Junior welterweight Frankie Gomez could be a star in the making for Golden Boy Promotions, but at this point it is all on him. Gomez, a decorated amateur who has been with Golden Boy Promotions from the start of his professional career and seems like just the thing the promotion needs right now, a homegrown blue chip prospect climbing the ranks appealing to Southern California fight fans who once were entranced. This all sounds good and well, right? Yet Gomez at age 23 hasn’t quite put it all together yet and I am not talking about in the ring.

Gomez has been an enigma for most of his boxing career as he has never quite felt comfortable in front of the media. The harsh realities of his East Los Angeles hometown have set the stage for many youth to enter into a system full of recidivism, violence and unbearable poverty. Gomez though not doomed to repeat from others he grew up with is seemingly feeling the burden of being a successful person in an area where most don’t become a positive influence on the community, successful or noteworthy rather simply a statistic.

Gomez, who has been impressive when he makes his way into the ring has sadly seen elements from his personal life effect his ring time as he fought only three times in the past three years, far below the average ring time of your average prospect. The fan-friendly boxer who loves to entertain the fans, who was once being talked about on HBO is now, a man amongst many legends in the Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood, CA.

Then the misfortune of his last outing when he missed weight badly against Humberto Soto, so bad in fact that the bout was canceled. So how do we assess Gomez as a rational person? Gomez is incredibly talented, but has shown red flags at all turns about his maturity and dedication to being a professional sports athlete. At the same time, we all were deeply flawed at the age of 23, so are we just reading too much into a young man, who happens to have a public presence?

The truth lies somewhere in the middle, more than likely, right?

The thing is America is a place of triumph and tragedy. Gomez being a wunderkind in boxing makes him feel far superior to the mortal man working a nine-to-five, but having trouble with weight and ability to stay in the ring makes him far more human, if he can find redemption in the ring.

Gomez returns Friday at Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio Springs, CA in a bout against veteran tough guy, Jorge Silva. Though Gomez should win the fight, the fight also feels like a bout made out of frustration for Gomez missing weight in his last outing as Silva, a fighter who has been forced into tough fights in order to get big fights, is known for giving people hell in the ring.

At this point the book is still largely unwritten on Frankie Gomez, but in many ways his success or failure could be vital for Golden Boy Promotions as he fits their key demographic, Latino males, as well as one of the most promising prospects in the sport.