ARLINGTON, TX (February 11, 2010) – World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight champion HUMBERTO “Zorrita” SOTO and former WBC lightweight champion DAVID DIAZ will go mano-a-mano for the vacant WBC lightweight title, headlining the pay-per-view undercard of THE EVENT: PACQUIAO vs. CLOTTEY, World Welterweight Championship. The Pacquiao vs. Clottey pay-per-view telecast will also feature 10-round rumbles between two-time world champion JOSE LUIS “El Terrible” CASTILLO in a welterweight battle against top-10 contender ALFONSO GOMEZ and “Ireland’s” JOHN DUDDY in a middleweight duel with MICHAEL “Myckol” MEDINA.
Alfonso Gomez
Pacquiao-Clottey undercard: Duddy-Medina, Castillo-Gomez
By Chris Williams: I can’t say I’m at all impressed with the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey fight on March 13th, at the Dallas Cowboy stadium. It was announced today that the following fights will be taking place on the undercard: middleweight John Duddy vs. Michael Medina, welterweight Jose Luis Castillo vs. Alfonso Gomez, super bantamweight Roberto Marroquin vs. TBA, super bantamweight Salvador Sanchez vs. TBA.
Pacquiao-Clottey undercard
By Eric Thomas: As reported by ESPN writer Dan Rafael, the Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey bout could possibly have former World Boxing Association welterweight champion Antonio Margarito fighting in the co-main event.
If this turns out to be the case, it would be the first bout for Margarito in over a year since his 9th round stoppage loss to Shane Mosley in January 2009.
Foreman defeats Santos; Gomez defeats Karass by technical decision
By Jim Dower: Undefeated Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO’s) beat World Boxing Association light middleweight champion Daniel Santos (32-4-1, 23 KO’s) by a 12-round unanimous decision in a fight that was marred by constant head butts in almost every round on Saturday night at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
John vs. Juarez on June 27th; Gomez-Buendia – News
By Eric Thomas: World Boxing Association featherweight champion Chris Chris John (42-0-2, 22 KOs) will be fighting a rematch with American challenger Rocky Juarez (28-4-1, 20 KOs) on June 27th at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California. This is excellent news because the previous fight between John, 29, and Juarez ended up in a controversial 12-round draw in February at the Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas.
News – Elcock-Macklin, George-Ballogou, Fury-Peret
British middleweight champion Wayne Elcock says he’s happy to let mandatory challenger Matthew Macklin talk the talk ahead of their massive all Birmingham clash on a Hennessy Sports show at the Aston Arena in the city on March 14th live on ITV4. Macklin is predicting a knockout win over his local rival but Elcock and his trainer have blasted Macklin saying, “Talk is cheap”. The champion though says he won’t be drawn into a war of words ahead of the mouth watering showdown.
Cintron & Gomez: What Now?
By Peter Kurth: This last weekend was particularly hard on former IBF welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (29-2, 27 KOs) and former star from The Contender Alfonso Gomez (18-4-2, 8 KOs), both of which were destroyed by their opponents Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.
Of the two, Gomez took the worse beating, but then again, he was never excepted to be very competitive in the first place, having been brought in largely for an easy payday for the WBA welterweight champion Cotto. Certainly Cotto deserved an easy fight after having fought Zab Judah and Shane Mosley in back to back fights, but there was hope by some that Gomez might have a sliver of a chance against Cotto.
Cintron-Margarito, Cotto-Gomez This Saturday
By Nate Anderson: This Saturday, unbeaten WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (31-0, 25 KOs), will defend his title against former star from The Contender reality television show Alfonso Gomez (18-3-2, 8 KOs) at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey. On the other card, IBF welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (29-1, 27 KOs), will be defending his title against his former conqueror Antonio Margarito (35-5, 25 KOs), who stopped him in a 5th round TKO in April 2005.
Most fans are eager to see both fights, in particular the Cotto-Gomez fight, although that fight figures to be more of a one-sided fight given the talent gulf separating the undefeated Cotto and Gomez. However, anything is possible as Gomez, 27, is fighting at the best in his short career and is capable of pulling off an upset unless Cotto gives it his best effort on Saturday. Ranked #9 overall in the IBF, Gomez is coming off of wins over Ben Tackie and Arturo Gatti. The win over Gatti was particularly impressive in that he stopped him in the 7th in 2007, a fight that Gatti was never in regards to fighting competitively.
Cotto-Gomez: Is Alfonso The Best Option For Miguel?
By Chris Thomas: With this recent news story of World Boxing Association welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (31-0, 25 KOs) opting to defend his title against Alfonso Gomez (18-3-2, 8 KOs), a fighter from the television series “The Contender,” on April 12th at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, I wonder if Cotto pursued every avenue to find a better opponent than Gomez? For a fighter as good and as popular as Cotto, you would think that he’d want to take on a quality opponent, at least someone ranked in the top 15, if not the top 5.
Cotto To Take On Gomez On April 12th
Undefeated World Boxing Association welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (31-0, 25 KOs) will be making his fourth title defense when he takes on Alfonso Gomez (18-3-2, 8 KOs) on April 12th at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Gomez, a former star from the reality television series The Contender, is mostly known as being the fighter that retired a badly shop worn Arturo Gatti, stopping him in the 7th round on July 14th, 2007. Other than that, Gomez has little to get excited about. He’s essentially a good 2nd tier fighter, one that will put on a good show against lesser B-level fighters, but will be hopelessly outclassed against top notch opposition such as Cotto.
Late last year, Gomez has been mentioned as a possible opponent for for prospect Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. However, for whatever reason, Gomez’s name was withdrawn as a prospective opponent for Chavez, probably because he was far too dangerous for him.