Yuriorkis Gamboa seemed to be headed towards star status, maybe even superstar status. When he burst onto the scene, showing off his incredible speed, his razor-sharp reflexes, his sheer aggression and his formidable punching power, the featherweight/super-featherweight was leaving audiences in awe. A couple of world titles were sure enough won, but Gamboa failed to land himself a mega-fight.
He almost had one with Puerto Rican banger Juanma Lopez, but promoter Bob Arum screwed up in letting the fight “marinate” for too long, and the powerful but chinny Lopez got beaten and Gamboa had to say goodbye to the potential big-money fight he would have won, likely in style. Gamboa then went up too high in weight, he wasted months of activity when he was signed with 50-Cent, and, after seeing another big fight fall through – this one with Brandon Rios – the Cuban was downed by Terence Crawford (in a superb action fight all the same).
Getting things bang up to date, Gamboa, 29-2(17) and now aged 37, has fought just seven times since the stoppage loss to Crawford; winning six of them, including his last three. But Gamboa has not looked impressive, except, perhaps, in spurts. But there is set to be one last, possibly big, chapter in the Cuban defector’s career. As ESPN.com reports, Gamboa is to sign a multi-fight deal with Premiere Boxing Channel (PBC), the deal to see Gamboa box his initial fight some time in the spring.
Is it too late for Gamboa to do anything big before his career comes to an end? Probably, but you never know. Gamboa, last seen beating Miguel Beltran Jr by UD in November, is still fast, he is still in good physical shape and, if matched right, he could even become a world champion again. On the other hand, Gamboa’s chin will forever be a concern and he has struggled with the likes of Robinson Castellanos (being stopped in May of 2017) and Alexis Reyes and Jason Sosa (picking up majority decisions over both).
The folks at PBC clearly feel Gamboa is still worth investing in, and maybe the former champ will prove that, yes, he is. Fans will still show up to watch Gamboa (he is never often in a dull fight, win or lose) and there could be a few more thrills and spills before the one-time sure thing heads to the exit door.
