 Gómez was born in a poor area of Las Monjas in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of Jacobo Gomez and Julia Rivera.Gómez himself reportedly used a bicycle as means of transportation when he was young, and he sold candy to earn pocket money before becoming an amateur boxer.Gómez won the gold medal at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and 1974 World Championships in Havana, Cuba before turning professional.