Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez (18-0 13 KO’s) will compete on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez- James Kirkland main event on May 9th at Minute Maid Park in Houston against Humberto Soto (65-8 35 KO’s). The fight is being billed as the co- main event of the evening, and will be the biggest stage Gomez has been on to date in his young career, not to mention the toughest test he’s faced so far as a professional.
As one of Oscar De La Hoya’s prized young prospects in his Golden Boy Promotions stable, Gomez will be looking to propel himself into potential world title shots by the end of this year with a win over the grizzled veteran Soto.
“I plan to conquer the 140 weight class and May 9 is a great way to show the fans my strengths as a fighter.” Said Gomez in a media roundtable leading up to the event. Those are strong words coming from a 23-year-old fighter on the cusp of competing in front of by far the biggest crowd and on the biggest platform of his career. Gomez, however, has shown every bit of the promise and talent that had boxing fans so excited for him to turn professional in early 2010.
After a stellar amateur career that included winning a gold medal in the American National Championships in 2009, Gomez has thus far amassed a perfect record in his blooming professional campaign. He knows he faces his toughest test so far in Soto, but also knows that a win on a stage with as many eyes on it as a Canelo fight has can mean a substantial jump up the ladder.
“After Soto, the next step is take on world champions. I am ready, and I know I have to train with the best and be disciplined. By the end of this year, I think I will be ready for someone like Danny Garcia, but it also depends on the plans that my manager and Golden Boy Promotions have for me.”
Competing in a division that has probably seen the last of its most recent wave of stars move on, such as Adrien Broner and possibly Danny Garcia, to welterweight, Gomez has a chance to make his move towards the top relatively quickly if he continues winning. Terrence Crawford, who is also making the move to 140 lbs., would also be an immensely entertaining hypothetical opponent for Gomez. Humberto Soto won’t be a pushover in the ring, but this is clearly a fight for Gomez to improve himself and, De La Hoya hopes, impress.
“The audience will be watching a young fighter who is the whole package. He is smart, aggressive, fast, and has explosive punching power. People will love him. May 9th is just the beginning for Frankie.” Oscar said when asked about Gomez. Gomez will have the opportunity to prove to fans and opponents that this really is just the beginning for him. We will all find out soon enough if it’s the beginning of something special.
