Wilfredo Gomez amassed a record of 44-3-1 over the course of his career, with his last two losses coming in his final five fights.
Wilfredo Gomez, also known as the ‘Bazooka’, was a three-weight world champion and legend of the sport.
His first world title win came in 1977 at super-bantamweight, where he spent much of his career defending his world title.
In 1984, Gomez won the featherweight world title, though this was not his first attempt at conquering the division, as he went to war in 1981 in a bid for the crown, the first bid that went very wrong.
Wilfredo Gomez was knocked out by Salvador Sanchez in one of his final fights
32-0-1 Gomez faced 40-1-1 Sanchez in Las Vegas. Gomez had reportedly had to run in the early hours of the morning to ensure he made weight for the fight, so turned up a little out of sorts.
The fight, which took place on this day 44 years ago, was a gruelling one, and was not in any way one-sided. Gomez started quick but Sanchez began to chase him around the ring, and by the sixth round Gomez had a swollen eye, bloody nose, and broken cheekbone.
Heading into the eighth the judges all had Sanchez one or two points ahead, though a win for the Mexican was not a foregone conclusion even at this point in the fight.
Sanchez, however, removed the decision from the judges’ hands anyway, as he unleashed upon Gomez, stopping him in the eighth, becoming the first person to defeat the Bazooka.
Unfortunately, Sanchez’s flame was extinguished prematurely, as, after wins over Pat Cowdell, Rocky Garcia, and Azumah Nelson, Sanchez passed away in a traffic collision.
He was just 23, and will forever be one of the biggest ‘what-if?’s in boxing.
Salvador Sanchez received one supreme accolade after death
Following his tragic and unexpected passing, Sanchez was given one of the highest honors a boxer can have, as he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
Despite his age, Sanchez had defeated some impressive names in Gomez, Nelson, Cowdell, and more, and was a 44-1-1 fighter at the end.
His one loss came by split decision early in his career.