Juan Carlos Gómez
Juan Carlos Gómez, nicknamed Black Panther, is a Cuban former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2014. He held the WBC cruiserweight title from 1998 to 2002 and later challenged for the WBC heavyweight title in 2009. He fought 60 times, winning 55 (39 by KO), with 4 losses and 1 no contest. Gómez stands 6 ft 3 1/2 in tall, fought as a southpaw, and had an 80 1/2 in reach.
Born on July 26, 1973, in Havana, Gómez grew up in a large family. His father wasn’t in his life, and boxing entered his story after he defended his brother in a school fight. He became a national champion by ages 15–16 but felt frustrated about being passed over for international events. A turning point came at the Chemistry Cup in Halle, Germany, shaping his boxing career.
He turned pro with Universum and won the WBC cruiserweight title on February 21, 1998, by defeating Marcelo Dominguez in Mar del Plata, Argentina (unanimous decision). He defended the title ten times, including rematches with Dominguez, and victories over Imamu Mayfield and Jorge Castro. He vacated the cruiserweight title in February 2002 to move up to heavyweight.
In 2001 Gómez beat Al Cole and then defended the cruiserweight belt against Pietro Aurino before moving to heavyweight permanently. He had some success, with wins over Sinan Samil Sam and David Defiagbon, but was knocked out in the first round by Yanqui Díaz in 2004. He defeated Oliver McCall in 2005, but the result was changed to a no contest after a post-fight cocaine test; Gómez denied using drugs and later produced a negative test two months afterward, and he converted to Islam.
Gómez returned to boxing in 2006–2007, beating McCall again to win the WBC International Heavyweight title. In 2008 he defeated Vladimir Virchis to become the WBC heavyweight No.1 contender. He fought Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title on March 21, 2010, in Stuttgart and was stopped after a tough contest. On March 27, 2010, he defeated Alexey Mazikin to win the WBA International Heavyweight title, and soon after beat Alexander Kahl in Hamburg.
As of 2025, Gómez is a boxing trainer based in Hamburg and has eight children, focusing on coaching young athletes.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 01:26 (CET).