Bellotti Dismisses Gomez’s Illness Claims Before Rescheduled Title Fight

Reece Bellotti and Michael Gomez Jr engaged in a verbal sparring match during a tense press conference leading up to their British and Commonwealth title bout this weekend.

The super-featherweight contest is set to take place on the undercard of the Jack Catterall vs Arnold Barboza Jr event at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. This eagerly anticipated fight was originally scheduled for last October but was postponed when Gomez (21-1, 6 KOs) withdrew at the last minute, citing illness.

Bellotti (19-5, 14 KOs), who secured the Lonsdale Belt with a unanimous decision win over Liam Dillon last year, openly expressed doubts about the legitimacy of Gomez’s reasons for withdrawing. The 34-year-old champion has since defended his title successfully against Levi Giles.

Gomez, coming off a sixth-round TKO victory over Kane Baker, maintains that the decision to pull out of their initial fight was not his own. However, Bellotti remains unconvinced, suggesting that Gomez had ample opportunity to withdraw earlier during fight week.

At the press conference, Gomez stated, “I met my team at the venue on fight night. My manager and I had a discussion, and he wasn’t satisfied with my condition. He took the initiative to involve the doctor.”

Bellotti interjected, questioning why Gomez’s team hadn’t checked on him earlier that day. He added, “Your narrative has inconsistencies. I’m not denying you were unwell, but it seems you were aware of your condition well before the fight night.”

As the rescheduled showdown approaches, the tension between the two fighters continues to build, promising an intense battle in the ring this Saturday.