Las Vegas’ Saul Gomez, at 19, has his eyes on Golden Gloves

By Jesse Granger

Sunday, May 15, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Inside Mayweather Boxing Club, long after the gym has closed, sounds of gloves hitting heavy bags still echo through the building.

Long, lanky Saul Gomez swings away as sweat pours from his brow.

Gomez says he was born to be a fighter and, at 19 years old, he will compete in the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions starting Monday in Salt Lake City.

“I was always the kid that wanted to put the gloves on,” Gomez said. “People always told me when I was little that I was going to be a fighter. I’ve always wanted to be in the sport since I was like 8 years old.”

Gomez began boxing when he was 14, and it wasn’t always pretty.

“He wasn’t a kid who came into the gym and you said, ‘This is definitely a kid that is going to make it,’ ” said Gomez’s head boxing coach, Frankie Avelar. “It took awhile, maybe three or four years, before we decided that he was going to make it.”

Gomez may not have been blessed with natural ability, but he makes up for it with work ethic.

“The dedication that he gives in and out of the gym is amazing,” Avelar said. “He doesn’t need anyone to tell him he needs to go run. He doesn’t need to be told to go to sleep early. That is a kid who is dedicated to the sport, and that is the reason he’s going to nationals for the second time in a row.”

In last year’s tournament, Gomez’s inexperience showed. He was too hesitant in the fight, allowing his opponent to outwork him.

Since then, Gomez has been on a tear. He’s collected five belts in the past year, including Golden Gloves state and regional titles, and the Diamond Belt tournament championship in Arizona.

“Not every kid picks the sport up the same way,” Avelar said. “The way I worked with Saul, his mind wasn’t catching on. Through the years, I have figured out how to get to him so he understands what I want from him.”

When Gomez first stepped into the ring, he was a good brawler. In his first sparring match, he was put against a kid with similar experience and an 18-pound weight advantage, and Gomez outclassed him.

But brawling can only get someone so far in the sport, and Gomez needed to become more of a technician to take the next step.

“I knew then that I could make it in the sport, but I needed more practice and definitely more technique,” Gomez said.

If anyone knows what it takes to be a successful amateur boxer, it’s Avelar. He finished his amateur career with 125 fights, boxed in the Olympics for El Salvador and won the country a Pan American bronze medal.

After a slow start to his amateur career, Gomez has won seven consecutive bouts and is using his height and reach to his advantage.

“He kept getting taller and his reach kept getting longer, but his weight kept staying the same,” Avelar said. “So I said, ‘This kid is going to be tall. He’s going to have long reach for his weight and his age, so we have to keep his distance.’ ”

Gomez towers over most opponents in the 108-pound weight class. He will undoubtedly move up in weight eventually, but the plan for now is to stay at 108 and take advantage of his slender frame as long as possible.

“We maintain his cardio and try to get more speed in his hands, but not much lifting weights,” said Reynaldo Vegas, Gomez’s strength and conditioning coach.

With a title in Salt Lake City, Gomez would join a long list of Golden Gloves champions that includes notables such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Joe Louis, Barney Ross, Joe Frazier and Cassius Clay.

“I never thought I would be boxing against the best in the United States. I never even dreamed of that,” Gomez said. “I always thought I would be good and eventually turn pro after a while, but I never thought I was going to be facing top people this soon.”

Despite his inexperience, Gomez and his coaches believe he can make the leap into the professional ranks sooner rather than later.

“He doesn’t have as many amateur fights as most who go pro, but he has been with a big number of ranked fighters and has beaten some top-five guys,” Avelar said. “We are very close. I don’t want to rush it because a career can be short as a pro, and the most important thing is that he is ready.”

If anything prevents Gomez from becoming a successful pro, it won’t be his work ethic.

“He is all heart and he loves the sport,” Vegas said. “It takes a lot out of you to show up here every day. We have seen a lot of kids come and go, but Saul is a special guy. If he continues, he will be a future champion.”