Another ‘Big 12’ fight fails to go the distance

PROMISING JAMAICAN heavyweight boxer Ricardo ‘Big 12’ Brown burnished his boxing record last Saturday night when he scored a second-round technical knockout victory over Mexican Miguel Angel Flores Gomez, in a fight that was scheduled for six rounds, to make it eight wins and no losses.

Gomez was unhappy with the stoppage, however, and argued with the referee that he was able to continue. He now has a record of three wins, 10 losses and two draws.

The fight was the feature attraction on a boxing card promoted by Jason Height’s Camp Promotions, and which took place at the Victoria Conference Centre in Victoria, Canada.

Brown, at 6’7” and 267 pounds, had both a height and weight advantage over Gomez, who at 243 pounds was on the defensive from the opening bell. Brown, who tends to be somewhat wild with his punches, was more methodical on Saturday, scoring freely with stiff jabs and numerous right hooks and uppercuts to the head and body. Gomez rarely scored, as he was kept busy trying to keep Brown at bay.

At the halfway mark of the first round, Gomez went to his knees after a barrage of body punches, but was able to return to action after taking the mandatory eight count. However, he was able to stay on his feet to the end of the round.

Brown went back into attacking mode at the start of the second round, and chased Gomez around the ring, easily landing jabs to the head and hooks to the body.

At the one minute, 32-second mark, referee Greg Harrison, who was watching the action closely, stepped in and waived the fight off, a decision that Gomez disputed vigorously with words and body action.

He did a bit of shadow boxing, jumped up and down to show that he was still very mobile, and attempted to leave the ring immediately, but was not allowed to do so, by his cornermen, who showed no emotion whatsoever to the referee’s decision, and kept him calm.

The crowd reaction was that the referee acted too quickly, but it was obvious that what he did was to prevent Gomez from being beaten up badly. He was absorbing a lot of heavy punches without responding, and it would only have been a matter of time before Brown caught him with the knockout punch.

Brown said afterwards that although he was somewhat disappointed that he did not win by by knockout, he agreed with the referee’s decision, which “was clearly in the interest of the safety of the boxer. I was hitting him with some very hard punches, and if the fight had continued he would have been knocked out soon afterwards,” he added.

He told The Gleaner he would be fighting again soon, and hoped that he would have a tougher opponent next time, so that he can put some of what he has been learning in the gym on show.

“I am fit and ready to go,” he said.