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Back to Reality for Alfonso Gomez
By Steve Kim (April 30, 2009)
This Friday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, welterweight Alfonso Gomez faces Juan Buendia in a scheduled 10-rounder. For Gomez, it's his first fight since gaining a release from the Tournament of Contenders. Gomez, who participated in the first season of 'The Contender' (which aired on NBC in 2005) was able to parlay that association into lucrative bouts against the likes of Arturo Gatti and Miguel Cotto.
But from reality show stardom, Gomez now embarks on the cold, hard reality which is the rest of his professional boxing career. His 15 minutes were up long ago. Now, he's just another fighter trying to make a living.
"The whole show was good, being on the show. Then after the show, for me, was the real boxing world," he says of his experience. "Just getting ready for the fights and trying to get to the top. Obviously, it wasn't constant, which was kinda the bad part. But in itself, the show just lasted a month of shooting. After that, it was just fighting."
Gomez was one of the more endearing characters on that initial season of 'The Contender', and armed with a fan-friendly, gritty style, he was eventually maneuvered into a bout with Gatti in 2007, where he ended the storied career of 'Thunder' with a seventh round stoppage. That led to his bout against Cotto last year, where he was handled in five by the Puerto Rican star. There's no doubt that part of the reason why he was given these opportunities is because of his association with the show. Something that Gomez realizes.
“If I could go back in time, I would definitely do it again," he told Maxboxing. "The popularity that the show gave me and the money that I earned from the fights I did, the whole experience itself, being sorta like a celebrity/athlete, it was pretty cool. So yeah, I'd definitely do it again."
One of the drawbacks was that while he was able to garner a pair of lucrative paydays, in between, there simply wasn't enough activity. The Tournament of Contenders was more booking agent than actual promoter. Instead of providing opportunities for their talent to grow, they seemed more intent on providing opponents for boxing's marquee names.
Gomez says, "I was getting the good pace of 'The Contender' because when they first came up with the show, they did these contracts with good pay. But definitely, that's what slowed them down. Also, the fact they couldn't do as many shows. So hopefully, now that I'm released, I'm getting this first fight, I can do more fights more constantly and get my activity going."
His manager Gary Gittelsohn worked tirelessly to extricate Gomez from his predicament. But he was diplomatic when asked about their former promoter.
"I choose at this point to kind of stay away from that because we're past it. But I think it's fair to say that someone like Alfonso, who hasn't had 30 fights, still would be considered by most to be a developing fighter. A developing fighter needs more activity than he was able to get under 'The Contender' promotional agreement. So that's exactly what we intend to embark on, a more regular pattern of activity," stated the respected Gittelsohn."The money is less important than the development and I think we're going to look to position Alfonso for some high-profile fights that will give him the opportunity to be seen and recognized."
This Friday's show is being promoted by Top Rank, to whom Gittelsohn says they have a 'commitment' to. The manager believes that Gomez has officially entered the real world of professional prizefighting.
“Yes, I do. I think all of the guys who were on the first season of 'The Contender' had certain privileges that were also certain curses," Gittelsohn said. "And Alfonso enjoyed the celebrity that came with the reality show, but he often wanted to shake the image of being just a reality show contestant and be regarded as a real boxer. And that's the course he's on right now."
What Gittelsohn would like to do is to make a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr - a fighter certainly accustomed to a privileged career.
"I think Top Rank is in agreement that seems to be a fight that can be built with two popular Mexicans and that talent level appears to be arcing in the same direction. I'm just hoping that Julio Cesar Chavez's inside group agrees and we can make that happen."
It seems to be a natural fight since not only does Gomez come with his own profile and just as importantly, is a smaller fighter (since Chavez has grown into a full-fledged 154-pounder) and he comes with a style that suits Chavez. But first things first, he has to beat Buendia, who will be no easy out for Gomez.
"It's going to be a very hard fight," admitted Gomez, who has a mark of 18-4-2 with 8 knockouts. "I know he always comes prepared. I've seen tapes of him, he throws over a hundred punches per round and he just keeps coming and coming. I want to believe that I am at a certain level higher than this guy. I'm sure if the Margarito's, the Mosley's, the big-time guys were to face someone like Buendia, they would handle him pretty easily. So since I see myself up in those levels, if not on those levels, close to them, I want to go in there and prove that. I can handle this guy, too."
Gomez says he is ready for life after 'The Contender'.
"It's like a new beginning, feels like I'm starting over again, which is pretty cool because it gives me the drive to train and have that hunger again."
By Steve Kim (April 30, 2009)
This Friday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, welterweight Alfonso Gomez faces Juan Buendia in a scheduled 10-rounder. For Gomez, it's his first fight since gaining a release from the Tournament of Contenders. Gomez, who participated in the first season of 'The Contender' (which aired on NBC in 2005) was able to parlay that association into lucrative bouts against the likes of Arturo Gatti and Miguel Cotto.
But from reality show stardom, Gomez now embarks on the cold, hard reality which is the rest of his professional boxing career. His 15 minutes were up long ago. Now, he's just another fighter trying to make a living.
"The whole show was good, being on the show. Then after the show, for me, was the real boxing world," he says of his experience. "Just getting ready for the fights and trying to get to the top. Obviously, it wasn't constant, which was kinda the bad part. But in itself, the show just lasted a month of shooting. After that, it was just fighting."
Gomez was one of the more endearing characters on that initial season of 'The Contender', and armed with a fan-friendly, gritty style, he was eventually maneuvered into a bout with Gatti in 2007, where he ended the storied career of 'Thunder' with a seventh round stoppage. That led to his bout against Cotto last year, where he was handled in five by the Puerto Rican star. There's no doubt that part of the reason why he was given these opportunities is because of his association with the show. Something that Gomez realizes.
“If I could go back in time, I would definitely do it again," he told Maxboxing. "The popularity that the show gave me and the money that I earned from the fights I did, the whole experience itself, being sorta like a celebrity/athlete, it was pretty cool. So yeah, I'd definitely do it again."
One of the drawbacks was that while he was able to garner a pair of lucrative paydays, in between, there simply wasn't enough activity. The Tournament of Contenders was more booking agent than actual promoter. Instead of providing opportunities for their talent to grow, they seemed more intent on providing opponents for boxing's marquee names.
Gomez says, "I was getting the good pace of 'The Contender' because when they first came up with the show, they did these contracts with good pay. But definitely, that's what slowed them down. Also, the fact they couldn't do as many shows. So hopefully, now that I'm released, I'm getting this first fight, I can do more fights more constantly and get my activity going."
His manager Gary Gittelsohn worked tirelessly to extricate Gomez from his predicament. But he was diplomatic when asked about their former promoter.
"I choose at this point to kind of stay away from that because we're past it. But I think it's fair to say that someone like Alfonso, who hasn't had 30 fights, still would be considered by most to be a developing fighter. A developing fighter needs more activity than he was able to get under 'The Contender' promotional agreement. So that's exactly what we intend to embark on, a more regular pattern of activity," stated the respected Gittelsohn."The money is less important than the development and I think we're going to look to position Alfonso for some high-profile fights that will give him the opportunity to be seen and recognized."
This Friday's show is being promoted by Top Rank, to whom Gittelsohn says they have a 'commitment' to. The manager believes that Gomez has officially entered the real world of professional prizefighting.
“Yes, I do. I think all of the guys who were on the first season of 'The Contender' had certain privileges that were also certain curses," Gittelsohn said. "And Alfonso enjoyed the celebrity that came with the reality show, but he often wanted to shake the image of being just a reality show contestant and be regarded as a real boxer. And that's the course he's on right now."
What Gittelsohn would like to do is to make a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr - a fighter certainly accustomed to a privileged career.
"I think Top Rank is in agreement that seems to be a fight that can be built with two popular Mexicans and that talent level appears to be arcing in the same direction. I'm just hoping that Julio Cesar Chavez's inside group agrees and we can make that happen."
It seems to be a natural fight since not only does Gomez come with his own profile and just as importantly, is a smaller fighter (since Chavez has grown into a full-fledged 154-pounder) and he comes with a style that suits Chavez. But first things first, he has to beat Buendia, who will be no easy out for Gomez.
"It's going to be a very hard fight," admitted Gomez, who has a mark of 18-4-2 with 8 knockouts. "I know he always comes prepared. I've seen tapes of him, he throws over a hundred punches per round and he just keeps coming and coming. I want to believe that I am at a certain level higher than this guy. I'm sure if the Margarito's, the Mosley's, the big-time guys were to face someone like Buendia, they would handle him pretty easily. So since I see myself up in those levels, if not on those levels, close to them, I want to go in there and prove that. I can handle this guy, too."
Gomez says he is ready for life after 'The Contender'.
"It's like a new beginning, feels like I'm starting over again, which is pretty cool because it gives me the drive to train and have that hunger again."
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