Rising boxing star Kayla Gomez allegedly turned a family Fourth of July celebration into a ringside brawl — knocking her aunt unconscious just days after making her professional debut.
Gomez, 22, is accused of repeatedly punching the woman in the head during a heated argument over birthday decorations at a family gathering in Anthony, Texas, just outside El Paso, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the El Paso Times.
The decorations had reportedly been put up for Gomez’s baby daughter, who was celebrating her birthday at the party.
Police said the argument quickly turned physical, with Gomez allegedly striking the woman with both fists and leaving her with visible injuries.
The aunt told investigators she could not remember exactly how many times she had been hit because the punches caused her to black out, according to the affidavit.
Officers were called to the home at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 4. When they arrived, they found the woman with a bloody upper lip and pain on both sides of her face.
She declined to be taken to the hospital but told police she wanted to press charges.
Witnesses reportedly identified Gomez as the aggressor, but the boxer strongly denied attacking anyone.
“There are two sides to every story, and I didn’t hit anybody,” Gomez wrote in the comments section of an Instagram post by local news outlet KFOX14.
She also disputed reports that the woman was her aunt.
“Also, she wasn’t family, that was a crazy step-aunt who attacked me with my baby in my arms on her birthday,” Gomez claimed.
Gomez was arrested on an assault charge and booked into the El Paso County Jail. She was released Sunday after posting a $2,500 bond.
By Monday, the boxer appeared to be back to business, posting footage of herself flexing her muscles inside a gym to her nearly 55,000 Instagram followers.
The arrest came only weeks after Gomez launched her professional boxing career on June 19 in California, where she won her debut fight.
Gomez had previously stepped away from the sport to have a baby before returning to the ring.
She is considered one of El Paso’s most successful young boxing prospects and has won 18 national amateur championships.
Gomez also qualified for the U.S. Olympic boxing team in 2021, according to KFOX14.
Her accomplishments were celebrated by her hometown in 2022, when the City of El Paso officially declared May 24 as Kayla Gomez Day.
Now, just days after scoring her first professional victory, Gomez is facing a very different kind of fight outside the ring.
