Davis set for big fight

RENO - When Reno's "Koncrete" Kelvin Davis and Juan Carlos Gomez clash on December 15 at Sporthalle, in Hamburg, Germany, it will be a meeting between two boxers that - in spite of their physical dissimilarities - have quite a bit in common.

Although the 6-foot-3 1/2 Gomez, 39-1 with 33 knockouts and one no-contest, is a southpaw and the 5-foot-7 Davis, 23-4-2 (17), is a right-hander, both fighters share a championship background.

The 33-year-old Gomez, of Miami, Fla. via La Habana, Cuba, took the WBC cruiserweight belt from Argentina's Marcelo Dominguez on Feb 21, 1998, and successfully defended it 10 times before moving up to the heavyweight ranks in 2002.

While Gomez gave up the belt on his own volition, the 28-year-old Davis, who won the vacant IBF cruiserweight belt with an eight-round technical knockout over Ezra Sellers on May 1, 2004, had his taken away by the IBF because of a dispute with then promoter Don King.

Following a pair of losses to top-rated cruiserweights Guillermo Jones (TKO 4) and Steve Cunningham (12-round decision), Davis has moved back to the heavyweight ranks where he began his career back in 1999.

Davis, a 1996 Sparks High School graduate, is unbeaten in 20 fights as a heavyweight, with his two draws coming courtesy of highly questionable scoring. Davis looked to give David Vedder a bloody beating on Sept. 8, 2001, in Reno, and looked to convincingly beat Charles Shufford last July 7, but the respective judges saw it differently.

Gomez has fought seven times as a heavyweight and last fought against former heavyweight champion Oliver McCall. Although Gomez originally won the Oct. 15, 2005, fight with the "Atomic Bull," Gomez tested positive for cocaine and the bout was subsequently ruled a no-contest. Gomez disputed the test and took another test two months later, which turned up clean.

What isn't in dispute is that Gomez was stopped in one round by Yanqui Diaz (also known as Yamplier Azcuy) on Aug. 13, 2004. He later rebounded with stoppages of David Defiagbon and George Arias before meeting McCall.

Gomez defected from Cuba to Germany, where he has fought the majority of his career.

For his part, Davis recently returned from a month-long stay in London, where he defeated Paul King in a four-rounder. Prior to sparring with McDermitt heavyweight Tyler Hinkey on Monday, Davis said he's looking forward to further expanding his horizons on his visit to Germany.

Davis and his brother/trainer/manager Kelly stayed at a hostel - six people to a room - during his stay in London.

"I missed America," Davis said. "There were so many accents (German, Polish, Korean), the only one I could relate to was my brother. (But) Europe has a lot of culture. Everybody's nice. There is no rudeness. Everybody's polite."

Davis said he was blown away when he began training at the All-Star Gym. He was asked to step in the ring to be formerly introduced to the other boxers, who gave him a standing ovation upon learning who he was.

Eating standard English fare like snails, fish and chicken, the 210-pound Davis dropped down to 195.

"All of their food has no preservatives," he said. "There are no fat people over there. You probably walk 15 miles a day on the way to the subway and the bus stops. Everybody plays soccer. It's eight in the morning, it's cold out, but there's everyone's family out watching the kids play soccer."

Not that everyone leads such a healthy life in England.

"When I got up to do my roadwork at 4 or 5 (a.m.), the pubs were still full," Davis said. "Those people drink all day long - women and men. The pubs were packed."

Davis was also taken aback while he was awaiting the scoring from ringside judges after fighting King. To his surprise, the referee, who also served as the judge, suddenly raised his hand before any announcement was made.

Davis is hoping to have his hand raised again after his fight with Gomez and, in spite of sporting a shiner on his left eye (Davis said he got the black eye against King and it hasn't yet healed), said he's not worried about Gomez's southpaw style and that he's confident that he'll come out on top.

"What's different - throwing a left hook or a left cross and a right hook?" Davis said with a smile. "He still has to fight. He should be more worried about my style. The only time you see my style is when you watch a young Mike Tyson."

In spite of a long amateur career as a member of Cuba's national team, Gomez doesn't often use his right jab and usually leads and counters with power punches, which Davis, who likes to fight in close quarters, prefers.

"He has knockouts, I have knockouts," Davis said. "We've never fought each other. I'm not going to say he's better or I'm better. Boxing's all mental. If you let that (thinking about a southpaw) get into your head, you're beat before you get into the ring.

"I have concrete in my gloves. I have no emotions in the ring. You kill me or I'm going to kill you. I'll MDK him - Murder-Death-Kill. I have a warrior's instinct. You try to take everything I care for, you've got to kill me. So I try to kill you. That's how I've been successful."

To his relief, Davis no longer has a contract with Don King, beacuse of whom he was forced to fight Jones and Cunningham on short notice. Kelly Davis said that he's already got the wheels in motion for Kelvin to earn a top-five ranking in the heavyweights. Should Davis be successful against Gomez, he's scheduled to fight heavyweight Friday Ahunanya on Jan. 5, at The Orleans Hotel & Casino.

"I'm going to leave Monday and do the Rocky Balboa thing," Davis said of traveling to Europe to face a wrecking machine. "I've been running 6 miles in 48 minutes then doing the bags for six rounds. I'm ready. I'm aggressive.

"I beat him (Gomez) and I'm looking at a lot of things for me. Pretty soon I'll fight for a heavyweight title. I just have to stay the course. I'm close. It'll be sooner rather than later."

Davis made history when he became the first Northern Nevadan to win a world title. Now he wants to become the shortest heavyweight champion since 5-foot-7 Tommy Burns (1906-08).

Saying he's never seen a large stick of dynamite, Davis is looking to explode on Gomez.