Both were in their primes when the fought with the only matter that could have changed things in a future match being Gomez busted cheek bone in the 1st round. Do any of you seeing Gomez being able to come out on top in another go? Personally I used to think so but not any more, Wilfredo could box with anyone but he didn't have much speed which Sal had big time. That, pin point punching and endurance has Sal on top every time.
Gomez was well past his best when they met. As for the fight.....for some reason some step ups from one weight class to the next seem almost impossible ...superbantam to feather being one of them. (Middle to super middle is a tough ask too.) Very few achieve the step up from 122 to 126 at title level.
It's hard to say really, he did get nailed early in the fight and it's hard to get over something like that against someone of the quality of Sanchez. On a different night who knows. You could say the same about whether Zarate could of beaten Gomez on another night. I think there really is a question mark over Zarate's fitness for that one and Wilfredo's conduct as well. Harry Gibbs had an uncharacteristic bad night for that one.
I don’t think Gomez was past his prime at all. I think he was in his prime and the fact that he subsequently went on to win the featherweight title and super featherweight title prove it. The real question we should be asking is what would have happened between a more seasoned and experienced Azumah Nelson vs The great Salvador Sanchez in a rematch or Sanchez vs Julio Cesar Chavez Senior.