Yoelvis Gomez admittedly didn’t expect to advance to the contender stage with so few pro fights to his name.

The former amateur standout from Cuban boxing royalty did suspect, however, that it will take some time for his pro experience to eventually catch up with this talent.

“I wasn’t thinking it would happen this quickly for me,” Gomez confessed to BoxingScene.com. “The opportunity came to me and I answered. When opportunity knocks on your door, you don’t ask ‘Who is it?’ You open the door and embrace it. I mean it when I say I’m ready for everyone.”

Gomez (5-0, 5KOs)—a Cuban southpaw from Havana who now lives and trains in Las Vegas—fully embraced the idea of stepping up to face Jorge Cota (30-5, 27KOs), a veteran from Los Mochis, Mexico who has long served as a trialhorse in the talent-rich junior middleweight division. The two will meet this Saturday in the chief support of a Showtime tripleheader from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Headlining the shot, locally-raised former two-time full WBC champ David Benavidez (25-0, 22KOs) meets former IBF middleweight titlist David Lemieux (43-4, 36KOs) for the interim WBC super middleweight title.

Even by his own ambitious standards, Gomez is not yet at the title stage though clearly aims to arrive in a hurry. The 24-year-old Cuban southpaw made his boldest statement to date in his most recent fight, a first-round knockout of the normally durable Clay Collard last Christmas in Newark, New Jersey. His power surge is a reminder of his strong boxing genes, the son of the legendary Jose ‘Jovani’ Gomez who won an Olympic Gold medal in 1980 Moscow and was known as one of the fiercest punchers in Cuba’s rich amateur history.

Gomez has clearly developed that trait, having fought just seven rounds through five pro fights to date. Only because of the backlog of mandatory challengers at junior middleweight could there be a delay in Gomez getting to current undisputed champion Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19KOs).

For now, there is not a rush to the top. Fights such as his scheduled ten-rounder with Cota, however, are expected to get tougher as long as he continues to win—which is very clearly the plan.

“I feel like my vast amateur experience gives me the confidence and the credentials to face someone like Jorge Cota,” notes Gomez, who had more than 200 amateur fights. “I told my team that I am ready for anyone. When they said Cota, I gladly accepted it. I only want to face the best.

“Once I beat Jorge Cota, it would only be right to then look at the champions or even the other contenders who are in my way.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox