Wilfredo 'Bazooka' Gomez, 1956-2026: The Puncher Who Made Puerto Rico Stop and Watch

Every boxing country has its holy names. In Puerto Rico, Wilfredo Gomez is right near the top of that list, and on Saturday night he died at 69.

ESPN reported that Gomez had been hospitalized with respiratory complications, according to his son, who spoke to Puerto Rican outlets. Boxing News said he had been in the hospital for a couple of weeks, and noted he'd dealt with pneumonia and a pulmonary edema back in 2018.

The tributes came fast. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman wrote, "Wilfredo Gomez, one of the greatest fighters of all time, is now resting in peace." Former WBO president Paco Valcarcel, a fellow Puerto Rican, confirmed the news on social media: "Rest in peace, my eternal champion Wilfredo 'Bazuka' Gomez."

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If you're under 40, here's what you need to know: this guy could flat-out crack.

Gomez turned pro in November 1974. His debut was a draw. Then he started knocking people out and simply didn't stop, stringing together 32 straight stoppages. That's not a padded record. That's a guy people were scared of.

In October 1977, at just 20, he won the WBC junior featherweight title from Dong Kyun Yum in South Korea, and he did it after getting dropped in the first round. Then he made 122 pounds his property. Boxing News counts 13 successful defenses before he moved up, and over his reign his victims included Carlos Zarate and Lupe Pintor, two Mexican Hall of Famers who weren't exactly tune-ups. Plenty of historians still put him on the short list of the best junior featherweights ever, and it's not a hard case to make.

The defining loss came in August 1981 in Las Vegas, when he moved up to challenge Salvador Sanchez for the WBC featherweight title and was stopped in the eighth. Puerto Rico vs. Mexico, two greats in their primes, and the Mexican got it done. It's one of those fights people who were there still argue about.

Gomez didn't sulk. He went back down to 122 and defended four more times. In March 1984 he moved up again and outpointed Juan Laporte to win the WBC featherweight title. He lost it in his next fight to another all-timer, Azumah Nelson, in the 11th round.

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Then came title No. 3: the WBA junior lightweight belt, won with a close decision over Rocky Lockridge. Alfredo Layne took it from him in May 1986. Gomez fought twice more, won both by knockout, and walked away for good in 1989.

The final numbers, per Boxing News: 44-3-1 with 42 knockouts. Look at who beat him: Sanchez, Nelson and Layne. Gomez didn't hide from anybody. He fought the best of a loaded era in the lighter weight classes, and he did it with the kind of power that made you stop whatever you were doing and watch.

He represented Puerto Rico at the 1972 Olympics, and he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.

Before Felix Trinidad, before Miguel Cotto, there was "Bazooka." Our condolences to his family, his friends and all of Puerto Rico. Rest easy, champ.

Sources: ESPN, Boxing News