Haddonfield Native Who Penned 'Hands of Stone' Ready For Release Of New Book

Haddonfield, NJ -- A Haddonfield native who penned the book behind the recently released “Hands of Stone” movie starring Edgar Ramirez and Robert DeNiro recently put the wraps on his latest book.

“A Fire Burns Within: The Miraculous Journey of Wilfredo ‘Bazooka’ Gomez” is currently available for download on the Amazon Kindle, and hits bookstores in paperback form on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Christian Giudice, who wrote “Hands of Stone” and “Beloved Warrior” about Roberto Duran and Alexis Arguello, is the author.

Gomez, a three-time world champion, is often mentioned in the same breath as Felix Trinidad, Miguel Cotto, Wilfred Benítez, Héctor Camacho, Edwin Rosario, and Carlos Ortíz among the greatest Puerto Rican boxers of all time.

“The way he is revered is unbelievable,” Giudice said. “In the United States, people loved him.”
Giudice compared Gomez to a pop idol.

“He appeared on the front page of the entertainment section,” Giudice said. “Women loved him.”
It was a crowded field back then, and Gomez’s inability to speak English may have hurt him. His in-ring performance certainly didn’t.

Gomez knocked out 32 consecutive boxers, and at one point had 17 knockouts in 17 world title fights.

“He was a dynamic figure. He was charismatic and powerful in the ring,” Guidice said, adding that he never saw Gomez fight until two years ago.

Giudice was about 11 years old when Gomez was fighting. Gomez also fought at the same time as Roberto Duran and Alexis Argüello. Duran is the subject of “Hands of Stone,” and Arguello is the subject of “Beloved Warrior.”

Giudice had been wanting to write another boxing book, said he was running into dead ends. He said upon watching Gomez fight, he knew he had the subject for his next book.

“He was so mesmerizing,” Giudice said. “I watched one fight and I could see how skilled he was. I knew if I could get this guy on board, I could do a book on him.”

He said he watches fights differently now than when he was younger, so seeing Gomez’s career from start to finish as an adult helped him write Gomez’s story. He watched every fight available, including his 1981 “Battle of the Little Giants” fight against Mexican Salvador Sanchez in Las Vegas. Sanchez won that fight by TKO.

Giudice spent a week with Gomez while writing the book.

“He’s such a nice guy and that made it easy,” Giudice said. “He was really honest. If he didn’t feel good about a question, he would tell me.”

He said he wants the casual boxing fan to read the book, recognize what an incredible fighter Gomez was, and do more research on him.

“He never backed down. He had an aura about him you just don’t see with fighters,” Giudice said. “I want to show people how special he really was.”

Giudice grew up in Haddonfield. He graduated from Villanova University in 1997, and earned a Masters Degree in Journalism from Temple University.

He has written for the Gloucester County Times, the Ann Arbor News, Boxing Digest, The Jerusalem Post, Clemson Alumni Magazine, South Jersey Magazine, Notifight.com, Sports Illustrated, and various boxing websites.

Giudice is now a full-time teacher, part-time writer living in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.

He will return to New Jersey this fall to sign copies of his book at the Haddonfield vs. Haddon Heights football game Thanksgiving morning, and at Jersey Java and Tea, 140 North Haddon Avenue in Haddonfield, on Friday, Nov. 24, 3 p.m.

The attached image of Wilfredo Gomez, left, and Christian Giudice, right, was provided by Christian Giudice