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| Courtesy of aworldboxing.com |
In order to fully appreciate the sweet science, one must
understand its history.
Boxing accentuates emotion and passion that is spawned from being able to relate to a fighter. For some it’s a similar struggle that they share, while for others it’s the pride of a nation.
On August 21st, 1981 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, the latter was exemplified and will forever be known as the apex of the rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters.
Salvador Sanchez 40-1-1 (30 KO’s) represented Mexico and a long list of Mexican champions ranging from Vincente Saldivar to the great Lupe Pintor. Sanchez entered the match coming off of victories over Juan Laporte, Roberto Castanon and Nicky Perez.
His opponent on this epic night of warfare was the incomparable Wilfredo Gomez 32-0-1 (32 KO’s) who was regarded as the one of the most devastating punchers in the sport. He was Puerto Rico’s finest and followed the lineage of other Puerto Rican greats Carlos Ortiz and Wilfred Benitez.
“Bazooka” Gomez recorded 32 knockouts in all of his 32 wins including 17 consecutive knockouts in championship fights. It was a matchup that brought boxing’s biggest rivalry of pride and passion to the forefront of the sporting world.
Boxing accentuates emotion and passion that is spawned from being able to relate to a fighter. For some it’s a similar struggle that they share, while for others it’s the pride of a nation.
On August 21st, 1981 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, the latter was exemplified and will forever be known as the apex of the rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters.
Salvador Sanchez 40-1-1 (30 KO’s) represented Mexico and a long list of Mexican champions ranging from Vincente Saldivar to the great Lupe Pintor. Sanchez entered the match coming off of victories over Juan Laporte, Roberto Castanon and Nicky Perez.
His opponent on this epic night of warfare was the incomparable Wilfredo Gomez 32-0-1 (32 KO’s) who was regarded as the one of the most devastating punchers in the sport. He was Puerto Rico’s finest and followed the lineage of other Puerto Rican greats Carlos Ortiz and Wilfred Benitez.
“Bazooka” Gomez recorded 32 knockouts in all of his 32 wins including 17 consecutive knockouts in championship fights. It was a matchup that brought boxing’s biggest rivalry of pride and passion to the forefront of the sporting world.
Gomez entered the ring first, preceded by an entourage of
salseros blaring salsa and leaving the Puerto Rican faithful in a frenzy. Wilfredo Gomez was the betting favorite and
even predicted it would be a quick fight.
Salvador Sanchez countered Gomez’s salseros with his own mariachi
band.
By the time both fighters were planted inside the squared circle, the atmosphere had hit monumental levels.
Both fighters bounced around the ring trying to get loose as the electricity penetrated their veins. Puerto Rican and Mexican flags flowed throughout the arena while the gladiators prepared for battle. Even the musicians felt it, as the mariachis and salseros battled each other in the ring.
It was the epitome of war. Two nations… Two generals… Both looking to not only win for themselves, but for the millions of proud compatriots who, in a sense, went to war with them.
By the time both fighters were planted inside the squared circle, the atmosphere had hit monumental levels.
Both fighters bounced around the ring trying to get loose as the electricity penetrated their veins. Puerto Rican and Mexican flags flowed throughout the arena while the gladiators prepared for battle. Even the musicians felt it, as the mariachis and salseros battled each other in the ring.
It was the epitome of war. Two nations… Two generals… Both looking to not only win for themselves, but for the millions of proud compatriots who, in a sense, went to war with them.
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| Courtesty of avaxhome.cc |
It was touted as “The Battle of the Little Giants” and these
130 lb giants of the ring were fighting for the WBC Featherweight Championship
of the world.
Within the first minute of the fight, Salvador Sanchez’s strategy was evident. He wanted to use “Bazooka” Gomez’s aggression against him by countering and beating the Puerto Rican superstar to the punch. His plan worked to perfection. Sanchez knocked Gomez down with a counter left hook in the first half of the round and attacked him with power punches, almost knocking him out. Wilfredo Gomez realized he was in the ring with a different kind of fighter.
Within the first minute of the fight, Salvador Sanchez’s strategy was evident. He wanted to use “Bazooka” Gomez’s aggression against him by countering and beating the Puerto Rican superstar to the punch. His plan worked to perfection. Sanchez knocked Gomez down with a counter left hook in the first half of the round and attacked him with power punches, almost knocking him out. Wilfredo Gomez realized he was in the ring with a different kind of fighter.
Rounds
two through four were more of the same..Gomez coming forward, being aggressive, throwing thunderous punches only to be countered repeatedly by Sanchez.
He’d stalk Sanchez, get him on the ropes, let his hands go and land some good shots, only to walk away discouraged by Salvador’s ability to absorb his punches.
Imagine the psychological effect on a fighter who’s knocked out 32 of the 33 fighters he’s faced, hitting a guy with everything in his arsenal and having no effect. On top of that, he’s hurting you.
By round five, Wilfredo Gomez’s right eye was almost completely shut, but he kept coming forward and at the end of the round, was nearly knocked out again.
Sanchez threw his right hand with such pin point precision and Gomez had no answer for it. He’d follow up with the Mexican trademark left hook to the body to continue to weaken Wilfredo.
In round seven, Gomez landed a vicious three punch combination that produced a roar from the Puerto Rican fans but by the end of the round, both of his eyes were nearly shut.
Salvador Sanchez dominated the fight to this point and captivated his brilliance in the ring by landing a devastating right hand, leaving Gomez knocked out on the ropes long enough for Sanchez to land one more flurry.
Referee Carlos Padilla stood over the beaten fighter and reached a count of eight before looking Gomez in his bludgeoned face and calling a halt to the bout in the eighth round.
It was a climactic ending to an unforgettable night of boxing.
In the end, Salvador Sanchez was too much for the hard-hitting Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez to handle. Sanchez was a complete fighter who had the chin to absorb Gomez’s punches much better than Gomez could absorb his.
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| Courtesy of aarp.org |
Sanchez went on to win three more fights, including a 15th
round TKO against a young Azumah Nelson before crashing his Porsche 928 and
dying instantly.
Many boxing purists, including myself, contend that if Salvador Sanchez had been able to continue his short-lived career, he would have gone down as the greatest Mexican fighter of all-time. Wilfredo Gomez made it a point to visit his gravesite and pay respects to the fallen champion.
Many boxing purists, including myself, contend that if Salvador Sanchez had been able to continue his short-lived career, he would have gone down as the greatest Mexican fighter of all-time. Wilfredo Gomez made it a point to visit his gravesite and pay respects to the fallen champion.
In my opinion, Salvador Sanchez vs. Wilfredo Gomez is the
greatest fight in the long history of the Mexican-Puerto Rican rivalry,
surpassing the likes of the classic 1934 clash between Sixto Escobar and
Rodolfo “Baby” Casanova and Julio Cesar Chavez’s 11th rd KO of Edwin
Rosario. It represented every aspect and
quality of the rivalry while showcasing two of the greatest featherweights in
boxing history. “The Battle of Little
Giants” was and may forever be, second to none.
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