In a Rancho del Rey boxing gym still under construction, Genaro “El Conde” Gamez hits the mitts and is dripping sweat during a sparring session as he dreams of one day hoisting a championship belt.
“I’m a young, hungry boxer that wants to be a world champion one day and be a legend in the history of boxing,” he said during a recent workout.
The 21-year-old boxer out of Chula Vista only has three professional fights under his belt in the lightweight division, winning all of them by first round knockout.
It was this knockout power and that caught the eye of boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya and famed boxing trainer/manager Robert Garcia.
Gamez signed a promotional deal with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and has been fighting under De La Hoya’s stable since 2015. Gamez is trained by his father Luis Gamez and managed by Garcia.
Gamez has an arsenal of skills. He has power, solid defense, and great boxing intelligence. He said it is hard to compare himself to anyone in boxing.
“I don’t have a boxing style,” he said. “People can’t compare me to other legends, I have my own style. I’m the type of boxer that when I’m in the ring I can adapt to anyone, if I have to brawl, I’ll brawl with any one if I have to box, I’ll box. But I am a knockout artist and that’s proven.”
Gamez is a different breed of boxer both inside the ring and out. He said he is not the typical flashy, arrogant boxer who flaunts money around or points at his undefeated record.
Instead, Gamez said he remains humble no matter the circumstance.
“Some day I dream to be a champion in the sport of boxing, but more than anything, I want to be an example for the kids who are growing up here in San Diego,” he said.
“In this sport you can get money, you could get a lot of fame and you could get a lot of things and you could become a different person. So I want to stick to my personality, be a world champion and stay humble and try to inspire and help others.”
Gamez knows a little bit about the struggling. He said he was raised in a humble household with parents he migrated with nothing from Mexico to San Diego in hopes of a better life.
His mother became a full-time hairdresser earning a modest income, while his father worked in local gyms training young kids. Gamez said it was a struggle for his family making ends meet.
His family sought the assistance of section 8 housing for most of his childhood. Now he is on a mission to be a world champion both in boxing and in the game of life.
“I want to inspire others because in this city, and all over the world, kids grow up thinking they can’t make it in life if they are born poor. And one thing I want to do is show them that no matter what you do you can get out of your situation and go forward in life.
Gamez first laced up the gloves when he was seven, but his Dad is convinced Gamez was born a boxer.
“I started training him when he was in his mother’s stomach,” Luis Gamez said.
Fighting is in the Gamez bloodline. His father had a decent boxing career in Mexico, a few other relatives all fought in the ranches of Mexico and Gamez’s brother Luis Gamez Jr. was training to be the next up in coming fighter before he died.
Gamez lost his older brother in 2010 due to what Gamez calls an accident. He admits losing his older brother was very tough and that lead him to steer away from boxing and life.
“When he passed away, everything went away, my dreams, my passion for boxing and everything else,” he said.
But Gamez credits his father for steering him back to boxing and motivating him again.
Gamez has his next two fights lined up. He fights at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles on Feb. 17, and already has another match scheduled on March 10.
That’s two-fights in less than a month, he said he is working quickly to be world champion and putting Chula Vista on the boxing map.
“It (is) an honor fighting for my city, not only Chula Vista but all of San Diego and Tijuana,” he said. “I just want to make them proud.”
