Yoelvis Gomez went to total distance to defeat Jorge Cota over the weekend.
The Las Vegas-based Cuban fighter dominated the veteran boxer from Sinaloa, Jorge Cota, in a Showtime-televised co-feature event held at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
In a fight where scores were 100-90 across the board, Cota still managed to extend the fight completely over ten rounds, though Gomez expressed competitive disappointment for not ending the night with a knockout.
"I wanted to steal the show, but I know that all Mexican boxers are warriors. Cota was tonight and he made it to the final bell," Yoelvis Gomez said after his victory. "Today I realized that one must be ready to fight all 10 rounds from end to end. The knockout did not come tonight, but I was in good physical condition and ready to fight until the end. This Monday I will meet with my trainer again to see what I can adjust and improve for my next fight. Thank you to all the fans tonight, I love Arizona!
Yoelvis, son of Olympic winner and former Boxing champion, Jose Gomez Mustelier, said that he credits his father for the daily hunger he sustains to succeed in his sport. The 24-year-old Cuban says that his father gifted him with a pair of boxing gloves and gear at such a young age, which he points to as the reason why he is the boxer he is today.
“My first steps were due to my father, who is an Olympic and world champion,” said Yoelvis. “He had all the titles given by AIBA. I didn’t want to be a boxer, I wanted to be a baseball or soccer player. And he told me ‘the only sport in which I can help you is in boxing, that’s where I know more people and I can get you all the equipment.’ My first gift as a child was a set of gloves and headgear.”
And as for the defeated corner, Jorge Cota says that his Saturday night fight changed as soon as he received a devastating blow to his liver area, which instantly impacted his fighting ability for the remaining rounds.
“Yoelvis is a strong boxer and he hit me in the left rib, I think he injured me there. I will do studies to see what the damage was," said the 34-year-old from Los Mochos. “He kept his consistency and his punch throughout the fight. I was at 50% of my capacity because of my rib, but credit to him for having fought like this," he added.
