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It could be reasonably argued that per square mile, no place on earth has produced more boxing heroes than have Puerto Rico and Mexico. Prizefighting is embedded deep in the culture of each, so much so that the heroes spawned there are more gods than sports figures. Is it any surprise that over the last 30 years some of the best and biggest fights and the most heated rivalries have been between champions born in these boxing-crazed lands?
by william dettloff
Wilfredo Gomez, the wonderful, power-punching junior featherweight champion from the Las Monjas section of San Juan, was one of the lower-weight stars of the 1980s and one of the heaviest punchers, pound-for-pound, in the sport. And his biggest and most memorable fights were against Mexican champions.
The first came in October 1978 against the marvelous, undefeated Mexican icon Carlos Zarate. Zarate was undefeated in 54 straight fights, (53 by knockout) and was considered by many to be the best fighter in the sport. A lanky, pulverizing puncher, Zarate was the reigning bantamweight champion and had made seven title defenses when he moved up four pounds to challenge Gomez. He soon regretted it. Before a crazed crowd at the Roberto Clement Coliseum, Gomez overwhelmed Zarate with power punches and stopped him in the fifth round.
Gomez got his comeuppance three years later in another superfight, this against the brilliant featherweight champion from Mexico, Salvador Sanchez. Like Zarate, Gomez was moving up and challenging a highly respected champion. And like Zarate, he was overwhelmed. Sanchez dropped him in the opening round, broke his cheekbone and ****** both of his eyes shut before stopping him in the eighth round.
Gomez gained revenge for Puerto Rico the following year by outlasting Mexico's Lupe Pintor in one of the great fights of the era. Pintor had dethroned (and retired) Zarate by controversial decision in 1979 and proved himself a fine and stubborn champion in his own right, making eight title defenses before moving up to challenge Gomez, just as Zarate had. On the undercard of the Thomas Hearns-Wilfred Benitez fight at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Gomez and Pintor put on a brutal slugfest that ended finally in the 14th round after Gomez dropped Pintor twice.
Puerto Rico's next great puncher, Edwin Rosario, didn't have the superfights that Gomez did, but he did have a sizzling rivalry with Mexican tough guy Jose Luis Ramirez. Like Gomez, Rosario could box, but was also a dynamite puncher, an explosive slugger who frequently ended fights with a single left hook or right hand. He was being touted as the next Roberto Duran when, at 20 years old and with an undefeated record, he met Ramirez for the vacant lightweight title that had been vacated when Alexis Arguello jumped to junior welterweight.
by william dettloff
Wilfredo Gomez, the wonderful, power-punching junior featherweight champion from the Las Monjas section of San Juan, was one of the lower-weight stars of the 1980s and one of the heaviest punchers, pound-for-pound, in the sport. And his biggest and most memorable fights were against Mexican champions.
The first came in October 1978 against the marvelous, undefeated Mexican icon Carlos Zarate. Zarate was undefeated in 54 straight fights, (53 by knockout) and was considered by many to be the best fighter in the sport. A lanky, pulverizing puncher, Zarate was the reigning bantamweight champion and had made seven title defenses when he moved up four pounds to challenge Gomez. He soon regretted it. Before a crazed crowd at the Roberto Clement Coliseum, Gomez overwhelmed Zarate with power punches and stopped him in the fifth round.
Gomez got his comeuppance three years later in another superfight, this against the brilliant featherweight champion from Mexico, Salvador Sanchez. Like Zarate, Gomez was moving up and challenging a highly respected champion. And like Zarate, he was overwhelmed. Sanchez dropped him in the opening round, broke his cheekbone and ****** both of his eyes shut before stopping him in the eighth round.
Gomez gained revenge for Puerto Rico the following year by outlasting Mexico's Lupe Pintor in one of the great fights of the era. Pintor had dethroned (and retired) Zarate by controversial decision in 1979 and proved himself a fine and stubborn champion in his own right, making eight title defenses before moving up to challenge Gomez, just as Zarate had. On the undercard of the Thomas Hearns-Wilfred Benitez fight at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Gomez and Pintor put on a brutal slugfest that ended finally in the 14th round after Gomez dropped Pintor twice.
Puerto Rico's next great puncher, Edwin Rosario, didn't have the superfights that Gomez did, but he did have a sizzling rivalry with Mexican tough guy Jose Luis Ramirez. Like Gomez, Rosario could box, but was also a dynamite puncher, an explosive slugger who frequently ended fights with a single left hook or right hand. He was being touted as the next Roberto Duran when, at 20 years old and with an undefeated record, he met Ramirez for the vacant lightweight title that had been vacated when Alexis Arguello jumped to junior welterweight.
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