Boxing: Heavyweight dark horse Gomez returns

One of the curiosities of the heaviest division will try and convince the boxing faithful that he's the real deal when contender Juan Carlos Gomez returns to the ring tonight after nearly one-year of inactivity. The bout, which is scheduled for 10 rounds against the little-known Yamplier Azcuy, will take place in Laredo, Texas at the Entertainment Center and will be televised on Telefutura.

Gomez, 37-0 (31 ), is a former Cuban amateur standout who defected to Germany and into the hands of Universum Promotions in 1995. The southpaw technician racked up an impressive run as a cruiserweight, winning the WBC title against Marcello Dominguez in 1998 and defending it ten times. He first dipped into the heavyweights and into the US boxing scene in August 2001 when he beat up the normally durable fellow ex-cruiserweight Al Cole in five rounds in Las Vegas. He defected from Universum in 2003 and moved to Miami, where most of the transplanted Cuban boxing have set up shop in the US.