Expect a Barnburner!
A lean ‘n’ mean Romero takes on a lean ‘n’ mean Gomez

text and photos by chris cozzone

Two hungry fighters. Two big punchers. Two solid chins.

What else could you ask for in a fight?

Throw in necessity—the NABA bantamweight title match between hometowner Danny Romero and Mexico’s Famosito Gomez Saturday night at Isleta Casino is a must-win for both fighters. A win for Romero marks his climb back to contention—part of a three-fight plan that will give the former two-time world champ a shot at his third world title; a loss will derail him. And Gomez? Having lost his last couple fights, the former Mexican champion will be in even worse shape.

So, expect a war.

“This fight will be a barnburner,” Guy Riordan, part of the Romero-Fresquez management team, said yesterday at a press conference at Isleta. “They’re gonna be right in front of each other all night. Expect a great fight.”

You can also expect to see a Danny Romero you have not seen in years.

“He’s got that eye of the tiger again,” said promoter Lenny Fresquez. “He’s got his heart set and I feel sorry for whoever has to get in front of him.”

Saturday night, that ‘someone’ will be former Mexican champion Cuauhtemoc “Famosito” Gomez. Gomez is no blow-over opponent; the 60-fight veteran has had an incredible 25 title fights in his career, eight of which were for world titles. Plus, he has never been knocked out—all eleven of his losses were decisions or stoppages from cuts, and most of those fights had Gomez fighting out of his natural weight class, which is bantamweight. Last year, in a bloodbath of a fight, Gomez lost by TKO against Johnny Tapia.

“Famosito comes to fight and he is gonna be a big test for me,” Danny Romero admitted yesterday. “I know what he comes to do—I also know he is not going to have enough to do it.

“Right now, at 118 pounds, I’m going to crush this guy—no bullshit. He’s a tough guy, I know, but the only way to get that toughness out of him is to beat it out of him.”

Former rival and friend Johnny Tapia, who fought Gomez last year, had words of advice for Romero:

“Johnny told me, ‘This sucker’s got a head like a brick. You got to watch out, man. He can punch . . .’

“But it’s gonna be my punching power, and my ability to outbox him, that will prevail.”

For the first time in several years, Romero, like Gomez, will also be fighting in his natural weight class of 118. Any skeptics out there who think Romero will have a difficult time making weight tomorrow can think again: Romero is right on target.

“On Wednesday, I weighed 119,” said Romero. “I’m feeling all grouched out but there are no questions about making weight.”

To make weight, Romero worked with nutritionist and personal trainer Harold Parker.

“I’ve been able to lose the weight and not feel so crappy,” said Romero. “I used to get down and feel drained, but I’m full of energy now. It’s all about sacrifice; putting my mind into it.”

Lack of focus has been a problem with the Romero camp for the last three or four years.

“To be honest, my mind’s been somewhere else the last few years,” admits Romero. “But now, I’m 150% physically and mentally prepared. We’ve been working on a lot of additive things . . . figuring out what wasn’t working.”

One of the changes in camp was to increase sparring. The other big change was to bring in an additional trainer. For the past four months, the Romeros have been working with former lightheavyweight champ Eddie Mustafa.

“We’ve taken Danny Romero, Jr. to a whole new level,” Mustafa said yesterday. “This is a different ballgame—Romero is not the fighter you saw in New York last year. You’ll see on Saturday night. Whatever Famosito brings to this dance won’t be enough.”

The two main flaws Mustafa spotted in Romero was his balance and lack of head movement.

“We all know Danny’s a big puncher, so we incorporated a bit more balance,” said Mustafa. “Balance brings leverage, and leverage makes him an even better puncher.

“As for head movement? We’ve got him doing more of that—hit and don’t get hit. That’s the way we roll.”

Romero is not the only one prepared . . . .

Famosito Gomez has sparred 50 rounds and has had the last two months to prepare for this fight.

“I come prepared for this fight and I come to win,” Gomez declared yesterday. “I have the experience and I don’t see a problem in beating him.”

In his last fight, Gomez lost a 12-rounder to Francisco Tejedor.

“I got tired in that fight,” says Gomez. “But this time, I’m very well trained and ready to go.”

Not only is the fight at Isleta in Danny’s hometown, but it’s in his backyard. Romero’s ranch is just a couple miles from the Casino located seven miles south of Albuquerque.

“Every day during roadwork, I run where I can see the casino,” says Romero. “It’s helped to motivate me—I feel the same exact way now as I did when I was getting ready to fight Francisco Tejedor for the title. I’m ready to put it on.”

The fight card Saturday night has a 4-fight undercard: Romero protégé and 4-time national amateur champion David Martinez, Jr. will make his pro deubt; Stevie Aragon returns to the ring to face El Paso’s Roger Leuvano; Cesar “El Gallito” Lopez takes on undefeated Dominican Augusto Jiminez; and in the co-main, in his first 8-rounder, Alex “El Diablo” Becerra takes on California’s Joey “Li’l Bad” Garcia.

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