Juan Carlos Gomez
Q&A !
February 6, 2007
by Lee Bates
Heavyweight contender Juan Carlos “The Black Panther" Gomez (40-1, 34 KOs) returns to action Saturday against another Brazilian, Daniel Bispo (18-6, 12 KOs) in Germany.
Fresh off of his December third-round knockout of Brazilian heavyweight Daniel Frank, the charismatic Gomez promises to deliver another thrilling performance for his major fan following in Germany.
FightNews caught up with Gomez and the former champion spoke about his past domination at cruiserweight, bringing his power up with him to heavyweight, and his confidence that a mega-fight with Wladimir Klitschko will become a reality.
You fought about a month ago, are you in great shape?
I am in great shape now and always remain that way, even between fights. My trainer, Phil Paolina, makes sure that my boxing skills stay polished in between fights, so that I am on top of my game, regardless of who I am fighting. I know a lot of people are wishing I would just go away, but that's not happening. I am here to stay.
In your 32 victories at cruiserweight, you stopped 28 of your opponents, and now in your seven victories at heavyweight, you have stopped six of those opponents. How were you able to bring the power with you up to heavyweight?
I'm a very good boxer, as many people have known back from my amateur days to the present, but I am very good puncher as well. My KO Percentage shows that.
Was it a hard decision for you to give up your title at cruiserweight?
It's never easy to let go of something that you worked so hard for, but I accomplished a lot at cruiserweight. The amount of defenses I made of my title may not be matched for years, if at all. Also, I moved up to heavyweight to win the biggest prize in boxing, which is the heavyweight title.
Out of your 42 fights, 39 of them have been in Germany. In fact, the fans in Germany have never seen you lose. What's the support from the fans like for you there?
They treat me with the utmost respect and back me 100%. After so many fights in Germany, I want to deliver a mega-fight for them.
I take it you mean with Wladimir Klitschko?
Absolutely. I want Wladimir Klitschko. The fans here in Germany want that fight. In Germany, a fight between us both is a mega-fight. I have full confidence in my manager Jesse Rodriguez, and my promoter Arena-Box Promotion to make that fight happen. My team has been working around the clock pushing for this fight.
He has a fight scheduled, as do you. Are you looking to fight him after these fights, assuming both of you win?
That would be perfect. That way, we both could get a fight in before meeting each other. It's a fight that can be easily made as well. I will become a mandatory eventually, but to me, it doesn't make sense to make it come to that. With a win on Saturday, I would also win one of the sanctioning bodies’ regional titles, which would move me up in rankings, making me an acceptable challenger for his world title. To me, it makes business sense. It's not a fight that has to be built up. It's a big fight right now.
In closing, what would you like to say to your fans?
My fans are very loyal. I thank them for standing by me at all times. I ask that they continue to stand by me and keep believing in me. Fans’ opinions matter in making big fights as well, and I hope they will really push for a heavyweight title fight between me and Klitschko.
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