Just noticed this is now up with English subs. A great though sad documentery. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjKskox2gJE[/ame]
Thanks for the post. Gomez was superb and a brilliant ring general before he fell in love with the knockout. He also looked like nintendo's Mario.
Al, thank you; just finished watching it. Excellent video. I guess I don't see Wilfredo's story being all that sad, however. He remains to this day unrepentent about the toll boxing took on him, and he seems to fully understand the wages of sin. I can't see someone like that as a victim. Not that you necessarily see it that way yourself, just making a stand-alone argument myself here..........:good It did bother me a little that the video played up the "Poor Wilfredo" angle so often; "Oh poor Wilfredo. It's not his fault he lost to Sanchez. He just didn't train!" ..........then he gets back on track after time, regains some popularity and confidence (in that order)...........aaaaand promptly goes back to being a high-lifer again and doesn't train. "Poor Wilfredo! He is led astray yet again!" Meh. He did it to himself, and they took dramatic liberties here to paint a false picture of him I think. They also played fast and loose with what actually happened in his bouts with Nelson and Lockridge. They claim in the film that Gomez "Easily won the first seven rounds" against Nelson before simply running out of gas. Complete crap. He was handily beaten all the way in that fight. You could tell that perhaps even this starry-eyed filmmaker didn't really believe Gomez beat Lockridge in 1985. The bout is described here as "Very tough" and that's about it. Of course, what happened in this fight or that fight really isn't the point of the film, and I get that. And while an interesting story, I don't see Wilfredo Gomez being any kind of poster child for the dangers of boxing or the vissicitudes of life in the fast lane. He has (apparently) invested wisely enough to life fairly comfortably, has a new wife that loves him, and a nice family. He doesn't seem too brain damaged to me, and he is actively managing other fighters, thereby maintaining his connection to the past glories. Don't see much to cry about there. If they wanted a heart-rending story of one of their own, how about a Benitez documentary? Good film though, and many thanks for posting that!
Yes, I know what you're saying. When I say sad, I mean that to me he appeared to have been damaged by boxing (and his lifestyle) like so many boxers. He's one of the lucky ones really because he made some good investments back in the day.
As big a fan of Gomez as I am, I couldn't help but notice, like salsanchezfan mentioned, the excuse making angle of the video. Living the high life and not training was his down fall against Sanchez,...and he repented by getting in shape for his next few fights, but promptly goes partying and not training for Nelson,...and someone says "a certain lawyer led poor Wilfredo astray" (paraphrase),...conveniently blaming the "lawyer" and not Gomez himself. That was maybe the onloy negative in an otherwise fine doc about a truly great (at 122) fighter in Gomez. It was great to see the early years and prime of Bazooka.
To wind up so fat and puffy looking is one thing, but to seem brain damaged or impaired from boxing, well maybe slightly. He does seem a trifle "slow", but nothing like his compatriot Benitez, or many others who obviously slur their words and show more signs of the abuse they took in the ropes. The contrast between what he once looked like and what he looks like today is the most striking thing to me.
Yeah, he looks not so much heavy as he does odd........almost all the weight went to his face, it's very strange. But whatever, that's not meant to be derogatory, just something I notice every time I see a recent pic of him. At 122, as you said, he was remarkable. Such a blend of aggression, movement, power, and sprinkle a little meanness into the mix along with one of the biggest fighting hearts you'll ever see, and you have a spectacular fighter.
Interesting documentary. I've always been a bit of a Gomez skeptic, since an awful large chunk of his record number of defenses at 122 came against very suspect opposition. That said, he didn't beat Kobayashi, Davila, Pintor, and Zarate by accident. He's obviously one of a kind in terms of skills but I've never subscribed to the propaganda that no one in history could ever beat him at 122. I think Morales would be absolutely 50/50 with him. People often talk about how Gomez lost a step by stepping up to featherweight, but Morales was able to fight at an elite level for quite a spell all the way up at 130. I think Morales' height, underrated power, and skillful feints and kangaroo style would really, really give Gomez hell. And if Pintor could push Wilfredo that hard then just imagine what Morales could do. I don't think Barrera would have quite the same chance, but he could also spell trouble for Gomez, and maybe Jeff Fenech as well.
