East L.A. boxer adds another victory
Frankie Gomez (8-0, 6 KOs) kept his unbeaten record intact as he won a unanimous decision against Luis Alfredo Lugo Friday night at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Presented by Golden Boy Promotions, the Sólo Boxeo card featured the slugger from East Los Angeles in a six-round welterweight battle.
Gomez, nicknamed the “Pitbull,” was featured on the undercard of main event Erislandy Lara vs. Delray Raines. The former amateur standout has kept a perfect ledger during his nine months as a pro. Upon signing with Golden Boy Promotions, all eyes have been on Frankie Gomez, as high expectations were expected from this highly-decorated amateur superstar. With Team Gomez, which includes trainer Ronnie Rivota, manager Hector Ibarra, cornermen Tony Gomez and George Ibarra behind him, the aggressive “Pitbull” is clawing–and punching–his way to the top.
While his foray into professional boxing is already a success, it really wasn’t so long ago that he was wearing head gear and a tank top while stepping into the ring. Before the bouts began, I saw Coach Ronnie Rivota, who has known Gomez since he was just a little boy. He showed me some “vintage” pics of the “Pitbull” as a young pup–while he garnered a boatload of amateur titles. Rivota held out some blast-from-the-past 8 x 10s that someone had brought to him. He asked me with a grin, “Remember these?” I laughed and told him of course remember the SoCal amateur champ as a youth.
After years of amateur shows and tournaments in the U.S. and internationally, his longtime trainer is no doubt proud of his young charge’s transition to the pros as Rivota went back to join Team “Pitbull” back in the dressing room. From sweaty little gyms of the amateurs to the sprawling desert mecca in Indio, the Gomez camp has always kept the focus on winning. And last Friday evening was no different.
During the six stanzas of action, the 18-year-old kept his opponent at bay as his jab and left hooks had his foe holding on in round two. As Lugo fell to the ground, referee Pat Russell called it a slip and Gomez continued to go headhunting. Lugo had more success in the third round–until he was dropped by a huge left from Gomez, who had switched to southpaw on and off in the early rounds. After the count, no let up from the “Pitbull” in silver trunks as Lugo was warned for hitting behind the head.
As the hometown crowd cheered the light welter on, the teen continued to dig to the body with a solid output of punches. His tough challenger from Los Mochis was tested but stayed right in the game. In the last round, the screaming fans were clamoring for a knockout as Gomez went to work throwing combinations. The veteran Lugo held his ground, clinching, as he survived an onslaught until the final bell. Judges scores were 60-53 with Frankie earning his eighth victory while Lugo falls to an 11-15-1 record.
Gomez, a 2009 U.S. National Champion, continues to move up the pro ranks since making his debut last year in Las Vegas. The fighter was one member of a young and talented trio of rising stars in the spotlight Friday night. Frankie’s stablemate, Ramon “Monchis” Valadez and popular Coachella favorite Randy Caballero also scored victories in their own action-packed bouts.
And if the legion of squealing girls from the stands is any indication, keep your eye on Frankie and his fellow warriors as they continue to attract many new fans. It was fitting that before Gomez’s match began, the most beloved boxer ever to hail from East L.A. entered the venue to the delight of the fans in the stands. Oscar De La Hoya took time to visit with the audience as they surrounded the superstar “Golden Boy.”
Gomez, from the same East L.A. neighborhood as De La Hoya, hopes to have his name known and become a world champion too. But if his trainer had his way, he would not brand his young protégé with any nickname. “‘Pitbull’ was my high school nickname,” Rivota explains. “Frankie’s brothers gave that name to him. But if I had my way, I’d call him ‘Frankenstein’–the Monster built in East L.A.” The friendly trainer laughs as he adds, “But Frankie will make his own name in the sport.”
He is so close to the boxer that the trainer and his wife even named their new baby girl Jocelyn Frankie Rivota after the fighter. “Frankie IS like a son to me. We started out in Boyle Heights and we’ve gotten to this point,” Rivota, a former fighter himself, states.
But the coach, whose hat at Fantasy Springs read “Guaranteed Tough,” admits he’s always been extremely tough on the kid. And he is not afraid to say there’s room for improvement on the way to the very top. Speaking with Rivota about Gomez’s last performance, Ronnie, who shares the same intensity and passion as his football idol Coach Bear Bryant, opens up. “I’ve ALWAYS been hard on him; I want him to listen to me more,” he tells me in a no-nonsense manner. “He should’ve had a knockout. Frankie can be an unstoppable champion–he is top caliber!”
Gomez will be back in the ring soon as he aims for his ninth professional victory. Keep a watch on the unstoppable “Pitbull”–or the pugilistic “Frankie-stein”–as he continues on the upward path toward World Champ.
You can catch the exciting Golden Boy Promotions, Sólo Boxeo Tecate and TeleFutura series when it returns to Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on March 4.
Rivota photo by Michele Chong/ Ring photos by Ray Flores