Derek Gomez

   I grew up loving aggressive competition, whether it was hockey or battles with my siblings. Being the youngest of three brothers and a sister made everything more intense. We weren’t just playing, we were proving something. One memory stands out: the first time I watched Rocky. Something clicked. It wasn’t just a movie, it was a mirror. That spirit, that fight I felt deep in my bones.

   After an incident at school, my dad, who was a Marine and police officer, started teaching me how to fight when I was nine years old. I loved it, but I didn’t yet know how to channel my aggression. Whether I was on the ice or in the classroom, I often found myself in trouble. Everything changed freshman year of high school. After another incident with a kid in class, my dad took me to a local boxing gym. From the moment I walked in, I was hooked. The smell of the leather and hardwork,  the sound of gloves hitting bags, it felt like home.

   I started training every day after school, from 3:30 to 8:00. I sparred with pros, top amateur fighters, trained with them and studied the greats: Rocky Marciano, Jack Dempsey, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali. And, I studied modern legends Lomachenko, Canelo Alvarez, Miguel Cotto, GGG. My dream was clear: I wanted to turn pro. I was invited to compete in the GoldenGloves, and that became my whole focus. I nearly gave up on school altogether. 

    At sixteen, something unexpected happened. I met Jesus Christ and my life took a turn I didn’t see coming. For the first time, I started thinking beyond myself. Beyond winning. Beyond proving. I knew I had to change. School became a priority again. In my senior year, I made up 35 credits. It wasn’t easy, but the discipline I learned in the ring and my Faith helped me grind through it.

   By 17, I wasn’t just training, I was teaching. My students ranged from kids as young as 10 to adults in their 50s and 60s. I also helped coaches train some pro fighters. Teaching gave me a new kind of satisfaction watching others grow, seeing their confidence build.

   At 19, I joined the Marine Corps. I thought I knew discipline but I was about to meet it face-to-face. Training started early in the morning and went late into the night, sometimes with no sleep. I was pushed mentally and physically beyond anything I’d ever experienced. And I loved it. Unfortunately, my time was cut short due to injuries. But what I learned during that time about strength, perseverance, and leadership stayed with me.

  After leaving the military, I wanted to keep helping others grow stronger not just in body, but in mind and spirit. I earned my coaching license and became certified in nutrition and strength & conditioning through USA Boxing. Now, my mission is to help others transform their lives, just like Christ and boxing transformed mine.    

  Christ, boxing, and the Marines taught me how to face pain, take discipline seriously, give 110 %, and never back down no matter how many times I hit the mat physically, mentally, or spiritually and I intend on helping others to do the same.   

  Boxing taught me how to channel anger and aggression. Faith gave me the reason to do it. The Marines showed me how far I could go when I stopped making excuses.