I'd make Gomez a heavy favourite, I have seriously doubts about the wolverine's capabilities of operating an automatic weapon. :think
And he has always had problems with the weight (bantamweight) cut in every fight.......Super-bantamweight would be perfect weight for him !
The way to have beaten prime 122 lb Gomez would have been to try to drug him somehow just prior to the fight..or use loaded gloves. At his best, Gomez was just too much for anybody. Excepting, as I said, the previously named Eder Jofre.
How well would Harada match up with him? He's durable, his A-level activity could lower Gomez' own punch volume and crowd his punching range, and his constant peppering jab may be able to keep Gomez off balance and stop him from setting his best shots. And he's physically strong.
Well, how do you rate Zarate“s timing ? Key thing about a prime Jofre was that he didn't waste too many punches.....Accuracy and Timing...with power !
All I ever knew of was praise for his attempt. "Lupe had the guts of a bandit," was among the direct quotes in the press. However, I also think Gomez was deflated by then, due to the shocking beating from Sanchez followed by Sal's death forever depriving Wilfredo at a chance for redemption. Nonetheless, Pintor did redeem his originally undeserved status as Zarate's usurper by doing far better against Gomez than Carlos. It seems incredible after their war that Pintor actually did succeed to that title at Kid Mesa's expense, while Wilfredo managed to move up and snag a couple more divisional crowns from LaPorte and Lockridge.
I'd say the same for Zarate. He was one of the greatest finishers of all time for this very reason. His hooks and uppercuts were also more compact than Jofre's, who had a tendancy to throw them in a looping/bolo-esque motion. Jofre may've been more durable than Zarate, though. It's possible that he could take a bit more punishment than Zarate did in hopes of dishing out his own. I dunno, though. It's very hard to see someone as flat-footed as Jofre beating Gomez, who had the footwork of a ballerina.
A prime, pumped up, slightly crazed Johnny Tapia. who beat Romero. Like Duran in Montreal, Tapia was not to be denied that night. I would have Tapia get in Gomez' chest & throw combo after combo. use speed to keep Wilfredo off balance. and hope Tapia's adrenilan & strong chin will hold out for a decision win...
I'd give Sal Sanchez a buzz cut. That 'fro had to have weighed four pounds at least. Bah, pardon me for sprinkling a good thread with inanity.
Nothing wrong with Zarate's durability. He was stopped once, by a very big puncher in his prime. before retiring Zarate took shots from Rudolfo Martinez, Alfonso Zamora, & Lupe Pintor. plus others in over seventy fights, not too bad.