Why didn't Gomez go after Pedroza? Did Gomez consider Sanchez the easier of the two featherweight champs to beat? Pedroza by TKO over Gomez in ten hard fought, foul-filled rounds.
I think the magic Gomez spell was broken when he went up that short step to featherweight from 122. I can't understand it really, because at 122 Gomez was one of the greatest fighters I've ever seen..a perfect fighter I think...and there was that barrier, like he lost his super powers at 127. Sanchez of course was as much to blame as anything...and that was Gomez's misfortune...and Pedroza, unfortunately as well, was a bridge too far as well. That dirty, physical, rough style and smarts from the taller, b igger and stronger Pedroza would have been the difference, even though Gomez might have gotten lucky and cracked that previously cracked jaw of Pedroza. To be fair to Pedroza, that jaw cracking was done by Alfonzo Zamora..but at bantamweight. I would call it like this...Pedroza over Gomez by a foul filled, rough and ugly 15 round decision..with a late round kd to punctuate the decision for Pedroza.
I really don't rate Pedroza as high as most people but he's too much for Gomez here. It'd be fun to watch because Gomez had a dirty streak too that people never mention on here.
My initial impression is that Pedroza was emotionally stronger than Gomez and would wear him down in a battle of wills. Gomez was so far above most of his 122lb challengers, it never seemed as though he was tested in that regard. As was said, Pedroza and Sanchez were prime examples of "mentally tough" even amongst champions. Tough task, but maybe he would've landed a big bomb or showed something more than what I believe was there.
Their paths simply weren't going to cross unless Wilfredo beat Chava conclusively. He went after Sanchez because Sal was the bigger name in the States. He'd beaten Little Red for his title, and Danny was the biggest lighter weight name in American boxing prior to the professional emergence of the 1976 US Olympic Boxing Squad. Lopez-Gomez was thus the lighter weight superfight everybody was anticipating before Sal came out of nowhere to upset Danny. It's a business, and Sanchez was bigger money for Wilfredo, simple as that. After Sal trashed him, aiming for redemption was the only alternative. After Sanchez got killed, the natural objective was to try succeeding him to the WBC FW Title, which Gomez did accomplish when he beat LaPorte. By then, Eusebio had little over a year left in his record setting reign. Even before then though, Nelson usurped Wilfredo, who then moved up to take the WBA 130 belt from Lockridge just before McGuigan made Pedroza a former champion.
