Alex Arthur v Michael Gomez, Amazing Fighters, Amazing Fight By Stephen Jones

At a jam packed Meadowbank Centre in Edinburgh Scotland, big time boxing returned to the city for the first time in decades in a major way.

The local favourite Amazing Alex Arthur, a 25 year old British super featherweight champion, with a record of 16-0 (14 KOs) was defending his title against the former champion from a previous era who never lost that belt in the ring, one Michael Gomez (formerly Michael Armstrong) who out of love for the great Puerto Rican ring legend Wilfredo Gomez changed his last name. Gomez attempting to regain past glory at age 32, with a respectable record of 28-5 (19 KOs), swore he was never going to lay down and bow to the youthful current holder.

To pour more gasoline onto the flames at this point, may I just add Gomez was born in Dublin, Ireland, so we had a Celtic battle on our hands. The added passion of an Ireland - Scotland match in front of a partisan crowd was enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of anyone's neck.

Gomez entered to the Mexican hat dance music; funny, considering that his idol Wilfredo Gomez is Puerto Rican, but that has been a strange, quirky and humorous gimmick along with his following, who arrive in droves wearing sombreros ala Julio Cesar Chavez diehards. The humor was to end here and what would follow was what a Sky TV reporter described as the best fight the TV channel had covered in 14 years.

Round one began fast. Arthur enjoying home advantage and playing up to it took charge with establishment of the jab, fending the baying Gomez off for the first full minute, until the momentum stopped sharply when Michael shot in a left hook that rocked the Scotsman to his boots, the moment that really showed all in attendance that Gomez meant business.

The battle stayed at the ferocious pace throughout the second round, a session that was not dominated by either but was furiously competitive by both. Alex was displaying great control in contrast to Gomez' wild ferocity, but one thing became evident.. Arthur in 3 minutes took more flush shots than he had eaten in his whole career to date; he was shockingly open to the left hooks that went whizzing past his head by the dozen and until this point the bout was close.

If this fight was a piece of music we had just heard the intro, now the Orchestra would strike up and explode into a frenzied third round which I can honestly say could be rated up there with the best I have ever seen at any level of Boxing.

Alex was jarred by a left hook flush and it opened up slicing cuts on the side of his head; bleeding badly and reeling, he traded wicked hooks and straight right hands in a desperate attempt to claw his way back into a fight that in 50 seconds was dominated so heavily that it became almost one way traffic from the Irishman who drew a full arena to an almost silence in the shock of seeing their hero damaged and battered in a way they weren't accustomed to.

The bell came to rescue the brave Scot from a Gomez I thought I had honestly seen the last of years ago. Damaged, hurt and tired Alex returned to his corner in the biggest crisis of his career without chief trainer Freddie Roach who had almost prepared his combatant by telephone from long distance, a shameful practice that was very untypical of the L.A. based fight guru. Gomez however was buzzing with enthusiasm in the reality that he was on the cusp of pulling off the major upset in front of his opponent's home fans.

Round 4 could be described with one word... Dominated... by the accuracy of the trigger happy Gomez against the inept lack of defensive tools applied by the Champion. Punches were traded fluently by both men but connected by only one party, Gomez at one count put together 28 unanswered home runs, to a now shamefully exposed Arthur's head and it appeared that it could be close to curtains, until a single rest from Gomez invited one last gasp desperate show of defiance from the youngster who almost did the impossible in swinging the tides for a split second, cutting his older challenger in an exchange that brought the full house to its feet.

The exchange from the Arthur corner told a tale in itself...

"You alright son?"

I dunno boss, dunno...

Where are we Alex?"

Ummmmm

It's Edinburgh son, we're in the fifth, keep your hands up son.

We doin ok?

Naahh boy, ya have to defend yourself son.

Ahhh can't see the shots...!!!!

Round 5 was to be the crescendo. Alex knew his future depended on it, swaying by every punch that came his way; it was a matter of time before the Scotsman would taste the canvas for the first time. Both men furiously throwing leather and bleeding heavily were squared up in the centre of the ring and Gomez shot over a flurry of wicked left hooks that put Alex's eyes into separate orbits. He staggered awkwardly onto the mat grinning with bravado; he rose too fast, still buzzing and dazed. He was ill prepared for the onslaught that awaited him, dropped instantaneously for a second time, it was the perfect opportunity for John Coyle to stop the punishment but shamefully he allowed the former Champion to rise once more only for Gomez to execute his younger opponent with a jarring left that finished the now ex champion who dropped scarily, collapsing onto the canvas with his head bouncing heavily off the boards...

The bout lacked skill and poise but made up for it in guts and courage.

Ring legend and former Roberto Duran foe Ken Buchanan said from ringside it was probably the finest fight he had seen in all his years, and I must testify to that.

The new Champion Michael Gomez had recaptured the title he had never lost in the ring and exposed a future star in the making as unbelievably out of his depth in the defence department, and a lot of rehabilitation would be needed to resurrect his confidence to the point to where his career was headed.

Arthur who was by now receiving oxygen in the ring looked devastated while the jubilant Champion and his friend Ricky Hatton sat ringside and revealed how all the plans went out of the window once the Arthur defence was exploited. Heart and Guts came through on the night in a fight that has to really go down as one for the Video collection.. If I mentioned it in the same breath as Benn-McClelland, Hagler-Hearns, Holyfield-Tyson, Brodie-Chi and Morales-Barrera, I really would not be exaggerating.

Michael Gomez was recently described as a British version of Johnny Tapia, because of the hardship of his crazy upbringing, and this was a hell of a way to bring such a story up to date; 20 minutes earlier he was booed into the ring, yet embraced by a huge Scottish live attendance with his bravery; he was applauded by a standing ovation in his victory.

One last comment... If you have to beg borrow or steal, get a copy of this and last week's Mike Brodie v Injin Chi fight and you won't be disappointed.

10-24-2003