Gomez (Left) with promoter, Arena C.E.O Ahmet Oner

A week from now former WBC cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos Gomez 44-2 (35) returns from his ninth round stoppage at the hands of Vitali Klitschko. Gomez, nicknamed the ‘Black Panther’ is a Cuban defectee and a solid campaigner in the heavyweight division, and has been for the six or seven years he’s fought there. FightFranchise caught up with Juan Carlos to hear what ambitions he still has left, and what the Klitschko loss took out of him.

1.) It’s almost exactly one year since your your last fight against Klitschko. Why have you waited so long to come back, and how much mental strength is needed to come back after a clear loss like the one against Vitaly?
“First of all I’m happy to be back and I thank Ahmet (Öner) and ARENA for giving me the chance to come back. I’m only 36 years old and I feel that I still have a lot left in me. My record says that I have 47 pro-fights but if you look at it a little closer you will see that I haven’t had so many hard fights. I feel that I can still play an important role in the heavyweight division today. Yes, Vitali beat me. When I faced him I was so confident that I could beat him that I lacked focus in training and I didn’t show up in the best possible shape. Still I think I started well in the fight. If you analyze the fight thoroughly you will also see that he headbutted me before I was knocked down. But I don’t want to complain and look like a sore loser. Vitali beat me. He is a strong fighter with a lot of heart and the right mentality. But except from him there is no heavyweight fighter in the world who can beat me. Wladimir doesn’t have the same guts as his brother and David Haye and all the other guys running around in the division are merely jokes to me. The only other fighter I respect today is Odlanier Solis. I don’t want to fight him but I am sure I can beat any other fighter in the world.”

2.) Going back to the hard training at the age of 36 years must be tough. What are your personal motivations to fight again and what are your targets?
“My motivation is the same that it has always been. I am a prize fighter. I fight for money. In addition to that I want to prove myself and my fans that I am still in good shape at the age of 36. As I said I can still beat every heavyweight in the world.”

3.) Did your family give you the green light to fight again or did you get trouble at home when you said you weren’t retiring?
“My family has always been supporting me. They trust in me and they know that I know my body. If I think it’s right to come back and that I still have what it takes to return to the big stage they would never disagree.”

4.) Have you any lingering doubt after your last fight with Vitaly, or is this completely forgotten?
“The fight against Vitali is the past. This is behind us now. I don’t want to get into it too much anymore. I’d rather focus on the present and on the future.”

5.) Do you see a chance in the next year to maybe get a title fight?
“At the moment the heavyweight division is quite complicated with Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye being bound by mandatory defenses and Vitali left without any notable opponents. I think that my time will come as soon as Vitali has retired. However, if I get the chance to fight either Wladimir or David Haye I would immediately accept the fight and definitely win it. They are both not very special and I am sure that I can outbox them.”

6.) When did your preparations for this fight start, and how fit are you now? What was the main focus of your pre-fight preparations?
“I have been training for a while in Florida where I live now. After the loss to Vitali I took some months off and concentrated on other things. Then I returned to the gym mainly focusing on increasing my strength. Finally I returned to working in the ring. Physically I am not yet where I want to be but I am definitely stronger and more powerful than ever. Now I have to regain my speed and stamina. That is why it is very important for me to get the chance to fight again on March 27th in Hamburg.”

7.) Please tell us a little bit about your opponent and what can we expect from you in this fight?
“On March 27th I will face Alex Mazikin from the Ukraine. He has been a very good amateur and is a decent pro. Like me he’s rather the technical boxer than a power-puncher which means that it should be a good fight for all fans to watch.”

8.) It is really nice to see back in the ring Juan. God willing we will see you in Hamburg. Have you any final message for the readers of FightFranchise?
“Watch out everyone, the Black Panther is back! It’s Showtime!”

On March 27th ARENA will present its first show with new major German TV partner SAT.1 live from Sporthalle Hamburg when Steffen Kretschmann will meet Russian tough-guy Denis Bakhtov in a re-match. In the co-feature Cuban superstar Yuriorkis Gamboa returns to Hamburg to defend his WBA featherweight championship for the third time.

In addition to the two main events the show from Hamburg will feature last year’s world championship contenders Juan Carlos Gomez and Mahir Oral. There will be ten fights in total. The show starts at 7.00pm with. TV broadcast begins at 10.30pm. Tickets for this high-class event are on sale starting at 15,- Euro (plus fees and tax) on www.eventim.de/kretschmann. Exclusive VIP-packages cost 200,- Euro (plus fees and tax).

1. Juan Carlos Gomez returns on June 4th