By Terence Dooley, at ringside
Carl Johanneson retained his British Super-featherweight title in Doncaster, England by defeating Manchester’s Michael Gomez over six rounds on a Frank Maloney bill. Johanneson, from Leeds, weathered the early storm before forcing the somewhat premature intervention of referee Mickey Vann after 2:50 of the sixth round.
Johanneson, who was USA based in the early part of his career, had looked troubled early in the fight, he was also bloodied around the face after only two rounds, yet he managed to find the space required to turn the fight with his straight shots as the rounds progressed.
Gomez, 9st 3 ½ lbs, came out hyped-up for the fight, he gesticulated to the fans after bounding into the ring.
The crowd was vocal and vociferous on both sides, their shouts warming up the cold air of the arena.
For his part Johanneson, stopped in his last fight by European Champion Leva Kirakosyan after only four rounds, looked nervous in making his way to the ring; perhaps he was still trying to work away the mental demons leftover from his prior fight.
Carl, 9st 3 ½ lbs, came out slowly and it was Gomez flashing the danger shots in the first round. A right hand and left uppercut drew early blood from the nose of the stiff looking Champion. Despite landing shots Gomez seemed to lack steam on the punches, the reach of his desire had exceeded the grasp of his longevity.
Early in the second, blood appeared around the left eye of Johanneson as Gomez landed shots inside.
Gomez, who came up at the same time as Ricky Hatton, was getting shots off, a right uppercut there, the odd left uppercut here, yet, unlike the night he sensationally defeated Alex Arthur in five rounds, there was no real venom and menace in the shots. Gomez had the inner fire, the exuberant desire, and the bounce of a young man but his punching was leaden and left Carl able to recover from the shots as the second round wore on.
Despite looking leggy Johanneson got off with a clean left hook and right hand at the rounds end to serve notice that he was getting his sea legs underneath him, for the first time, also, Gomez was forced to cede ground under the power of these shots.
So far the success of Gomez had been on the basis of single picked shots, the odd double when possible, yet, here in round three, Johanneson was now getting his jab into the fight, after a series of jabs he would bring right hands over and, by the middle of the round, he was hooking off the jab occasionally then trying the right hand again. A left hook and right hand at the rounds end flashed an ominous warning sign across the bows of Gomez. Johanneson had weathered the worst of the storm.
For Gomez there was the hope that his body shots, 27 by the end of round three, would take effect and Michael started round four with a left hook to the ribs of his opponent. Johanneson, however, landed a left hook to the head then got in a jab before Gomez pushed him back a little with a right uppercut.
Both men traded in this the fourth round with, first, Johanneson being pushed back and then, pivotally for the fight, Gomez being put on the back foot and, therefore, halfway out of the fight. At the rounds end Johanneson nodded at Gomez.
Carl was looking bloodied but unbowed and one sensed that he was going to try to make a statement in round five.
This turned out to be the case as Johanneson weathered Gomez’s pressure, which yielded a sole left uppercut success, then got on his front foot, liberally popping out jabs and trying to back Gomez up. Gomez steadied his feet and landed a left uppercut but he was now the fighter backing-up, as well marking-up around the right eye.
Johanneson really took the fight by the scruff of the neck towards the end of the round and a final pair of left hooks sent Gomez back to his corner on unsteady legs.
The end came in round six. A few times in the previous round referee Mickey Vann had looked like he was getting ready to jump in and call the fight off. Each time this occurred Gomez would affect some head movement then got the odd shot off.
Vann’s mind was possibly partially decided when a doubled one-two, with one of the two lefts being a decisive blow, put Gomez over for the first knockdown of the fight. It was a heavy and tired knockdown, Gomez had given his all, entertained, but his early rounds moment had passed.
Johanneson, always a good finisher, moved in and landed a left hook and right hand, Gomez wobbled backwards and Vann jumped in.
An obviously upset and hyped-up Gomez angrily complained to Vann before storming out of the ring, he asked for a rematch in the dressing room on the basis of a premature stoppage, he said he was prepared to weather any storms.
The stoppage was premature in some ways. Gomez was not going to win the fight, in my opinion, but if this was to be his last chance to fight then he should have been given the chance to go to on his shield and erase the memories of his controversial stoppage loss to Peter McDonagh. Gomez turned his back on the action that night citing boredom. This time he supplied entertainment whilst also showing his heart.
It seemed that Vann had made up his mind to rescue Gomez after a torrid fifth and the stoppage, surely, was not far away anyway after that decisive round.
It had been a give and take fight for two rounds before Johanneson’s youth served him well. Johanneson now goes on to fight Frank Warren’s prospect Kevin Mitchell in December.
Johanneson rises to 27-3 (19)
Gomez falls to 34-8 (24)
