Frankie Gomez vs. Humberto Soto: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info
It's going to be a classic case of age and experience versus youth and explosiveness Saturday night on the Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland undercard, when undefeated light welterweight Frankie Gomez faces former champion Humberto Soto.
The 140-pound weight class is always filled with talented fighters, and Gomez could be ready to join that distinguished group. Soto should be his toughest test to date. Here's the viewing information for the bout:
| When: | Saturday at 9 p.m. ET |
| Where: | Minute Maid Park, Houston |
| Television: | HBO |
| Live Stream: | BoxNation (in United Kingdom) |
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A Graduate of Hard Knocks University
Soto turned professional in 1997 at just 17 years of age. During his first three years as a pro, he compiled a relatively pedestrian record of 13-4-2.
Soto lost a close majority decision to former featherweight champion Kevin Kelley in 2002. He truly came into his own in 2005, when he stepped in with just a two-week notice to beat Rocky Juarez for the interim WBC featherweight champion.
Soto lost a unanimous decision by wide margin to Joan Guzman for the WBO super featherweight title in 2007. But in 2009, he beat veteran Jesus Chavez and then beat David Diaz in 2010 for the vacant WBC lightweight title.
The only fight Soto has lost in the past seven years is to hard-punching Lucas Matthysse by TKO. Soto is a clever and awkward fighter. He's got a ton of miles on him and at 34 has almost certainly seen better days.
He's a marginal contender at best at this point but remains a tough gatekeeper in the sport. He demonstrated that last September when he beat John Molina by a competitive but clear-cut unanimous decision.
Beating a fighter like Soto will be a major step in his career if Gomez can pull it off. But it probably won't be an easy night's work.
Undefeated but Relatively Untested
At only 23 years of age, Gomez is a talented prospect. He was an outstanding amateur, winning a U.S. national title in 2009, when he was only 17, and then taking a silver medal at the world championships.
He turned professional in 2010 and has won 18 straight, knocking out 13. The East L.A. native encountered some minor legal trouble in 2012 but nothing that has seriously slowed his career.
Gomez has yet to truly swim out to the sport's deep waters. He did look outstanding against fringe contender Vernon Paris in his last fight. Aside from Paris, his best win came over Lanard Lane in February 2013.
Neither Lane nor Paris is at the same level as Soto. This is a true step up in competition for Gomez, and he knows it. As he told RingTV's Francisco Salazar last month, "(Soto) is very experienced and you can't count him out."
It's unavoidable that the main event on the card will overshadow this fight. Alvarez is one of the biggest stars in the sport, and Kirkland is an opponent who could combine with him to create fireworks.
But for serious fans, this is a very important matchup. Gomez is a fighter who has had the look of a potential star since before he turned professional. Soto has been a mainstay for a decade now in three different divisions.
On Saturday night, we'll see if Soto can keep the gate closed or if Gomez is going to be able to kick it in.
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