Fate and the tournament bracket brought together two hard-hitting boxers in one matchup. Young made headlines with the Knockout of the Round during his Grand Prix debut. Gomez hasn’t seen a single final bell in the tournament — he’s scored two straight knockouts.

That said, both have shown they can box when the knockout doesn’t come. The South African builds his attacks around short combinations. He’s not the type of fighter to flatten opponents with a single shot — he works to set things up. Gomez breaks his opponents down to land heavy shots.

Young is the opposite — a natural puncher. But in the second round of the Grand Prix, against Vergara, his power wasn’t enough. And yet he still won — outboxing an awkward opponent.

Both are young for heavyweights — the South African is 26, the American 27. They’re still at least three years from their peak. Of course, there are exceptions, but the average prime for heavyweights is after 30.

Gomez has more experience. He’s had more fights and suffered three losses. He also had a two-fight series against the same opponent — first knocking out Shaun Potgieter, then losing to him by stoppage.

Gomez doesn’t throw much fewer punches overall, although the stats might suggest otherwise. In the second round, Young’s opponent forced him to fight out of his usual rhythm — and the South African may try the same. Gomez is also slightly more accurate.

A key stat for heavyweights is power shots — and that’s where Young leads. On average, he throws more heavy punches, and that’s his main threat.

2025 has been Gomez’s busiest year since 2022, when he also had three fights. This will be his third outing of the year.

Young, meanwhile, is stepping into the ring for the fifth time this year. Two fights in the US, then his Grand Prix debut. It’s been a solid pace.

Statistically, Gomez has the edge — but it’s Young who carries that one-punch knockout power. That’s both a weapon — since he can end things at any moment — and a liability, as relying on it every time doesn’t always work. The second Grand Prix round proved that.

Young appears to have the advantage here. He’s never been knocked out, never lost, and has decent defensive fundamentals.

Gomez has been stopped — by Potgieter. His style leaves him open: he presses forward, throws combinations from mid-range, and lacks a reach advantage, which can make him an easy target.

Both fighters are fine with performing in Saudi Arabia, where the climate is especially tough right now. Neither can count on hometown judging, so unfair scoring won’t be an issue either.

The key question: what lessons did Young take from his last fight? He couldn’t knock his opponent out. He had to adjust, work behind the jab, box. That might be the case again — Gomez is arguably even more skilled than the last guy.

As for the South African — he needs to do what he always does: stay confident, keep the pressure on, and give his opponent no breathing room. Don’t let him line up the big shot. Methodically wear him down. If he sticks to that, the second half of the fight could swing his way.