Fire Burns Within

Christian Giudice

Description

A Fire Burns Within is the compelling tale of an all-time boxing great who fought his way to stardom from the mean streets of the Puerto Rican capital San Juan. Wilfredo 'Bazooka' Gomez discovered his love of boxing as he learned the noble art to help him fight off bullies as he walked the streets of the capital. Showing great promise in the ring, he soon rose to prominence, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s set a blistering pace that many boxers wanted to emulate - but few could equal. The three-time world title winner is best remembered for his 17 consecutive title fight defences - but his story as a man and fighter runs much deeper. Including interviews with Gomez, those close to him, the fighters he fought and those who watched his remarkable career unfold, A Fire Burns Within reviews one of the finest boxing careers. It details Gomez's dramatic rise to fame, but also tells the largely untold story of the struggles he faced after his fight career ended, and how his mettle was tested in a completely different way.

Sujets

• Puerto Rico
• Boxing
• Xian de Boxing
• Puerto Rico (homonymie)

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 16 juin 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781785312359
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2016
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Christian Giudice, 2016
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or here in after invented, without the express written permission of the Publisher.
A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 978-1-78531-115-4
eBook ISBN: 978-1-78531-235-9
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To my son, Nathan, and my daughter, Noa. I ve got your ringside seats saved.
(This book is dedicated to my friend Jack Obermayer, who gave his life to the sport of boxing.)
Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
A Champ is Born
Learning the Ropes: From the Amateurs to the Professional Ranks
Crowning a New Champ: Bazooka Drills Home a Title
Wilfredo Racks Up Knockouts: Becomes an Icon
Headed for a Showdown: Salvador in his Sights
Making Historic Defences: Breaking Duran s Record
No Longer Invincible: Gomez Goes Down Hard
Picking Up the Pieces: Wilfredo Moves On
Just What the Doctor Ordered
Searching for Redemption: Pintor in the Way
Moving on Up: Wilfredo Goes for Title Number Two
The End is Getting Near
Damaged: Gomez a Shell of Former Self
Wilfredo s Last Stand
photographs
Acknowledgements
T HIS book was conceived when Antonio Martin e-mailed me and wrote, What about a book on Gomez? At the time I never even considered such a biography, but watching one video on the boxer was enough to sell me on the project.
First and foremost I want to thank my family for always supporting me and understanding the time I needed to give for conducting interviews while writing this book. I want to thank my wife, Tair, for her patience, and my mother and father for never giving up on me. Nora Davila and her sons Servando and Esteban were so instrumental in making this book a reality. I want to thank Jeff Brophy at the IBHOF for his assistance and Don Chargin for his patience and willingness to be interviewed on several occasions, and also Victor Silva and Mauricio Sulaiman from the WBC were indispensable sources.
As usual, Gomez s trainer was always there for me with interviews and photos. Lee Groves came up big with DVDs of the fights and Russell Peltz generously opened up his trove of boxing magazines.
Paul Ruiz was extremely helpful in understanding who Wilfredo Gomez was as a fighter and as a symbol in Puerto Rico. Fernando Lopez and Alejandro Dodel provided fabulous translation, while Summer Price added an excellent illustration. Diana Sevilla was brilliant and understanding at every aspect along the way.
Thank you to Carlos Narvaez, Angel Oliveras, Ismael Sanchez, Chu Garcia, Carlos Iriarte, Bobby Munoz Zayas, Jose Luis Vellon, Rafael Bracero, Ismael Leandry, Gaby and Toto Penagaricano, Jose Andino, and Dialma Ortiz for being so up-front with interviews and contact information.
I would like to thank Luis Diaz Sevilla for all his generosity and help.
Ricky Marquez and Juan Figueroa were always there for any advice or questions and Ismael Sanchez was such a great resource.
I could not have done this without the help of my colleague Mary Velasquez s translations, the insight of Jimmy Montoya and Nicky Perez, and the valuable photos of Raimundo Rodriguez and Gary Williams.
So many people came through to be a part of the process. Family members Nitsa and Julia helped illuminate the younger gregarious version of Wilfredo. But most of all I want to thank Wilfredo Gomez for opening up his life and revealing all of the moments that were joyous, forgettable, difficult and touching. He is and will always be a hero to all of Puerto Rico.
I would not have been able to truly understand Wilfredo s legacy if it wasn t for Paco Valcarcel, who was so generous with his time. The same can be said for Jorge Marquez Gomez.
Working with Wilfredo was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life.
Christian Giudice
Foreword
by Carlos Narvaez Rosario
Wilfredo Gomez: Mexican Assassin
W HEN talking about executioners in boxing, even when we have been witnesses of several boxers who could be worthy of being addressed as such, it is imperative to hold the first place for a very special one, Puerto Rican Wilfredo Bazooka G mez.
The three-time world champion, known for his ferocious punches and killer instinct in the ring, was not only regarded as one of the most intimidating fighters in the history of pugilism but he was also the first to become recognised as a real executioner, especially against those of Mexican origin.
It is precisely with Gomez where the well-known rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico was born, as both are countries that have had the highest number of world champions in the history of the sport.
Even when we weigh in other great legends, we may dare say that there has not been anybody else like Gomez. His first professional fight came to a draw, the only one in his career. Following a cold start he stitched together a total of 32 victories, all by knockout, until Aztec Salvador Sanchez put a halt to that run in an epic collision that took place at Caesar s Palace in Las Vegas. He lost by knockout; however, he added another ten to his thread of victories when his retirement was in sight.
Gomez sealed his professional career with a record of 44-3-1 and 42 knockouts; in fact, he holds a record of 10-1 and ten knockouts against fighters from Mexico. He became great facing one, Carlos Zarate, he succumbed before another - Sanchez - and he vindicated himself in front of yet another great one from the same territory, Guadalupe Lupe Pintor.
Bazooka disposed of Aztecs Mario Hernandez (TKO-1, 1974), Jose Marillo Medel (KO-4, 1976), Raul Tirado (TKO-5, 1977), and Juan Antonio Lopez (TKO-7, 1978) before demonstrating his grand superiority against the undefeated veteran Zarate, winning by technical knockout in the fifth round in a fight where he was not the favourite due to his youth and lack of experience. Simply put, the victory catapulted him to stardom in the super bantamweight ( Supergallo ) division, against all odds.
My fights with Zarate and Pintor were great and I feel very happy due to these achievements. I still feel a little sad because of my defeat and also because I lost the undefeated status to Sanchez. But I know I made Puerto Rico happy on many occasions and I put them on the boxing map, commented Gomez in one of those times when we sat down to reminisce about that wonderful past.
Sanchez took advantage of a Gomez who was at the top of his career and seriously thinking about his invincibility. In 1981, Sanchez held the flag high for the Mexicans by putting a stop to Gomez s string of five victories over his fellow countrymen and defeated him, surprisingly, by technical knockout during the eighth round in Las Vegas. It was a hard felt defeat, but I hope we will find each other A Fire Burns Within in heaven for the rematch, says Gomez, still regretful. It was after this defeat, for which Gomez couldn t cement a rematch due to Sanchez s premature death in an automobile accident in August 1982, that he added four triumphs over Mexican boxers, the last of which was against Lupe Pintor, a clash that Gomez turned into his vindication.
Gomez, whose consecutive 17 title defences won by knockout are, as of today, a record in the sport of gloves, added further triumphs - after Sanchez - over Jose Luis Soto (KO-2, 1982), Juan Meza (TKO-6, 1982), Juan Antonio Lopez (TKO-10, 1982) and, after Pintor, he closed with a victory over Mario Gonzalez by TKO-6 in 1988.
Gomez s story, inside the ring as well as outside of it, has been used as scripts for various film projects. He has faced many fights. He has also been knocked out by life outside the ring. Just as it happened during his time of glory, Gomez has learned how to get up and go after new celebrations. Bazooka , a perfect guide, always carried a fire burning within.

Carlos Narvaez Rosario is the sports editor for the newspaper EL VOCERO de Puerto Rico , and of Zona Sports , a magazine produced by that publication. He is also an analyst and part of the boxing editorial staff for ESPN Sports. He has worked as a journalist since 1996 and has covered over 100 world title fights.
Introduction
T HERE S something unexplainable about Wilfredo Gomez, from the unpretentious way he carries himself outside the ring to the assertiveness that made him who he was inside it. Seventeen times he walked into that ring to defend his super bantamweight belt and 17 knockouts later he had set a precedent of such dominance that it may never be broken. As the greatest 122-pounder ever, Gomez blended cool with precision, an offensive dynamo who rarely got hit cleanly. Blessed with good looks and an easy demeanour, Gomez shined like no other in the spotlight as his professional and public worlds collided. He comfortably navigated his public life often with a celebrity actress on his arm - and, when he wanted to in his professional life, was as businesslike in the ring as any other fighter in the world. Later, those two worlds collided again to create chaos and disorder, but when Gomez could manage them, it was the perfect elixir.
I have written the biographies of all three Latin kings - Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, and now Gomez - and many similarities surfaced. If Duran symbolised a voracious and at times uncontrollable entity in the ring, Arguello served as the thoughtful gentleman who truly did care about his opponent. As fo