How to beat: Wilfredo Gomez

Gomez had a bit of the sadist in him. That's what made him so especially deadly. He would sometimes prolong the torture of an opponent and string out the beating for a while. He was supremely confident back during his 122 lb title days.

 

Gomez would have found Olivares' chin eventually. What he did to Zarate was soooo impressive, and I suspect that would have been Olivares' fate as well. i honestly don't think any bantam of history would have survived the Bazooka except again, possibly Jofre.

 

I've always thought that Gomez could get quite predictable in there, jab-cross-left hook to the body, over and over, but he's just so good it would be hard to take advantage of even if you were alerted to it. That's why for me back foot boxing and countering in that way is not a desirable game plan, you need to try and dominate the centre of the ring and control the fight, the way Snachez ultimately did. At 122 i wouldn't favour anyone but Morales would certainly try his best and for me give a better account of himself than anybody else

 

:?

Maybe post-Sanchez, or even post-Zarate to an extent, but the young Gomez was one of the most varied punchers and movers I've ever seen.

 

It's definitely up there. My favorite is probably his thorough dismantling of Juan Antonio Lopez in their first fight, though. Gomez at his apex.

 

I'd just been watching the Pintor fight recently, he was doing it a lot in that fight, i haven't watched young Pintor in a while so i'll take your word on it, but he was only 26 in the fight i'm referring to.

 

I just think that at 122, it's suicide going to the ropes against Gomez, he's probably going to ko you if you do that.

 

Gomez or Pintor?

Gomez was slowly declining technically from about the Zarate fight on, in my opinion. Looking less to pick his opponents apart with technical precision in favor of overwhelming them. That's not to say he'd turned into a McClellan-type or anything, but the decline was noticeable, I feel. The combination of a more forward, power-boxing style and moving up in weight against such a tough cookie like Sanchez was his undoing.

His peak was from about '76-'78, in my opinion, or 19-22 years old. An early bloomer, certainly. Tyson-esque, really, in the arc of his career (a few things not considered, obviously).

 

Gomez. Yeah maybe true, good post. I'd really have to sit down and have a good look and think before i could agree or disagree.

 

His decline makes sense, too, given the nature of his defeat over such a dangerous and highly touted killer as Zarate. His self-image must've been through the roof, and he was always a cocky *******. It was really only a matter of time before the screws started to loosen in the rails.

 

Past a certain point, I agree. Pre-Zarate, I disagree. The first Lopez fight was the quintessence of angling, lateral movement, integration of offense and defense with the upper-body, etc. Just a pitch-perfect performance. One of my all time favourites, actually.

At 122?