Frankie Gomez turned pro in 2010, after a legendary amateur boxing career that had the likes of Oscar De La Hoya saying he’d one day be a world champion.
Frankie Gomez (right) lands a right to Vernon Paris at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino.
Gomez, an East Los Angeles native, won his first six bouts by knockout in the welterweight division, quickly climbing the ranks of one of the most brutally competitive weight classes in the sport.
Five years later, Gomez is still unbeaten (18-0, 13 knockouts) and will fight for the first time in more than a year when he steps into the ring Friday night against veteran Jorge Silva (21-9-2, 17 knockouts) in a 10-round welterweight bout at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio.
Gomez and Silva are fighting in the co-main event of the Joseph Diaz Jr. bout with Ruben Tamayo. Diaz (17-0 10 knockouts) is another rising star and Tamayo (23-6-4, 15 knockouts) is coming off of two consecutive losses.
The 23-year-old Gomez, nicknamed “Pitbull” for his ferocious attacking style, has not fought in more than a year. He missed weight by 6 ½ pounds in May prior to a scheduled fight with Humberto Soto at Minute Maid Park in Houston and hasn’t fought since July 2014.
The Soto fight was to be Gomez’s HBO debut — a coming-out party that potentially made him a household name — wedged between the replay of the Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao fight, and the 2015 debut of Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez, on May 9.
“This spot, this position in between those two fights, was a golden ticket. We could have put on any fighter we wanted,” Golden Boy vice president Eric Gomez told ESPN at the time. “We have at least 20 other fighters that would’ve killed to be in that spot.”
The cancellation surely set Gomez back, and confirmed rumors of his poor conditioning, though he has remained one of boxing’s young rising stars.
On Friday, in his return to the ring for the first time in 15 months, Gomez will attempt to take the first step toward getting back on track.
“I’m pretty excited, it’s one of my favorite spots to fight in, one of my favorite casinos,” he said. “I’m just really excited, anxious to go in the ring. I can’t wait.”
Gomez has been training three times a day, he said, consisting of strength and conditioning in the mornings, boxing training in the afternoons and lengthy evening runs after the sun sets.
There’s plenty of intrigue over how Gomez will look after more than a year off and after missing such a big opportunity to become a fixture on HBO. Golden Boy, who has had a rocky relationship with Gomez, has stuck with him in the hopes that he can one day get to that championship level De La Hoya envisioned for Gomez five years ago.
“I’m really focused on Friday,” Gomez said “I’m taking it one fight at a time. We’ll see how it goes on Friday.
“I’m going to give it my all and we’ll see how it turns out.”
Fight details
When: Doors open at 5 p.m. Fights begin at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio
Tickets: Prices at $25, $35 and $45 at box office or by calling 1-800-827-2946