Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez

    WILFREDO GOMEZ: 17 SUCCESSFUL TITLE DEFENSES,

32 CONSECUTIVE KNOCKOUTS

    The Ring Magazine named Wilfredo Gomez the greatest super bantamweight fighter of all time in 1994, citing the fact that he successfully defended his crown 17 times -- each time by a knockout.

    The Puerto Rican legend was a champion in three weight divisions and held a world title for nearly a decade thanks to an repertoire of powerhouse punches and exceptional defensive skills -- a rare and lethal combination. After fighting to a draw in his first pro fight in 1974, Gomez knocked out 32 consecutive opponents before he was KO'd himself in eight rounds by the great Salvador Sanchez. A much-anticipated rematch between the two future Hall of Famers never happened because Sanchez died at age 23 in an automobile accident.

    Among those he defeated in compiling a 44-3-1 career record (which included 42 KOs) were Carlos Zarate, Nicky Perez, Royal Kobayashi, Carlos Mendoza, Lupe Pintor, Juan LaPorte and Rocky Lockridge. His other two losses came at the hand of Azumah Nelson, who KO'd him in 11 rounds for the WBC featherweight crown in 1984, and Alfredo Layne, who took away his WBA super lightweight belt two years later. He fought twice more after that bout, knocking out both opponents.

                                                                                                                          -- Dennis Taylor, The Boxing Amusement Park