Wilfredo Gómez was born on October 29, 1956 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. As a teenager, he represented his home country at the 1972 summer Olympics flyweight competition in Munich, Germany, getting eliminated in the second round after getting a bye in the first round. He won, however, the world amateur championship in 1974 at Havana, Cuba. Having completed an amateur boxing record of 96 wins and 3 losses, Gómez became a professional boxer on November 16, 1974, relegated to a six rounds draw (tie) against Jacinto Fuentes in Panama City, Panama. Gómez lived in Central America during this period; he then won six in a row by knockout, including a rematch win against Fuentes, before debuting as a professional in his home country of Puerto Rico by taking out 14-2 Joe Guevara in six rounds, September 19, 1975 in San Juan.