Gomez Decides Against Boxing Thaxton

By Kevin Taylor of BritishBoxing.net

Just as negotiations were getting to critical stage, Michael Gomez has had long discussions with his manager, trainer and other advisers and has decided to stay at super-featherweight for the foreseeable future and try to get a rematch with Javier Osvaldo Alvarez, the man who stopped him in six rounds and took away his WBU title last time out, in a bid to revenge the situation.

Thaxton’s promoter Neil Featherby said “Jon is obviously disappointed, especially as the pair had met up in Sheffield and everything seemed to suggest that it was all systems go for a head to head here in Norwich during December the banter between them was well and truly underway and I know we would have had no trouble whatsoever selling this one out. We were certainly in the position to make the fight financially and I am sure it would have been the domestic fight of the year.

“Michael is a nice guy and to be fair to him, he and his solicitor have been good enough and honest enough to be up front and explain the situation and their reasons for wishing to have another go at getting the right decision against Alvarez for which I really do wish them all the best. Who knows maybe we can get it on in the New Year, but for now its back to the drawing board for us.”

Featherby added “People run down the WBF title, but they don’t understand what goes on behind the scenes and certainly don’t understand the boxing politics that go on. We’ve got the money to get it on with anyone domestically and Jon is certainly not scared to face any lightweight in this country or for that matter in Europe. Unfortunately it seems that everyone wants to avoid him. We and Jon have recently taken a bit of stick about the quality of his title and the ability of his promotional team but before they start running us down, perhaps they should be more aware of some of the facts that surround trying to match Jon up with who are regarded as the best lightweight out there. We are here and we are waiting, what more can we do?”

The Norwich based WBF champion was a little less diplomatic than his promoter “He’s bottled it, he’s all talk, he came along and tried to bully the lightweight’s with his “I’ll knock any lightweight out’ talk, but the first one to respond and challenge him he turns it down.”

“What kind of warrior is he, he’s no warrior. He started it with all his talk but he can’t finish it, he should be fighting for his pride, he’s got no pride, no bottle and no guts. He’s going to look a fool now. In front of all his mates in Sheffield he said he would come to down to Norwich and knock me out, I just said promise you will fight me, If he beat me I would hold his hand up and congratulate him, but I know that won’t happen.

“I knew from the start he wouldn’t fight me even when he was giving it the macho stuff in front of his mates I knew it wouldn’t happen I am too big and too strong for him. We offered him good money he even quoted my quote of “a good big one will always beat a good little one” and said that fighting him would remind me of fighting Ricky Hatton all over again

“Now I’ve just got to wait and see what Neil and the team come up with, whether it is fighting in Norwich or going away from Norwich to fight. I’m WBF champion which is rated 6th best out of around 30 odd titles. I’ve got to now prove that I can compete with the best in World. I am willing to fight anyone in the World and I know I have at least a puncher’s chance against anyone out there. I’m back in training again now and just waiting for the next fight; all I want to do is fight”