Z "The Dream" Gorres

There have been precious few updates on his condition in the last several years, I've noticed.

2010 (four months after the Melendez fight) - Emerged from coma, had successful throat surgery, began rehab, slowly regaining very limited nerve function in parts of his body.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/03/06/10/gorres-recovers-throat-surgery

2013 - blown up more than 40lbs despite regular exercise as part of his ongoing rehabilitation, enough to worry doctors so much they dissuade him from pursuing his long-standing aspirations to coach fighters and remain involved with the sport in some capacity. Able to walk but only with the use of a leg brace. Getting by running a convenience store with his wife, having received financial assistance from his manager along with Nonito Donaire & Manny Pacquiao - but none from Top Rank outside the 8% of his initial medical bill they footed in his first hospital stay over 5 years ago. :-(
http://www.philstar.com/sports/2013/01/22/899707/gorres-back-gym


That last article is two years old. Gorres was an excellent fighter who gave it his all until the last and nearly paid the price (stubbornly beating the count to finish on his feet - and win a UD10! - even having already realized the peril he was in) and has seemingly been forgotten by and large, even by the Filipino boxing fan community. I can't remember the last time anyone posted inquiring about his well-being...yet we have multiple threads on the more or less plateaued condition of, say, Paul Williams. (guilty of this myself, for the record - I remember hunting down info pertaining to Gorres for a year or two after his collapse in the ring and brain clotting but ultimately it faded from my memory)


Why aren't more in the PI boxing scene (besides just Pac & Nonito - and bear in mind that Nonito's brother was KTFO in 2 minutes flat by Gorres!) getting behind Z to help at least get him back ringside working young boxers' corners?

 

For newer fans who just don't know the name: he was really good, and should have been champ. He was robbed against Fernando Montiel in their primes in Kochulito's 3rd defense of his second reign as WBO super fly champ. Of course, some argue that was balanced out in karmic terms by Gorres receiving a hometown gift draw over Vic Darchinyan in their later messy, violent encounter.

 

...and Bob Arum can eat a giant bag of ****s. :verysad

8% of the first bill. (maximum of boilerplate insurance provided)

 

Good man. :good

 

Yeah. Mago's case I think gets a little more attention and has sustained it for longer because of a couple of factors (Perez vs. Abdusalamov was on a much higher-profile show on HBO World Championship Boxing, whereas Gorres vs. Melendez was on an Azteca America card with vastly lower viewership, and not even the main event; plus heavyweights always get more media hype and attention than people in Gorres' weight range in general, and Perez and Abdusalamov were both buzz-worthy unbeaten heavyweight prospects as opposed to crossroads contenders at bantamweight like Gorres & Melendez were) but ultimately I suspect the same will happen. Within a year or two his name won't even pop up. :verysad

A lot of the appreciation for the sacrifice these men make in the ring ends up coming across as hollow lip service, when you realize how many of them get shrugged off with time, with some fans continuing to espouse the attitude that any remotely anticlimactic stoppage resulting in anything short of a video game style highlight-reel KO is "premature" or robbing the fans or fighters of letting contests reach a 'natural conclusion'. :!:

 

Yeah. Nobody is. Everyone is a single punch away from disaster in any given moment.

Boxers aren't characters in cartoons, yet by the way some people detach themselves for the sake of being entertained guilt-free you would not believe they know the ddifference.

 

Why didn't he end up getting a job from close buddy Gerry Peñalosa, instead of having to rough it with a convenience store with his wife Dachess?

Peñalosa gave his entire purse from his retirement bout to Gorres for his medical bills, and then opened the Peñalosa Gym a short time later. Once he could at least walk again, why didn't Z get to at least serve in some kind of advisory capacity, or assistant coach? :think

 

Gorres vs. Chuwatana was a goddamn masterclass of annuitized violence.

The straight left hand lead and right hook combo was a thing of terrible beauty..