By Jake Donovan

It was barely 30 minutes into the debut episode of "The Contender" when fans and participants were given the first surprise of the series. Given the option of cherry picking his first round opponent, Alfonso Gomez, the smallest and considered the weakest contestant, instead goes after the man favored to win, then-undefeated Peter Manfredo, Jr.

Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone were surprised by the move and the result, as Gomez proved the gamble to be a well-calculated one by pulling out the five-round decision.

Little did they, and the boxing world, realize at the time was that it was just business as usual for Alfonso Gomez.

"Before, and even on, The Contender, I was always "the opponent," said Gomez, who resumes his old role when he faces crowd favorite Arturo Gatti this weekend in Atlantic City (Saturday, HBO, 9PM ET/6PM PT). "Ishe (Smith), (Jesse) Feliciano – even against Manfredo on The Contender, I was the opponent. I've always been forced to go on the road and go the extra mile."

Come fight night, Gomez will discover that this road will be unlike any other previously traveled. Arturo Gatti playing Atlantic City generally means three things: an all-action fight, HBO coverage, and a sold-out Boardwalk Hall arena.

The latter two are already guaranteed, with Arturo headlining and selling out the arena for the 9 th straight time. His string of HBO appearances extends further, appearing on the self-proclaimed Network of Champions for the 12th straight time, and 23rd overall appearance on the network or its PPV arm.

In stark contrast, Gomez is the only welterweight among the six to be showcased this weekend who has yet to appear on HBO – or in New Jersey, for that matter. Also factoring into the equation, former Contender alums are still in search of their first HBO-televised win, with season one entrants Manfredo (runner-up) and Smith, and Season two contenders Norberto Bravo (semi-finalist) and Stevie Forbes (runner-up) all falling short in their appearances, all coming in 2007. He is an underdog in every sense of the word.

Again, just another day at the office in the world of Alfonso Gomez.

"If I worried about not having every advantage in every fight, then my career would've never begun," Gomez insists. "I fought a guy in his hometown in my pro debut. I fought Ishe Smith in my second pro fight, and plenty of undefeated or once-beaten fighters along the way. I've always taken risks, and it's what has made me who I am.

"This fight against Gatti is a necessary risk for me. Our styles guarantee a Fight of the Year type fight, which I believe works in my favor.   Going in there against Gatti, 35 and all of the wars, I'll be the younger, stronger and hungrier fighter. I believe he's at the point where he's going to be forced to pass the torch."

Of course, Gomez doesn't expect Gatti to mail it in. What he does expect is for Gatti to deviate from his announced intentions of turning a fight into a boxing match.

"If I'm not mistaken, he's said it about in previous fights, and it never seems to turn out that way. He might try to box me, but at the end of the day, he'll go where his heart is. If he does go toe to toe, he will be hurt. I've been training for both, whether he boxes or brawls."

Despite having just 21 fights on his professional resume, Gomez has already prepared for all varieties. A standout amateur career of 80-10 was good enough to put him in contention for a slot on the 2000 Olympic team, but not enough to enjoy a pampered pro career. The transplanted Mexican was forced to go the tough love route, turning pro mere miles from the hometown of his more experienced opponent Pedro Ochoa. Gomez pulled off the first of what would be many upsets in his career, escaping with a split decision.

Less than a month later, it was off to Las Vegas, where he dropped a hard-fought decision to hometown favorite Ishe Smith, who was 3-0 at the time. The two would meet again three years later, as they wound up as roommates on The Contender. It was on the show where Smith would confess that Gomez was his toughest test to date.

Despite only boasting a record 10-2-1 entering the Contender, Gomez already packed a wallop of ring experience. His level of opposition possessed a combined record of 70-40-5, remarkable for any prospect. Only 3 of his first 13 had an upside-down record, with 8 coming against opponents with 1 loss or undefeated records.

It was the win in the first Manfredo fight that permanently carved a spot in the hearts of fans around the world, but it was The Contender series as a whole that changed Gomez' life.

"Life during and after The Contender has been incredible," admits Gomez. "Truthfully, without the show, I probably don't get this fight, I'm just another Mexican from the West Coast struggling to remain, or even become, relevant. Thanks to the show, I've had the privilege of signing countless autographs, and fighting in front of 15,000-20,000 people."

Gomez has not just fought in front of large audiences, but saved his best performances for capacity crowds. Wins over Jesse Brinkley, Luciano Perez and Martin Concepcion all came on Contender specials in front of sold out arenas. Though entering this weekend's fight without The Contender backdrop, Gomez is hoping to bring some of that karma on the road.

"I'm always at my best when my back is against the wall. I've been on both sides of big fights, though mostly as the opponent. Arturo's had a great run, but I am ready to show that it's my time to shine."

Some whispers around boxing circles suggest that it won't take much to bump off today's version of Arturo Gatti. Once regarded as a human highlight film, Gatti has clearly shown in recent performances that his best days are long gone, especially in his last three fights. His lone win in the past 25 months came against lightly regarded Thomas Damgaard, a tougher-than-expected battle that was sandwiched between lopsided stoppage losses against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Carlos Baldomir.

All that said, it's still Arturo Gatti we're talking about. While confident in his own abilities. Gomez is counting on, or at least prepared for the possibility of, the Gatti of old resurfacing on the A.C. strip this weekend.

"You can never count someone like Arturo out," claims Gomez. "Whether he wins or loses, he always gives the fans what they want. That's what motivates me – he's a fighter. Maybe he boxes in this one, maybe he brawls. All I know is that he's coming to fight."

A style not unlike the approach Gomez takes to his fights, which has proven to reap major benefits. Gomez is 11-1-1 after struggling to a 5-2-1 start to his career. The lone loss was a razor thin split decision to Manfredo in their Contender rematch. The draw came to another familiar foe in Jesse Feliciano, against whom Gomez is now 1-1-1. His May 2006 draw against a perceived faded version of Feliciano raised some eyebrows, suggesting that perhaps Gomez' 15 minutes of fame were all used up. However, the draw doesn't look as bad in light of Feliciano's upset knockout win over highly touted prospect Delvin Rodriguez earlier this year.

Never one to rely on anyone else, Gomez decided to redeem himself on his own merits. Impressive knockout wins over Carson Jones and Martin Concepcion has his career back on track, though further obstacles remain ahead, none bigger (for the moment) than the one he faces this weekend. Though hearing Gomez tell it, it's an uphill battle he's always longed for.

"It's funny that this will be the fight that potentially puts me on the map as a force to be reckoned with," reflects Gomez. "Even before the very first episode of The Contender, whenever anyone asked me the one opponent I wanted to face, it was Gatti's name that was always on my mind. The way he fights and the way I fight, I always knew that if we met in the ring it would produce the Fight of the Year. Now here we are, it's my dream come true."

Or at least one of his dreams.

"A win over Arturo Gatti puts me in line for a world title, which has been my dream since I was ten years old. I am grateful for the opportunity I am getting (Saturday night). It's an opportunity I've always wanted, and I will prove that it's my time to shine. I am at 100% and even though I'm once again against the odds, I will give 100% of myself in this fight and do everything in my power to emerge victorious."

In other words, just another day at the office for Alfonso Gomez.