Gomez vs. Tackie

Welterweight contender Alfonso Gomez (17-3-2, 8 KO’s) will be fighting journeyman Ben Tackie (29-7-1, 17 KOs) on October 16, 2007, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Gomez, 26, a one-time star on “The Contender” reality television series on NBC aired in the United States. In his most recent bout on July 14th, Gomez stopped Arturo Gatti in the 7th round, causing him to retire afterwards due to the one-sided nature of the fight. Following the fight, there were numerous rumors involving Gomez potentially fighting Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. However, the fight never materialized. Good thing for Chavez, though, because Gomez figured to be a little bit more than he could deal with at this early stage pf his career, something that was echoed in many of the internet boxing forums that the rumor was kicked around in.

Tackie, 34, is on the downward slide of his career, having lost five of his last eleven bouts, including one draw. At one time in his career, in the early 2000s, he was considered one of the hottest prospects in the lightweight division with wins over Freddie Pendelton, Ray Oliveira, Golden Johnson and Roberto Garcia.

However, a string of three loses occurred starting in 2002 when he faced Kostya Tszyu, Sharmba Mitchell and Ricky Hatton in consecutive bouts. Rather than taking an easy fight or two after a disappointing fight, Tackie, for whatever, reason was matched tough in consecutive bouts, preventing him from getting his confidence up. Worse, however, was the punishment that he sustained in each bout, due to the fact that all three went 12-rounds.