A Soto Karass win under his belt, the “Contender” star speaks!
Last Saturday night in the sixth stanza of a scheduled ten rounder, Alfonso Gomez was seeing red.
Facing off against Jesus Soto Karass at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Gomez was once again fighting for everything he has dreamed about since those scrappy years as a young, unknown amateur. Both he and his family have sacrificed so much to get to this point. He had so much to lose, everything to gain. With his father and brother in his corner, this all-important win against the favored Soto Karass (a tough product out of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico) would bring Gomez a new notch in his belt: A World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas Welterweight Title.
The Guadalajara-born boxer (21-4-2, 10 KOs) is used to battling it out in the ring. After victories over Arturo Gatti, Ben Tackie, Peter Manfredo Jr. and Jesse Feliciano, among many others, the former “Contender” fan favorite is no stranger to bloody battles. In May of this year, he was involved in a bloodbath of a war with Juan Manuel Buendia that ended with a TKO by Gomez in the eighth round.
During the Soto Karass fight, a featured undercard on the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto HBO PPV match last weekend, Gomez’s cut was caused by an accidental head butt in the third round. With blood constantly streaming out of his right eye, the determined fighter dug in and refused to give up. His gritty foe, seemingly inspired by the steady flow of blood, amped up his attack in the fifth and sixth rounds of their fight. But when the bright red liquid continued to pour down from the cut, referee Vic Drakulich called a halt to the action.
At the time of the stoppage, Soto Karass (24-4-3, 16 KOs) had already had points deducted in rounds three and four for low blows but appeared to be heating up. When the announcement was made, Gomez was ahead on all scorecards: 58-54 and 57-55 twice. It was Soto Karass’ first loss in his last 15 bouts. As the green strap was awarded to Team Gomez, Alfonso flashed a big grin and gave a double “thumbs up” sign to the crowd.
With this latest victory by technical decision, the crafty welterweight continues to carve out a new chapter in his life.
Before this Soto Karass fight, Gomez was supremely confident that he would win. Focusing on his training and moving temporarily to another county hours away from home, the Mexican warrior told me he was ready. The night right before the fight, he was brimming with confidence. All boxers have to own that bravado before their fights. But in this case, Gomez not only talked the talk, he walked the walk. Heading into the contest, many thought it would be a good matchup and a great test for the hard-hitting Soto Karass–with Alfonso in the challenger role. It was reported that Gomez had even agreed to use eight ounce gloves (that favored his opponent) instead of the normal ten ounce gloves under Nevada rules.
But the ambitious young man never doubted himself and now he continues to celebrate his victory.
After a 2008 loss to Miguel Cotto, Gomez has bounced back–possibly even stronger than ever–with the Buendia win, an August fight in Hawaii with a knockout against Raul Munoz in the opening round, and now this latest victory over the well-regarded Soto Karass.
Proving to himself–and to the boxing world–that he’s so much more than just a “Contender,” the SoCal resident is looking ahead to the future.
Dodging no one, Gomez is ready for more.
And he is entering a brand new phase of his life, both inside and outside the ropes. With a new marriage, a new baby and new opportunities in the ring, he feels the best is yet to come.
While not on the canvas, Alfonso maintains an engaging demeanor. In my prior interviews with the talented athlete/musician/songwriter, the boxer has always been fun to visit with as he remains a humble, funny and clever guy.
In our following chat, hear Gomez’s thoughts on his fight strategy, why he desperately needs earplugs, and how he really feels about his “Contender” fame.
You will also have a peek at some exclusive portraits from Alfonso and his wife, Dulce’s personal collection–some of the cutest baby pics you will ever see!
Yes, in between all the boxing chatter we made some time for baby talk. But no worries, there is plenty of time to talk boxing.
Michele Chong: Hi Alfonso. Congratulations on your victory! Tell me what training camp was like leading up to the fight.
Alfonso Gomez: I made weigh in without too much effort. I obviously sacrificed the junk food, but for the very first time I didn’t have to use plastics or starve or dehydrate myself. My mind was full of confidence that I worked hard to be in the best shape possible. (Note: At the weigh-in, Soto Karass came in over and had to strip down to make weight.)
MC: Your normal camp is in La Habra. Why the switch to Oxnard?
AG: I just had a baby girl, Heidi Luna. And being a one-month-old baby, they cry and cry and 
cry…And even if I don’t want to, I can still hear her at night and sometimes I get up to feed her or change her because I feel bad for my wife, Dulce. So to get away from all that, I decided to take my camp elsewhere to focus on one thing only…and that was beating Karass.
MC: Your father, Alfonso Sr., is still your trainer, right? Any new tactics you worked on that you can discuss?
AG: Yes, my Pops is still my trainer and will be until the day I retire. We worked with conditioning coach, George Alvarez, and also with Robert Garcia and his team. We planned on boxing and frustrating a limited Karass.
MC: What was your opinion of Soto Karass before you fought him?
AG: He’s a good, strong fighter. He has a good winning streak against some solid opponents. But I’ve been in with the better competition and with the harder fighters in bigger stages than him, so I had a slight advantage in that aspect.
MC: Your thoughts on the fight?
AG: I’m really excited for this victory for many reasons. It was a title fight and I wanted a title belt for a while–and now I have one. Now I’m gonna have to upgrade it to a big title. (Laughs)
MC: What about the low blows and the cut?
AG: It’s unfortunate that I got cut. It wasn’t a deep cut, but it was bleeding a lot. He threw a lot of low blows. I know they weren’t intentional but after a few warnings he should have changed his game plan so he wouldn’t get deducted points.
MC: So who do you want next?
AG: I don’t know what’s next. My manager, Gary Gittelsohn, said this fight will do wonders for me, so I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.
MC: Would you like a rematch or is there someone else out there you’d love to take on?
AG: A rematch? I don’t know, whatever my team decides. But I think I was winning the fight convincingly and if it wasn’t stopped because of the cut, it would have continued the same way!
MC: I know you’re embarking on a new chapter in your career since you asked to be released from your “Contender” contract. What are your short-term and long-term goals in boxing?
AG: Short-term goal was to beat Karass. Long-term goal is to be a champion and make lots of money. (Laughs)
MC: You’ve been called “The “Contender” favorite for a long time. Are you ready to break free and be known for other things?
AG: “The Contender” will always be with me. But I’m definitely ready to make a name for myself and be known for my talent, not the show.
MC: Outside of the ring, you’re an accomplished musician, songwriter and rapper. Will you continue to make appearances with Hy3rid (a popular band with brothers Robb and Zeuz)?
AG: Yes, I love writing music and performing it. I’ll continue doing that for a long while. However, right now I’m very focused on my boxing career since music has a longer life span. I just turned 29 and time is running out on my boxing life–want to squeeze all I can from it.
MC: On a personal note: Congratulations on the arrival of your new baby! How are you handling a new marriage, new daughter and your continued ring success?
AG: It brought a new light into my life. I view things differently now and I take responsibility with my sport more serious now. I’ve matured in a way…and that’s dangerous for my future opponents!
MC: Your daughter was born right around the time you fought in Hawaii. In fact, I saw you and Dulce at a fight on Thursday night and then she gave birth just hours later! And the very next weekend you fought in Honolulu. Describe how chaotic (and exciting) it must have been for you…
AG: I was there at the hospital when she was born. Two days later I had to go to Hawaii for a week, so I haven’t had time to enjoy her yet. I came back and enjoyed her cries for one week and then I had to go to camp for this fight! So I’m looking forward to be with her during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
MC: Alfonso, I know you have a huge fan base, so here’s one of my favorite questions: Please tell me something about yourself that might surprise your fans.
AG: Well, I don’t know…I’m pretty open with my life. I do video blogs about different things in my life. My last one I did was one solving a Rubik’s Cube, which is something people didn’t know I could do! But many people might now know that I am a computer geek, and very computer savvy. And I love reading Wikipedia articles on philosophy and philosophers. And I can type about 80 wpm (words per minute) on the keyboard! (Chuckles)
MC: Wow, so you are a Rubik’s Cube “champ.” And a world-class typist too–the average is only 25-35 wpm! I am impressed. (Laughs)
MC: Alfonso, thanks again for your time. And congratulations to you and Team Gomez on your latest win!
AG: Thank you, Michele, for the interview–your articles are always great. And thanks to all the fans for their support! I promise to train harder next time, because I believe I can get better and better and soon I’ll have a World Title belt around my waist.
Photos: Alfonso and Dulce (two days before their baby was born) by Michele Chong; Baby photos of Heidi Luna Gomez by Jose Angel/Angel Video Production and Photography; Weigh-in photo by Marlene Marquez; Fight photos by Big Joe Miranda