WILFREDO GOMEZ: 1956 - 2026
end of the fourth, and referee Harry Gibbs had lost control of the violence when Gomez hit Zarate on the floor as the end arrived in Round 5. It was a controversial conclusion, but Gomez was ferociously dominant in securing a win that confirmed his status as one of the finest pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He made seven further defenses, with Carlos Mendoza (TKO 10) the only man to make it beyond Round 6 during this dazzling run. Gomez needed a fresh challenge, and there was another Mexican superstar in his sights: the immaculately skilled WBC featherweight titleholder, Salvador Sanchez. Against the advice of some in his inner circle, Gomez pursued two-division glory. He was rambunctious during the buildup, fully believing that his savage power would do the job at 126 pounds. However, slack preparations left him struggling to make his new weight limit and Sanchez turned in a masterful and merciless performance, stopping his Puerto Rican foe in eight and securing a banner win for Mexico.
“I couldn’t win. I let my people down. I let down all Puerto Ricans, and Puerto Ricans feel let down by me,” a remorseful Gomez said after the fight. An emotionally tough period followed as he rebuilt, stringing together further defenses of his junior featherweight crown. The prospect of a Sanchez rematch motivated Gomez greatly, but on August 12, 1982, Sanchez died in a car crash. He was 23. Gomez wept in interviews discussing the passing of his fallen rival. There was one more banner night at junior featherweight that December, when Gomez and Mexico’s Lupe Pintor, a
former bantamweight titleholder, stole the show on the Wilfred Benitez-Thomas Hearns undercard. Gomez pulled out a 14th- round stoppage in an utterly brutal affair. His bravery and brilliance were beyond question, restoring his reputation from the Sanchez beatdown. But it was unquestionably one of those fights that puts miles on the odometer. It was the last of Gomez’s 17 junior featherweight defenses, and he became a two-weight champion back at his old Puerto Rican stomping ground in March 1984 when compatriot Juan Laporte had the temerity to take him the 12-round distance for
the prize of the WBC featherweight belt. Gomez dominated the first two-thirds of a maiden defense against fellow great Azumah Nelson but was shudderingly stopped in Round 11. In response, Gomez stepped up again to junior lightweight to tangle with Ring and WBA champion Rocky Lockridge at The Roberto Clemente. An ugly scrap ensued, and Gomez had to come through hell. He credited Lockridge punching him in the throat and damaging his vocal cords for giving him the raspy voice he carried through his retirement years. The great Angelo Dundee was in Gomez’s corner and wanted to pull him out around the eighth. Wilfredo would hear nothing of it, bit down on his gum shield and eked out a majority decision win to become a three-weight champion. That was the perfect time to sign off, but like so many before him, he boxed on for a handful of fights, a shadow of the formidable warrior he was. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.
(Left to right) Yum Dong-kyun, Derrik Holmes and Nestor Jimenez feel the power of the Bazooka. All three of these formidable opponents were stopped by Gomez.
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