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I remember that card very well. I was supremely impressed on that night by all the fighters who won. Joe Mesi, fighting in his hometown on HBO, blew away TOS in one round and looked everything like the future star of the division. Dominick Guinn showed what he was about as he fought a hard, tough fight against Duncan Dokiwari, showed his great chin and came out on top. Juan Carlos Gomez showed tremendous skill as he outclassed a very pedestrian, but seemingly very popular opponent in Samil Sam.
That said, look at them now. Joe Mesi gets roughed up and dropped in his next 2 fights, showing a glaring lack of a chin and stamina. He went down once in the Barrett fight and won a majority decision, and went down 3 times against Jirov in a winning effort in 2004. However, in that fight, he suffered a subdural hemotoma, which sidelnied him for nearly 2 years.
Dominick Guinn showed that he doesn't know how to win a fight on points as he was soundly out slugged and outworked by both Monte Barrett and Sergei Lyakovich. After fighting a dreadful bout with Friday Ahununya that the judges thought neither deserved a W in, he got beaten up by James Toney for the final epitaph of his career as a contender. I could not honestly have forseen what occurred to "The Southern Disaster".
Juan Carlos Gomez was my underdog pick to be a serious contender in the muddled heavyweight division. He had it all, a former cruiserweight world champion, a great amateur pedigree, and an undefeated record. However, promotional disputes, a first round KO blowout against Yanqui Diaz, and a positive ******* test after the McCall have all but signaled the end for The Black Panther. I really have no idea what the future holds for this seemingly once promising fighter.
That said, look at them now. Joe Mesi gets roughed up and dropped in his next 2 fights, showing a glaring lack of a chin and stamina. He went down once in the Barrett fight and won a majority decision, and went down 3 times against Jirov in a winning effort in 2004. However, in that fight, he suffered a subdural hemotoma, which sidelnied him for nearly 2 years.
Dominick Guinn showed that he doesn't know how to win a fight on points as he was soundly out slugged and outworked by both Monte Barrett and Sergei Lyakovich. After fighting a dreadful bout with Friday Ahununya that the judges thought neither deserved a W in, he got beaten up by James Toney for the final epitaph of his career as a contender. I could not honestly have forseen what occurred to "The Southern Disaster".
Juan Carlos Gomez was my underdog pick to be a serious contender in the muddled heavyweight division. He had it all, a former cruiserweight world champion, a great amateur pedigree, and an undefeated record. However, promotional disputes, a first round KO blowout against Yanqui Diaz, and a positive ******* test after the McCall have all but signaled the end for The Black Panther. I really have no idea what the future holds for this seemingly once promising fighter.
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