When Yoelvis Gomez steps into the ring on August 22, nearly a year will have passed since his last bout – the latest stretch of inactivity for the 27-year-old middleweight from Cuba.
Gomez will face Edwine Humaine Jnr on the undercard of Jan Paul Rivera vs. Daniel Bailey, which will stream on DAZN from Florida’s Caribe Royale Orlando resort.
Gomez, who now calls Las Vegas home, last fought on September 6, 2024, when he stopped the 11-2 Diego Allan Ferreira Iablonski after four rounds. That brought Gomez’s record to 8-1 (7 KOs).
“It’s been a long road back, but I’ve been working harder than ever,” Gomez said in a press release. “This fight is my chance to show everyone that I’m still one of the most dangerous fighters in the division."
Gomez’s nine pro fights have taken place over the span of six years. After debuting in August 2019, his next fight took place about a year later, likely delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Then there was a 13.5-month gap following a May 2022 shutout of Jorge Cota; Gomez was supposed to face former unified junior middleweight titleholder Jeison Rosario on a Showtime broadcast in November 2022 but had to pull out with a wrist injury.
When Gomez returned in July 2023, he lost a unanimous decision to the 14-1-2 Marquis Taylor. It would be another 11 months until Gomez’s next outing. He stopped the 11-26-4 Marcelo Fabian Bzowski in June 2024 and then took on Ferreira Iablonski three months later.
Humaine, 9-1 (7 KOs), is a 24-year-old from Haiti now living in Massachusetts. In his last appearance, he dropped a unanimous decision in December to then-unbeaten junior middleweight Ardreal Holmes Jnr.
“Edwine is tough, and I respect his power and skill set,” Gomez said. “He’s a young, hungry fighter, and I’ll have to be ready for his aggressive style. This is going to be a war, and he’s going to find out that I’m coming to take him out early. I’ll be letting my hands go from the opening round.”
This will be Gomez’s third fight scheduled for 10 rounds; his win over Cota and loss to Taylor went the 10-round distance.
Neither man is ranked by the four major sanctioning bodies. After so many starts and stops over these years, Gomez hopes that this fight will move him closer to his goals.
“A win here puts me right back in the mix for the top names in the middleweight division,” he said. “This is my time to take control of my career and chase a world title.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
