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It was a busy Sunday afternoon at Manchester, England’s Altrincham Leisure Centre for the VIP Promotions fightcard which saw the return of former British Super Featherweight Champion Michael Gomez.
Gomez had not fought since January 2006, after a somewhat odd turn of events when he faced Peter McDonough in Ireland for the Irish Lightweight Title.
Now, under new trainer Bobby Rimmer, Gomez, 33-7 (23), was looking to undo the damage that fight had done to his reputation.
Entering the ring alongside Bobby, Gomez wore his trademark Mexican sombrero and looked fired up as he entered the ring to his usual rousing Mexican music. The crowd roared their support and sombreros were waved aloft in support of the likeable Manchester based Irishman.
Originally scheduled to fight Carl Allen, Gomez now faced Sheffields’ tricky southpaw veteran Daniel Thorpe, 21-61-3 (7),
Round one was busy and Gomez fought like a man possessed, perhaps trying a bit too hard, obviously wanting to make a good impression.
Round two and Gomez threw some great uppercuts. Ring Magazine’s Light Welterweight World Champion Ricky Hatton, sitting ringside with brother Matthew was wearing a sombrero and shouting support to Gomez.
Another busy round for both boxers but it was Gomez who dominated. The bell signalled the end of the round and Thorpe threw a late punch but Gomez remained calm and went back to his corner.
Round three and it’s a tough fight for Thorpe who seems to be taking a lot of shots from Gomez. Midway through the round and Gomez lands a left-hook and Thorpe goes down. Referee Phil Edwards calls a halt to the contest and Team Gomez are jubilant! Sombrero’s are flung in to the air by the crowd.
Afterwards in his dressing room, Gomez said he felt his nose “go” in round one and with that he glances over at the mirror to check the damage. He said he was really up for the fight and mentioned how he’d “growled” with impatience in one of the rounds. He was happy working with Bobby Rimmer and was excited to be back!
On the undercard there were five seperate six round contests in which each round only lasted two minutes.
Super middle Joe Ainscough, 3-1 (0), of Liverpool defeated veteran Mark Philips, 8-42 (1), of St. Clares, Wales on points 60-54.
Light heavyweight Carl Dilks, 1-0 (0), enjoyed huge support from adoring fans for his debut and defeated Carl “Born To Be” Wild, 2-2 (1), of Sheffield on points 59-56.
Light middleweight Johnny Enigma, 1-0 (0), of Bolton made his pro debut, defeating Paul Boyston, 1-3 (1), of Sheffield 59-56.
Light middleweight Brian Rose, 3-0 (0), from Tameside and a popular fighter from Bobby Rimmer’s Boxing Academy defeated difficult southpaw David Kirk, 11-60 (3), of Sutton in Ashfield on points 60-54.
Welterweight Chris Johnson, 3-1 (2), of Manchester knocked out Britsol’s Danny Gwilym, 5-9 (1), in the fourth round.
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