By Paul Joseph
Puerto Rican boxing legend Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez, a former three-weight world champion renowned for his devastating punching power, has died at the age of 69.
Gomez’s death was confirmed on Saturday by Paco Valcarcel, a former president of the World Boxing Organisation (WBO), who paid tribute to the late boxer in a social media post.
“Rest in peace, my eternal champion Wilfredo ‘Bazooka’ Gomez,” Valcarcel wrote, describing the boxer as someone to whom he owed his introduction to the international boxing community.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) also mourned Gomez, describing him as one of the greatest icons in the history of the sport.
According to the WBC, Gomez had been hospitalised for two weeks due to respiratory complications before his death.
During his illustrious career, Gomez won world titles in three weight divisions, capturing the WBC super-bantamweight and featherweight titles, as well as the World Boxing Association (WBA) super-featherweight crown.
He competed in 48 professional fights, winning 44, with an extraordinary 42 victories coming by knockout.
One of his most memorable victories came against Mexican boxing great Carlos Zarate, whom he stopped in the fifth round in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Zarate entered the contest with an unbeaten 52-0 record in knockout victories.
Gomez also recorded notable wins over two-weight world champion Lupe Pintor, fellow Puerto Rican Juan Laporte and American boxer Rocky Lockridge.
Despite his remarkable achievements, Gomez suffered defeats in two major featherweight world title contests. He was knocked out by Mexico’s Salvador Sanchez in 1981 and Ghanaian boxing legend Azumah Nelson in 1984, with both fights contested for the WBC featherweight title.
The WBC highlighted Gomez’s historic record of 17 consecutive successful defences of his super-bantamweight title, all of which ended in knockouts.
His achievements extended beyond professional boxing. At just 15, Gomez represented Puerto Rico at the 1972 Olympic Games. Two years later, aged 17, he won gold at the inaugural World Amateur Boxing Championships in Cuba.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the sport, Gomez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.
His death marks the loss of one of boxing’s most feared punchers and a celebrated figure in Puerto Rican sporting history.
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