A Fire Burns Within: The Miraculous Journey of Wilfredo 'Bazooka' Gomez by Giudice Christian

Author:Giudice, Christian [Giudice, Christian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2016-06-21T04:00:00+00:00

Round VIII

Picking Up the Pieces: Wilfredo Moves On

‘I thought it would be an easy fight’

Wilfredo Gomez

T HE bout itself was too one-sided to wrestle ‘Fight of the Year’ honours away from Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns. Fans expect a super-fight to include an intriguing ebb and flow and at least one moment where the outcome is in doubt; in that sense, this ‘superfight’ was mundane. Sanchez did not have to reach the zenith of his boxing skills to turn back Gomez. It was over after the first round, and that was what infuriated Gomez’s followers.

Gomez refused to go to the post-fight press conference; Sanchez felt energised by the outcome and his overall performance when he told a reporter, ‘I fought exactly according to my plan. I really enjoyed fighting Gomez. In fact, I was so eager for this fight, I wish we could have gone 15 rounds.’ Contrary to most fight fans and boxing experts, judges Duane Ford and Charles Minker only had Sanchez ahead by two points at the time of the stoppage, while Henry Elespuru somehow had him winning by one point.

There is always something to be said for going home again. In 1979, training in Mexico ahead of his next bout with Bazooka Limon, Alexis Arguello received word that the Sandinistas had expropriated everything he had. For nearly ten years, Arguello could not go home. Even so, Arguello never allowed the resentment he felt to extinguish the love he had for his people. When the Contras took over, and Arguello returned, it wasn’t the same. He was at the back end of his career, flirting between unsuccessful boxing comebacks. All of his good years were spent in Miami, a forced exile that never left him.

Conversely, after Roberto Duran walked out of the ring in his second bout with Sugar Ray Leonard, he made the decision to return home. It was not, however, the same familiar place that the hometown hero remembered so fondly. Amid the graffiti and insults lay a man haunted by his own decisions. Like Arguello, Duran would make amends with his people and once again secure his legend.

Yet, fans and celebrities poked fun at Gomez too.

‘It took me about six months to get over the loss,’ said Gomez. ‘During that time, a celebrity went on the air and mocked me during a show. I was really hurt. The guy called me and [also] apologised through the media.’

At one point in his life Wilfredo Gomez had to go home again to become whole. Loss and redemption will take you on a journey to that place.

‘We stayed in Las Vegas for four days,’ said Paco Valcarcel. ‘During those four days, we planned what we were going to say when we got back to Puerto Rico. The press was waiting for us. He got glasses so no one would see his eyes. The mayor of Guaynabo, Junior Cruz, made a press conference at City Hall. Wilfredo told the people that he had a problem because he “got on a scale which was different than the one at the weigh-in”.

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