Juan Carlos Gomez (44-1, 35 KOs) is the new #1 contender for the WBC heavyweight title. "The Black Panther" outboxed Vladimir Virchis (24-2, 20 KOs, knocking down "The Hunter" in the fourth en route to a unanimous decision win. Scores were 117-110, 117-109, 115-111. "I told everybody before that it's Showtime!" stated Gomez. "I beat Virchis and more importantly I beat Klaus-Peter Kohl and Universum. Now I will go on to finally fulfill my great dream of becoming heavyweight champion of the world!" After beating Virchis, Gomez is the mandatory challenger for the winner of October 11th clash between Vitali Klitschko and reigning WBC champion Samuel Peter. "I would prefer to take on Vitali but I will beat whoever comes my way", adds Gomez.