Alfonso “Jaws” Gomez Warns Ed Paredes That He’s Got Sharp Teeth In Deep Waters

Published

11 years ago

July 5, 2014

He isn’t really sure if he’s being invited to the gig at the Hard Rock to lose, but if that is so, then Alfonso Gomez is not going to take it to heart.

That was the case when they signed him to fight Jessie Brinkley in 2005, ArturoGatti in 2007, Miguel Cotto in 2008, Jesus Soto Karass in 2009, JoseLuis Castillo in 2010, Canelo Alvarez in 2011 and Shawn Porter in 2012. I don’t mean they signed Gomez, a Mexican born California resident many know from his appearance and solid showing on season one (2005, with Sly Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Gallagher) of “The Contender” scripted reality show, to show up to lay down. It’s just that the dealmakers, the power brokers, the suits, the guys that make the money off the toil of the laborers who absorb the punishment, they thought their guy was the better man than Gomez, now 33, and they knew he’d make their guy work, but their guy would likely win.

Sometimes, it went down like that…Ah, but sometimes it didn’t.

Brinkley took a loss, and so did Gatti, in his last effort as a pro. Cotto proved too physical for Gomez, who fights on July 9 in Vegas, but vets Soto Karass and Castillo were maybe surprised by the underdog’s mettle. Canelo knocked down Gomez (now 23-6-2) in round one and earned TKO6 over the man, while Porter had to go the distance, the full ten, to get the nod from the judges in July of 2012, in Cali. That was no runaway victory for the man who now holds the IBF welterweight crown, which he wrested from Devon Alexander last December, and defended in brutally efficient and violent fashion against Paulie Malignaggi April 19 in Brooklyn.

Porters’ recent run underscores one of those interesting things about our fair sport. A win, or a loss, can be re-evaluated, seen in a different light, a year, or even two years after. Porter steamrolled Paulie and beat Alexander, no bum, at his own game..but Gomez was right there with him. The fighter, who faced Massachusetts-born Ed Paredes, now living in Florida, in Vegas, in a bout to run on Fox Sports 1, told me that Porters’ streak has bolstered his own confidence a bit. “This fight is a great opportunity, and a win will put me back in the mix,” Gomez said, following some sparring at the world famous Wild Card Gym. The scrap will be contested at the junior middleweight class. He’d love another crack at a world crown, after coming up short in world title clashes vs. Cotto and Canelo.

This will be Gomez’ first bout in two years, and he said the time off was helpful if for no other reason to let his injuries heal up.

So, I wondered, is he in that defined but not stated underdog role?

“I was the underdog in my second fight, against Ishe Smith…and in my last fight, against Shawn Porter. Against Castillo, in “The Contender,” and I came out on top. I don’t know if I’m the opponent here. Paredes has a good record but with my record, I’m way more experienced, under those bright lights way more times. This is the first time he’ll be in deep waters. I’m a shark, I’m used to it.”

The best names on Paredes’ scalp list are Antonio Pitalua (2010) and VivianHarris (2012), so Gomez isn’t wrong. “He hits pretty hard,” Gomez continued. “He tries for the KO every time. But he’s never fought a fighter like me, been in with the big boys, in deep water.”

I asked Gomez where his head was after the back to back losses, to Canelo and Porter. Was he demoralized, thinking about hanging ‘em up?

“The Porter fight was a very good fight, and there were one or two rounds different. Porter had the Watsons in his corner, and Al Haymon with him. So his recent wins made me feel good. And I’m better now, no injuries, the elbow, the back. And, I understand the way the game is played. So, Porter had a tough time with me.” So, he can now look back on that Porter fight with a different set up eyes. That’s helpful, when those demons of doubt, which can creep into the best of minds, start to slither in….

Gomez said he doesn’t exactly feel old, at 33, but admitted, yes, when he turned 30, it was an, ‘Oh damn’ moment. He said, rightly, that your average pound for pound list contains tons of guys over 30. “I’m happy with the way I feel,” he said.

His home, he said, is good. Wife Dulce, to whom he’s been hitched for seven years, daughter Luna (4) and son Leon (2) have a house with dad in Downey, CA, between LA and Orange County, and the missus would be happy to hear Gomez tell me, “I love being a family man.” Part of that family dynamic involves dad Alfonso Sr., head trainer and cornerman for Junior. “He’ll be there right to the end,” the son told me. “We butted heads some in my teenage years, but I grew out of it. Working together gives us, I feel, a bigger bond than most fathers and sons have.” And you think it’s hard when dad sees you eating a harsh combo? “I think it’s kind of unspoken, we’ve been in it so long. It’s part of our lives. He’s proud of me, and I’m proud of him, for enduring all my BS when I was younger!”

Gomez was kind enough to indulge me a most personal line of questioning. PEDs, some say, are prevalent in fight sports. I’m assuming that maybe a temptation to use could grow as you get older, and start to fight these young guns. Yes or no? “Nobody has offered it to me, I don’t need it,” he said. “I train hard and I’m there to fight.”

“So, I didn’t lose to bums,” he says in summation. “I’ve lost to the best. And the losses were close.”

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Ever-Improving Callum Walsh KOs Dean Sutherland at Madison Square Garden

Published

17 hours ago

March 16, 2025

David A. Avila

Ever-Improving-Callum-Walsh-KOs-Dean-Sutherland-at-Madison-Square-Garden

Irish luck was not involved as Callum Walsh won the battle of hard-hitting southpaws over Dean Sutherland by knockout on Sunday.

One right hook was all it took.

“You’re never going to beat the Irish,” said Walsh.

In a contest between Celtic super welterweights Walsh (13-0, 11 KOs) retained the WBC Continental America’s title against Sutherland (19-2, 7 KOs) in quick fashion at the Madison Square Garden Theater in Manhattan.

Usually fights between southpaws can be confusing to both contestants. But Walsh had expressed a fondness for fighting lefthanders then vividly exhibited the reasons why.

Walsh, 24, a native of Cork, Ireland, now living and training in Los Angeles, quickly demonstrated why he likes fighting lefties with a steady flow of combinations from the opening bell.

He did not hesitate.

Sutherland, 26, had only lost once before and that was more than two years ago. Against Walsh the Scottish fighter was not hesitant to advance forward but was caught with lefts and right hooks.

After two minutes of scattered blows, Sutherland fought back valiantly and when cornered, Walsh tapped two jabs then unleashed a right hook through the Scottish fighter’s gloves that floored the Aberdeen fighter for the count at 2:45 of the first round.

“I’m feeling very good. Dean Sutherland is a very good opponent. I knew he was going to be dangerous. That was my best opponent,” said Walsh.

It was the fourth consecutive knockout win for Walsh who seems to improve with every single combat.

“I’m looking forward to the future. I’m getting stronger and stronger,” said Walsh who is trained by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. “Anyone that comes to me I will take him out.”

Other Bouts

Super featherweight Feargal McCrory (17-1, 9 KOs) survived a knockdown in the fourth to out-muscle Keenan Carbajal (25-5-1, 17 KOs) and batter down the Arizona fighter in the seventh and again in the eighth with volume punching.

Carbajal was deducted a point early for holding in round two, but regained that point when he floored the Irish southpaw during an exchange in the fourth.

Despite suffering a knockdown, McCrory continued stalking Carbajal and floored him in the seventh and eighth with battering blows. Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the fight without a count.

A rematch between two Irish super middleweights saw Emmet Brennan (6-0) remain undefeated by unanimous decision over Kevin Cronin (9-3-1).

Cronin started quickly with a pressure style and punches flowing against Brennan who resorted to covering and countering. Though it looked like Cronin was building up a lead with a busier style, the judges preferred Brennan’s judicious counters. No knockdowns were scored as all three judges saw Brennan the winner 98-92 after 10 rounds.

Dajuan Calloway (11-3, 9 KOs) emerged the winner by technical knockout over Thomas Carty (10-1) who was unable to continue after two rounds when his leg tangled and thereafter was unable to stand. Because he could not continue the fight was ruled a technical knockout win for Calloway in the heavyweight match.

Also

Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (29-1, 23 Kos) defeated Yeis Solano (15-5) by majority decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight contest.

Donagh Keary (1-0) defeated Geral Alicea-Romero (0-1-1) by decision after four.

Light heavyweights Sean O’Bradaigh (0-0-1) and Jefferson Almeida (0-1-1) fought to a majority draw after four.

Photo credit: JP Yim

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Nick Ball Wears Down and Stops TJ Doheny Before the Home Folks in Liverpool

Published

2 days ago

March 15, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Fighting in his hometown, Liverpool’s five-foot-two fireplug Nick “The Wrecking” Ball stopped TJ Doheny after 10 progressively more one-sided rounds to retain his WBA belt in the second defense of the featherweight title he won with a hard-earned decision over Raymond Ford in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Referee Michael Alexander, with the assent of Doheny’s corner, waived it off following the bell ending Round 10, much to the chagrin of the brave but mildewed Doheny who burst into tears. But then, Doheny’s right eye was closed shut and he was plainly exhausted. This may be the end of the line for the 38-year-old campaigner from Perth, Australia via Portlaois, Ireland who was 26-5 heading in following his first loss inside the distance which came against pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue.

There were no knockdowns, but Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) was docked a point in round nine for throwing Doheny to the canvas after having previously been warned for this infraction. Earlier, both he and Doheny were warned for an incident that could have ended the bout prematurely. At the end of the first round, Ball extricated himself from a headlock by kicking Doheny in the back of his knee. The challenger’s leg appeared to buckle as he returned to his stool.

Going forward, Ball has many options. The 28-year-old Liverpudlian purportedly relishes a unification fight with WBC belt-holder Stephen Fulton, but the decision ultimately rests with Ball’s promoter Frank Warren.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 12-round bantamweight contest that was close on the scorecards but yet a monotonous affair, Liverpool’s Andrew Cain won a split decision over former WBC flyweight title-holder Charlie Edwards. The scores were 116-112 and 115-114 favoring Cain with judge Steve Gray submitting a disreputable 115-113 tally for Edwards. At stake were a trio of regional titles.

The science of boxing, they say, is about hitting without getting hit. Charlie Edwards is adept at the latter but the hitting part is not in his DNA. He was on his bicycle from the get-go, a style that periodically brought forth a cascade of boos. Cain, who trains in the same gym with Nick Ball, was never able to corner him – Edwards was too elusive – but Cain, to his credit, never lost his composure.

In improving to 14-1 (12), Cain achieved a measure of revenge, in a sense. In his last documented amateur bout, in 2014, Cain was defeated by Charlie’s brother Sunny Edwards, also a former world title-holder at the professional level. Heading in, Charlie Edwards (20-2, 1 NC) was unbeaten in his last 13 which included a comfortable decision over Cristofer Rosales in his flyweight title fight. Charlie relinquished that belt when he could no longer make the weight.

Showboating Cuban lightweight Jadier Herrera, who fought 13 of his first 14 pro fights in his adopted home of Dubai, advanced to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of spunky but outclassed Mexican import Jose Macias (21-4-2). The official time was 2:31 of round seven.

An all-Liverpool affair between super flyweights Jack Turner (11-0, 10 KOs) and Ryan Farrag (23-6) was over in a jiff. The match, which went next-to-last in the bout order, ended at the 42-second mark of round two. A barrage of punches climaxed by a left hook sent Farrag down hard and the referee waived it off.

The noted spoiler Ionut Baluta, whose former victims include Andrew Cain, forged another upset with a 10-round split decision over local fan favorite Brad Strand. The judges favored Baluta 98-91 and 96-94, out-voting the Italian judge whose 97-93 tally for Strand was deemed the most accurate by the TV pundits.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 317: Callum Walsh, Dana White and More

Published

3 days ago

March 14, 2025

David A. Avila

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As Callum Walsh stood on the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building with fists clenched, it harked back to actor Jimmy Cagney, an actor of Irish descent, yelling “Top of the world, ma,” in the 1949 motion picture White Heat.

The Irish-born Walsh brings that kind of attitude.

Once again Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to New York City and this time faces Scottish warrior Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs) in a super welterweight match set for 10 rounds on Sunday, March 16, at Madison Garden Theater.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions event.

Flanked by master trainer Freddie Roach and managed by Dana White it brings questions as to the direction that Walsh will be steered. It was just revealed that White will head a new boxing promotion outfit with big plans to make a more UFC type of organization.

Is Walsh part of the plans?

It’s a lot to digest as the hot prospect from Cork, Ireland proceeds toward world championship dreams. Can he cleanse his mind of this major distraction?

Walsh and Sutherland are both southpaws who are meeting at the crossroads in the heart of New York City. At this point of their careers a loss can mean rebooting and taking a few steps backward. The winner moves on to the next crucial step.

Sutherland, 26, hails from Aberdeen and has never fought outside of his native Scotland. It’s a lot to ask of someone whose country’s population of 5 million is dwarfed by New York City’s 8.2 million inhabitants all packed together.

Ireland’s population is also 5 million. So basically, both Walsh and Sutherland are on even terms when they enter the prize ring on Sunday.

Who knows what kind of competition Sutherland faced in Scotland. He beat two undefeated fighters and also conquered two foes who each had more than 100 losses on their resumes.

Meanwhile, Walsh has faced only one undefeated fighter but handled veterans like Benjamin Whitaker, Ismael Villareal and Carlos Ortiz Cervantes. But you never know until they meet face to face. Anything can happen in a prize ring.

Walsh has a three-fight knockout streak. Sutherland has slept two out of his last three foes. They will be joined by several Irish fighters on the card plus Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.

Dana, Turk and TKO

The announcement earlier in the week that Turki Alalshikh together with TKO Group Holdings that include Dana White and Nick Khan formed a new boxing promotion company.

White, who does not own UFC but guides the MMA ship, works for Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Their events are all shown on ESPN, the powerful sports network (albeit WWE’s flagship weekly show “Raw” recently moved to Netflix). It seems Endeavor has decided to allow White to guide its boxing program too.

Where does that leave Top Rank?

It seems the partnership plans to rid boxing of the many sanctioning organizations and have only one champion per division. The champion will be given a Ring Magazine belt. Recently, Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring magazine from Golden Boy Promotions. This seems to have been the plan all along.

Is this good for boxing?

Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO Group Holdings, said:

“This is a strategic opportunity to re-imagine the sport of boxing globally. TKO has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our passion and vision for evolving the current model. Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.”

DAZN all day

Three boxing cards take place on Saturday beginning with WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball (21-0-1) the human cannonball, defending against former champion TJ Doheny from Liverpool, England. The first bout begins around 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Coast Time). Ball likes to charge forward and punch. Doheny is no slouch and has experience.

Later, Matchroom Boxing presents a show from Florida that features Edgar Berlanga (22-1) fresh off a solid contest against Canelo Alvarez. He fights undefeated Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) in a super middleweight match. Also, Ammo Williams (17-1) returns to face dangerous Patrice Volny (19-1) in a middleweight clash. The card starts at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time.

Saturday evening MarvNation presents Amado Vargas (11-0) meeting Eduardo Hernandez (8-2) in a super lightweight contest at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Start time is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time). The son of the great Fernando Vargas remains undefeated.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 11:30 a.m. Nick Ball (21-0-1) vs TJ Doheny (26-5).

Sat. DAZN 3:30 p.m. Edgar Berlanga (22-1) vs Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) ; Ammo Williams (17-1) vs Patrice Volny (19-1).

Sat. DAZN 8 p.m. Amado Vargas (11-0) vs Eduardo Hernandez (8-2).

Sun. UFC Fight Pass 3 p.m. Callum Walsh (12-0) vs Dean Sutherland (19-1).

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