LOS ANGELES, March 15 – With 120 victories, a National Championship, and a reputation as perhaps the best amateur boxer in the United States today, Frankie Gomez is clearly head and shoulders above his peers at junior welterweight.  Now it’s time for the 18-year-old from East Los Angeles to face new challenges as a professional, and Gomez has decided to team up with Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions to turn pro and pursue his dream of winning a world championship.

“I’ve been watching his career closely for years and Frankie Gomez is one of the best amateur boxers I’ve seen in a long time,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions.  “He’s a true blue chip prospect and he has all the tools to become a world champion and a star in this game.  We’re honored to have the opportunity to promote him and help build him as a fighter.”

“Growing up I always looked up to what Oscar de la Hoya did in the ring, so to be with Golden Boy Promotions is a dream come true for me,” said Gomez.  “I’m humbled by this moment, but excited at the same time, because I’m ready to begin my pro career and show the world just what I can do when the headgear comes off and the bell rings.”

Born in East Los Angeles, Frankie Gomez has been a boxer practically all his life.  First stepping into the ring in 2000 at the age of eight, Gomez won his first amateur title in 2001 and has never looked back.  Owner of a stellar 120-8 record, he has won Junior Golden Gloves, Silver Gloves, and Junior Olympic Championships, and in 2008, he won the U17 (Cadets) World Championship.  In 2009, Gomez continued to impress as he won the U.S. National Championship and earned a silver medal in the AIBA World Championships.  He is ending his amateur career ranked number one in the United States at 141 pounds, and is one of only two American boxers to be ranked in the top 15 in the AIBA World rankings.

Gomez will make his professional debut on April 3, 2010 on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones Jr. at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.frankiegomezboxing.com or follow Golden Boy and Frankie on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/fgomezboxing or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or www.facebook.com/Frankie-Gomez.