Yoelvis Gomez aims to rebuild his way to a title fight.
Gomez will face Edwine Humaine Jnr of Springfield, Massachusetts, on Friday at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.
Gomez, 8-1 (7 KOs), was on the fast track to stardom when it happened: his first career loss, a unanimous decision loss to middleweight Marquis Taylor in 2023. Last year, he fought twice, earning two stoppage victories. The 27-year-old Cuban fighter, Gomez, will now drop down to the junior middleweight division to achieve his ultimate goal.
“My goal is to be a world champion,” Gomez told BoxingScene via a translator. "That's why we're here working hard, and together with the team I have, we'll achieve it.”
Humaine, 9-1 (7 KOs), is an interesting case study of a fighter moving quickly, with limited experience. Humaine, 24, turned pro in 2022 and has fought ten times since. His first loss came in his last fight to Ardreal Holmes Jnr in December. Despite losing, he won three rounds on all three of the official judges' scorecards. He showed himself to be a physical and rugged fighter willing to force himself forward to create action.
“He's coming in hungry, so I will have to be at my best,” Gomez said. “He’s a good fighter and we're 100 percent ready for the fight.”
Gomez has trained in Las Vegas with his lead trainer, Ismael Salas, for this camp. Gomez started his pro career with Salas, then trained for a brief period of time with Joe Goossen. He left Goossen after losing to Taylor and returned to Salas.
Gomez says that his edge in his fights is his preparation. It isn’t just the training, but the intangibles that he feels give him an edge.
“We've put in great preparation, both physically, technically, and mentally,” Gomez said. “We're ready for war.”
