Tapia Triumphs With Power and Beauty
By Rick Wright
Journal Staff Writer
Sunday, March 18, 2001
Like a lot of guys in professional boxing's lower weights, Cuauhtemoc "Famosito" Gomez has always wanted to fight Albuquerque native Johnny Tapia.
This morning, like most of those who came before him, Gomez must be wondering exactly what the attraction was.
Saturday, in a stirring performance that had a crowd of some 5,000 rocking and Gomez merely rocked, Tapia sliced up the Mexican fighter's face en route to a victory by sixth-round round technical knockout.
Tapia (49-2-2, 26 knockouts) boxed beautifully in earning his purse of $125,000 in a bout televised nationally on Showtime. But he also displayed startling power in stopping the game but clearly outclassed Gomez (48-9, 28 KOs).
The sturdy Gomez never hit the canvas, but even Tapia's jabs on occasion sent the Mexican fighter staggering back. Tapia's power punches — particularly his right hand, which in past bouts he sometimes has neglected to use — were even more effective.
The fight ended with Gomez on his stool, the bout stopped on the advice of a ringside physician.
"This was a tough, tough, tough fight," said Tapia, who took some isolated shots from Gomez but usually responded with a stinging counter. "I was glad they stopped it when they did. I was kind of hoping they would have stopped it before.
"This feels beautiful, to fight again in front of the hometown fans." It was Tapia's first fight in Albuquerque since January 2000.
The bout was contested at 124 pounds, halfway between the super bantamweight and featherweight limits.
Copyright 2001 Albuquerque Journal |
