Former ‘Contender’ Star, Last Man To Fight Arturo Gatti, Alfonso Gomez To Launch Comeback At Age 43
You remember ‘The Contender.’ You remember Alfonso Gomez, who made a big impact on the show and who went on to fight, amongst others, Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, and, in what turned out to be Arturo’s final fight, “Thunder” himself, Arturo Gatti. Having last been seen in the ring in 2015, when Gomez won a decision over Yoshihiro Kamegai, Gomez has announced he is coming back – this at age 43.
Gomez, 25-6-2(12) and hailing from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, has announced on social media that he wants to fight Nick Diaz before the end of the year. Gomez told World Boxing that he is coming back to fight and “be a testimony of God.”
Gomez says he “experienced a profound spiritual awakening, a change that has led me to align my life and boxing technique with holistic, organic, and spiritual principles.”
Gomez added how a fight with Diaz, in a boxing match to take place at middleweight, would be the “perfect opportunity to demonstrate that success and championships can be achieved through divine means, not just lucrative ones.”
Gomez does come across as a hugely religious person here, and it’s entirely possible the fans will fully get behind him and support him as his ring comeback gets underway. But how far can Gomez go in a comeback at 43, and after being so long away? In his prime, Gomez was as tough as he was exciting, and his wins over Jose Luis Castillo, Jesus Soto Karass, Ben Tackie, and Kamegai show how good he was.
But here in 2024, how much has Alfonso Gomez got left to offer in the most demanding sport of them all?
We’ve seen countless ring comebacks over the years, and by far, most of them have been unsuccessful. We wish Gomez all the best in his.
