condition coming in and he thought ‘If I don’t get Gomez out of there early, I’m not going to last 15 rounds’.
It could be because thats exactly what I sometimes think Gomez thought against Salvador Sanchez too. It would make sense that someone who is not in good condition and knows it would feel that way.
You could add to this thread on conspiracy theories, weight-rigging and judging. For the former - I'm just going to copy and paste here - this is something I brought up awhile back: When Eddie Ndukwu fought Gomez, Ndukwu's people and the TV people (ABC) said that Gomez got on the scale and had a crowd of people suddenly converge around the scale so that no one had any sight of the scale. They said they heard the clunk of the scale which would indicate too heavy, but some official yells out the contracted weight and Gomez gets off the scale, grabs a cup and 'downs' whatever is in it. This way he can't get back up on the scale if anyone protests. One of Ndukwu's people manages to get the cup and it is clean. No residue of anything in it. Moreover, Albert Davila had the exact same story when he fought Gomez in San Juan before he even won the 122 lb. title. Believe me, the Puerto Rican officials and likely the WBA/WBC really took care of Gomez.
And here we can scrutinize a judging conspiracy theory. Was it a bought judge or were they just intimidated? Here's another copy/paste of something I wrote a while back: I had a re-look at Gomez' record just now and wasn't aware of the proximity of the robbery and near-robberies that were taking place down in San Juan. So as I said, I had Layne-Gomez even at 76-76, but all 3 judges had Gomez comfortably ahead. The fight before that was the Lockridge debacle with Gomez winning the title on 2 cards and the third even. I had it 146-142 for Lockridge and I don't believe I have seen any cards on this thread that didn't have Rocky ahead. The fight before that was the Azumah Nelson fight, which I scored 97-95 for Nelson before he stopped Gomez in the 11th. But Gomez was actually leading on 2 cards with the 3rd even. Again, I don't believe I have seen one card on here that had Gomez ahead. I'm not going to say these judges were paid off, but I do think they were scared spitless. I recall the staunch Harry Gibb looking the other way of Gomez' dirty antics in the Zarate fight and the ref in the Azumah Nelson fight looking the other way of Gomez' countless low blows. Again, I didn't realize these fights were in succession and I'm surprised none of the magazines called attention to this. One can see the volatility of the San Juan crowd during exchanges involving Gomez. They back their man to the hilt. But one wonders what these officials must be feeling and what is being spouted at them before and during these contests to turn them into shrinking violets.
Perhaps all these supposed (and i do believe them) luxuries/leeways came back and bit him on the ass. Even when fighting in the division above against Sanchez he came in overweight and had to drop quite a bit of weight late. In certain bouts it seems he would have gotten away with it but Sanchez was probably too big a bout for any such liberties. Karma perhaps.
Great post. This, and the overdone machismo b.s. are why Gomez is one of my least favorite fighters. Can't stand fighters who have strings pulled and favors done for them this way. I've read the same thing about Gomez. Chavez too; great as he indisputably was, he benefitted from his promotional connections and was grinningly defiant about it, as if it was his birthright to receive such royalty treatment. Gomez is the same. Can't stand him.
I had Gomez by 98-92 in person. I now realize, I was new to scoring fights and I was only 12 lol because in hindsight, watching it now on you tube (again I saw it in person originally!) there is no way he was winning 98-92., I in fact see it for Azumah now in the range of 97-93. As far as Harry Gibs, I love Gomez, he and Wilfred Benitez are my two favorite boxers of all time but he should have been disqualified after hitting Zarate after the bell or at least he should have lost a point, but I have to think my countrypeople scared Harry Gibs. Rewatching it yesterday I wondered what I would feel like in his position, 15,000 people would not let me get out alive if I disqualified Gomez for a foul and given the fight and title to Zarate that day! On the other hand, about the blow that he hit Zarate with on the floor, technically that was legal because Gibs hadn't told him to stop. It was a cheap shot in the Mayweather-Ortiz range and worse yet because Zarate was down, but it was legal. Gibs still hadn't indicated it was a knockdown and to stop fighting so, purely from a technical standpoint of view only, Gomez was within his rights. Gibs was seen telling him to stop just after the blow had landed. Had he opened his mouth one second before, he'd been in all his right to DQ Gomez for that as well.
Antonio, you bring up an interesting point. Personally, I don't believe it's mandatory for the referee to say stop, when a man is down. It should be automatic. A man down, you stop punching and head to a neutral corner. Thus, why Roy Jones was DQ'd against Montell Griffin, Colin Jones DQ'd against Razor Ramsey and Terry Norris DQ'd against Luis Santana. These fighters clipped their man when he was down - without waiting for the ref to call stop - and were DQ'd. Is this not in the rules or is this just me being idealistic?
I think once he was out of San Juan he was under too much scrutiny. He was never going to get away with 'considerations' with Nevada officials.
Im not sure! But my understanding was that if the referee didn't say it first then its ok. Hence the reason why Riddick Bowe wasnt dq's by Arthur Mercante Sr. in 94 against Buster Mathis Jr, but Roy Jones Jr was by the same referee I think. Im not sure what is the rule or the ref's what's the word?? Oh and btw I know you probably didn't know this, but,,,I prefer being called Jeanette here Antonio is like my deadname these days.
Trust me, Gomez changed. He has been a down to earth person since retiring. I met him, and also from seeing him interact with fans on You Tube videos. As far as Chavez, the two times I met him, he did sign a couple things for me, but he had a prima donna attitude. BUT in the latest videos Ive seen of him on You tube, he has admitted that precisely during that era, he could not stand anyone and was in a dark place, and he seems humbled down now too, maybe he has changed and is down to earth now? I dont know but who knows? At least he admits everything.
