Wilfredo Gomez was knocked out by one of boxing’s biggest what-ifs in legendary 1981 ‘Battle of the Little Giants’

Wilfredo Gomez amassed a record of 44-3-1 over the course of his career, with his last two losses coming in his final five fights. Wilfredo Gomez, also known as the ‘Bazooka’, was a three-weight world champion and legend of the sport. His first world title win came in 1977 at super-bantamweight, where he spent much of his career defending his world title. In 1984, Gomez won the featherweight world title, though this was not his first attempt at conquering the division, as he went to war in 1981 in a bid for the crown, the first bid that went very wrong. 32-0-1 Gomez faced 40-1-1 Sanchez in Las Vegas. Gomez had reportedly had to run in the early hours of the morning to ensure he made weight for the fight, so turned up a little out of sorts. The fight, which took place on this day 44 years ago, was a gruelling one, and was not in any way one-sided. Gomez started quick but Sanchez began to chase him around the ring, and by the sixth round Gomez had a swollen eye, bloody nose, and broken cheekbone. Heading into