Gorman Donald Brennan Member of the National Hall of Fame Class of 2010

Gomeo Brennan discovered profound escort in the proverbial advice that the outstanding achiever does not pray for tasks equal to his powers, but rather he prays for prayers equal to the tasks set out before him. Such a task included his continuation of the national assignment to intensify world recognition of The Bahamas as a fecund ground for the germination of world class athletes and the cradle of world champions. His mission was defined by the loud example of his cousin, Yama Bahama, another outstanding Biminite who immediately pre- ceded him in the artistry of professional boxing. So successfully was Gomeo in meeting such a task that it is obvious that his prayers did find divine favour.

Gomeo commenced his training for successful boxing career in 1955 and after eight hundred and fifty (850) rounds of pugalisue, he retired in 1972, with a win-loss-draw record of 83-21-7. The task to which his powers were equal began in 1958, with his first fight against Ali Kasslin at the Martin Tuna Club in Bimini, a bout which he won by a knockout. He soon thereafter migrated to train at the famed Fifth Street Gym in Miami, Florida un- der the abl4e tutelage of Chris and Angelo Dundee. There he developed such flexibility that he was able to earned distinction in a number of classifications, from welterweight to light heavyweight. Gomeo’s fortune and frame took him to fights across the globe. He secured victories throughout the Continental United States, in Hawaii, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Canada, Belize, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (London). He was also a favourite sparring partner with Muhammad Ali, arguable the greatest boxer in the history of the sport. Some of his most notable opponents were Vincente Rondon, Pedro Miranda, J.C. Ponder, Mick Leahy, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Bobby Lopez and Bahamian champions Leonard “Boston Blackie" Miller and Baby Boy Rolle, the former whom he defeated in a ten round bout and the letter to whom he lost in another ten rounder in the final fight of his career in 1972. The fight against Boston Blackie was the first of two fights that he fought on that same night.

Gomeo’s battle against Rondon was for the light heavyweight world championship in 1971 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. He gave a good account of himself, losing by technical knockout i8n the thirteenth round after which the fight was stopped due to swelling around Gomeo’s eyes. At the time of the stop Rondon was leading by a score 15-14 on the judges scorecard. Gomeo’s greatest accomplishments, perhaps is that he fought for the British Empire Middleweight champion- ship five times between 1963 and 1966. He earned such a prestigious title three times, defeating Earl Nikora twice to gain and then retain the title in 1964 in New Zealand and he defeated Nick Leahy a year earlier in 1963 in London to earn the title for the first time. For all that Gomeo accomplished throughout the extended years of his remarkable career, he was inducted to the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2010. Coincidentally, a fellow member of that Class was one of Gomeo’s sparring partners, bthe universally renown Muhammad Ali. In sum then, it would appear that Gomeo did receive the powers that he prayed for, powers sufficient to accom- plish the goals he set for him and the fame that he sought to bring his people of Bimini and The Bahamas.