Gomez gets up, outguns Garcia!
Bloomfield’s Joe Gomez survives early knockdowns and upsets Vicente Garcia for vacant WBC Intercontinental Mundo Hispano Welter belt

Ringside report and photos by chris cozzone

If you want to beat Joe Gomez, don’t knock him down.

He’ll only get up. Tougher. Stronger. And more determined.

Last night at the Sky Ute Casino’s first show of ’05, in front of a crowd of 800 fight fans, the local hopeful from nearby Bloomfield defied all the odds by upsetting highly-touted Vicente Garcia of Albuquerque for the vacant WBC Intercontinental Mundo Hispano Welterweight title.

In a fight that easily makes the top ten of recent years (Sky Ute has a knack for those memorable fights), Gomez survived two early knockdowns but came back strong enough to outpound, outhustle and outdo the strongly-favored-to-win Garcia for much of the remaining eight rounds.

Garcia staggered Gomez early while the local favorite sought to set up a solid right hand behind a jab—but it was Garcia’s right that landed cleanly. Halfway through the round, Gomez was floored. He was up in no time but things were looking dismal for him.

Gomez came out game in the 2nd, and Garcia took his time setting up his shots, almost toying with his foe. It didn’t take him long to floor Gomez again—another right hand. Once again, Gomez was up and back in the fight but to those of us ringside, it was just a matter of time before Garcia put him down again—most likely for good.

Gomez was simply outclassed. When the bell rang, Gomez returned to his corner looking beat, and bleeding from a cut under his right eye.

But the Gomez who finished Round Two was not the same Gomez who came out for Round Three.

Shortly into the round, Gomez started landing a big right hand and going to Garcia’s body. Within the first minute, it was Garcia looking like he’d been the one who’d been down twice, not Gomez. By the end of the round, Garcia, fighting on the defense, was clearly confused as Gomez opened up on him.

Most of us took it for a fluke—Garcia taking a round off. Within the next round, he’d come back, mop the floor with Gomez and win the belt that practically had his name on it.

But Gomez got stronger. Round Four, Round Five, Round Six . . . all rounds up to the Ninth slipped away from Garcia into the hands of Gomez.

Gomez took the 4th and 5th with sheer aggression—big lefts to the body; solid clean right hands behind a jab while Garcia tied up when close and resorted to occasional counterpunching.

Garcia retaliated in the 6th, but Gomez, this time, took everything he had to offer—and came back at him twofold. Gomez and Garcia finished the round with tremendous toe-to-toe action but it was Garcia who walked back to his corner weary.

Round Seven was closer when Garcia decided to—finally!—move forward instead of letting Gomez dictate his backward pace. But, before long, Gomez had him on his bicycle as he, once again, pummeled his way forward and put Garcia on defense.

Relentless body shots in the Eighth sealed the round for Gomez, but in the Ninth, despite a left eye that was half-closed, Garcia reached into his pocket for his last reserve. Flurries at the beginning had Gomez on the move, and landing the cleaner, harder punches finally had Garcia winning the first round since the knockdowns.

The final round was a toss-up. While Garcia might’ve landed the cleaner shots, it was on equal par with Gomez’s ring generalship and aggression.

At the end of ten, the judges were split: Judges Martinez and Garcia scored alike, 95-93, for Gomez, while Judge Sanchez had it for Garcia, 95-94.

Fightnews/NewMexicoBoxing had it for Gomez, 95-94.

Outside of Johnny Tapia's lively return against Frankie Archuleta, Gomez, perhaps New Mexico's best kept secret, gives the best performance seen this year on the local scene. Now 5-1 (1 KO), he becomes the new WBC Intercontinental Mundo Hispano welterweight champion while Garcia, now 6-2 (4 KOs), suffers his second pro loss this year.

“Everyone said I was crazy, and a big underdog,” said an elated Gomez after being declared the winner. “It gave me more power, made me train harder than I would’ve. They said he was the toughest guy in the state and no one wanted to fight him—but I stepped up.

“I definitely had him. But it was a good fight. He got me with the two knockdowns, but they were flash knockdowns. I came back after and was hurting him in the middle rounds with those body shots.”

Who’s next for Gomez?

“Line ‘em up. I’m a warrior. I won’t duck anyone.”

Garcia kept his composure afterward:

“I thought I won but I’m not gonna cry,” he said. “I have to keep my head up, get back in the gym and go to work. He hit me with some good shots. The body shots slowed me down, and he was catching me with his jab. I didn’t throw enough punches and didn’t go forward enough. After I knocked him down, I tried to stay calm and not rush my shots.

“He’s a tough son of a bitch—but I want a rematch. I was man enough to come to his hometown to fight him—let him come to Albuquerque.”

At present, Garcia is still scheduled to fight June 12 against Jeremiah Torres (7-7, 1 KO) on the World Championship Sunday card at the Ohkay Casino.

Terri cruzes through Miranda

In the co-main event, a leaner-and-meaner-than-ever Terri Cruz (11-4-2, 7 KOs) took out Mirasol Miranda (2-2) early in the Second of a scheduled five-rounder.

Miranda came out jabbing, trying to control the fight from a distance but Cruz closed the space and started to connect with rights and left hooks.

The end came abruptly at :20 into the second round: Cruz came out swinging and with a beautiful straight right, slammed Miranda on the nose. Miranda backed up into her corner and Cruz followed, furiously flurrying until ref Russell Mora stepped in to stop the fight.

Undercard

In the opening bout, Durango pro debuter Miguel Gallegos scored a well-deserved win in a war against feisty cross-town rival Preston Draper (0-3).

A blistering pace was set in Round One, with Draper pushing the action but Gallegos scoring the cleaner, harder shots by utilizing his jab.

Gallegos established control in the second stanza, landing big right hands while Draper sought to figure his opponent out.

In Round Three, Draper came out strong, landing his own right hands, but Gallegos remained composed before firing back with one-two’s, taking the round back in the second minute.

In the final round, Draper might have won on pure aggression—if it wasn’t for Gallegos finishing strong, stealing the round with more big right hands.

At the end of four, all judges scored it for Gallegos: 40-36 twice and 40-37.

Cruiserweight Augie Trujillo (3-2, 3 KOs) had a ridiculously easy time with Albuquerque pro debuter Chris Simmons (0-1). In way over his head, Simmons did little more than throw a couple lazy jabs before Trujillo plowed into him with lefts and rights. Simmons was down twice from body shots before the stoppage at 1:48.

In Bout#3, Pueblo’s Andrew Marquez (3-3-1, 3 KOs) needed just 13 seconds to destroy Juarez’s Edgar Pedraza (2-14-2). With his first power punch—a straight right—Marquez floored Pedraza, who was in no shape to continue when he got up at 9.

Amateur results

Duke Yazzie of Yazzie’s won a decision over David Hernandez of Los Lobos Club. Yazzie bullied his way through the 1st, landing more frequent and harder, but Hernandez came back in the 2nd, outboxing Yazzie from the outside and letting loose with fast flurries. In the 3rd, it was Yazzie again, hammering big rights on a somewhat spent Hernandez.

Kevin Riding-In of Kirtland Club had an easy time with Emmirson Griffen of G.I.B.C., dominating him through three rounds, controlling the distance with a jab and setting up to land chopping rights and lefts. Griffen received eight-counts in the 2nd and 3rd.

Jerald Tsosie of Tsosie’s won a decision over Kirtland’s Jazzma Hogue. Hogue showed superior speed but Tsosie’s skills were solid. In the 1st, it was Tsosie landing the cleaner shots and controlling the distance. Round Two was closer, with Hogue pressuring Tsosie and, in the 3rd, Hogue was all over Tsosie, who let the round escape him.

Tremayne Tohtsonie of Morris Club retired Kane Tucson of Team Garcia early in the 2nd. For as long as it lasted, it was a furious brawl, but Thotsonie proved the heavier-handed and by the end of the 1st, had Tucson bloody and battered.

House of Pain’s Brittany Cruz—niece to pro boxer Terri Cruz—made her boxing debut with a decision over Kirtland’s Telu Hogue. Both fighters were shy in the 1st, but Cruz’s jab and controlling the distance gave her the round. In the 2nd, Cruz started out strong, setting up her right while Hogue pursued; but at the round’s end, Hogue retaliated when Cruz faded fast. Again, in the 3rd, Cruz was strong at first, but faded again, while Hogue poured it on at the end of the round.

# # #