Update, Oct. 17: The public farewell took place Thursday afternoon at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum. Relatives, members of his team, dozens of former world champions led by Félix “Tito” Trinidad and hundreds of fans filed past his casket, El Nuevo Día reported. Gov. Jenniffer González Colón had decreed three days of official mourning. The details below describe the arrangements as announced before the event.
A public farewell for boxing champion Wilfredo Gómez is set for Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, where he won his first world title in 1977, El Nuevo Día reported.
The Wilfredo Gómez farewell is open to the public and closes at 6 p.m., according to El Nuevo Día. Reports differ on when it begins.
El Nuevo Día reported noon, based on hours first shared on social media by one of Gómez’s sons. NotiCel and Solo Boxeo, citing unofficial information, reported that official activities would begin at 10 a.m. and run until 6 p.m.
San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero said in a press release that the city and the boxing community are joining the family to honor Gómez. “We must pay tribute to him at the Clemente,” he said, Solo Boxeo reported. The municipality is coordinating the ceremony’s protocol with the family, El Nuevo Día reported.
NotiCel reported a preliminary program that includes remarks from Romero and World Boxing Organization representatives, along with honor guards.
Gómez died Saturday night at 69, Condado Daily reported. Solo Boxeo reported he won his first world title, the WBC super bantamweight belt, at the Clemente on May 21, 1977, at age 20, beating South Korea’s Dong Kyun Yum. NotiCel reported that he won titles in three divisions, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y., and finished with a record of 44 wins, 42 by knockout, three losses and a draw. It reported he had been hospitalized with respiratory complications for about two weeks before his death.
Related coverage: Boxing Champion Wilfredo Gómez Dies at 69
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Sources: El Nuevo Día; NotiCel; Solo Boxeo.
