Their pedigree was certainly good. Their father had dabbled in boxing in Mexico. The twins also have an uncle and two cousins who boxed. One, Jorge Gomez Jr., competed internationally for the United States. And older brother Carlos, 22, recently turned professional, winning his only two bouts.
"It just runs in the family," Javier said from Colorado Springs, where he is training with the U.S. team. "Since we were little kids we would always just watch my older brother train. [We] would go in the ring and start messing around, sparring. When we were about 8 years old, we started getting really serious."
Javier won his first fight at 9, his first age-group nationals at 11, then went on to win three national Silver Gloves titles, two Golden Gloves crowns and a Junior Olympics championship before a surprise victory over former national champion Karl Dargan helped vault him onto the Olympic team.
Oscar took a similar route, winning his first fight at 8, then winning two Silver Gloves, three Golden Gloves and one PAL national title.
In youth football, baseball and soccer the twins had always stuck together. Also in the classroom, where both have been honors students at John Glenn High in Norwalk. They shared a bedroom in their family's small three-bedroom home.
"Until now," their father said, "they've never been separated."
Except in the ring, where the boys frequently spar but will never be allowed to fight.
"They're both my sons and I don't want that one should win and the other lose. I want them both to win," Gloria said.
"That'll never happen," Carlos added. "We're all brothers. That comes before anything."
Although to reach Beijing the brothers first must place high in this week's Olympic qualifying tournament in Trinidad, or in the final Olympic qualifier next month in Guatemala City, Luna is already planning ahead.
"God willing, we go to the Olympics, I'll be having the United States flag in one hand and the Mexican flag in the other," he said. "Javier is going to be cheering for Oscar. And Oscar is going to be cheering for Javier.
"It's not about anything but just getting to the highest place in boxing."
Or maybe it is. Miguel Molina, 59, a Mexican citizen and permanent U.S. resident who has spent most of his life in Los Angeles, said the last few months have led him to a new definition of what it means to be Mexican American.
"We're Mexican, but we're here and this country has helped us a lot," he said in Spanish. "We like how it is: One from here, one from there. They're fighting for the two countries. It's a tie and it makes us proud.
"For me, there aren't two teams," he added. "There are two sons."
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kevin.baxter@latimes.com
