by James Slater – Last night, in Primm, Nevada, hot featherweight prospect Yuriorkis Gamboa advanced to 13-0(11) as a pro as he stopped veteran Roger Gonzalez in the 10th round of a fight that was one-sided in the later rounds. The time of the ending was 2 minutes and 12 seconds of the 10th round, and as the Cuban blasted away at will, referee Robert Byrd dived in to save Gonzalez from further punishment. 30-year-old Gonzalez fell to 27-3(18), and last night’s loss was his second inside the distance defeat in a row.
Once again, however, even though he looked very impressive most of the time, 27-year-old Gamboa’s recklessness and refusal to pay attention to the defensive side of the sport saw to it that he got knocked down. Running into a nice right hand from Gonzalez in the 2nd, the Miami-based Cuban hit the mat for the fourth time in his short pro career. Up quickly and seemingly unhurt, as was the case in each of the other counts he has received, Gamboa came back well, unloading on his man near the end of the session.
Strangely, though he once again was made to pay for his tendency to be overanxious for the KO, Gamboa had boxed a patient opening round, only to get caught in the very next round. From the 3rd round until the end, the fight was pretty much a one-sided affair, with Gamboa doing all the aggressive work. By the middle rounds it seemed as though Gonzalez was in survival mode, although he did occasionally manage to let a good shot go – as he did in the 8th round, when he caught Gamboa with his hands down.
His defence and chin aside, Gamboa, it seems, has everything else needed to make it to the top. There is nothing wrong with his stamina, even though it could be argued he wastes energy unloading homerun type shots at every given opportunity, and his speed and power are special. Though some would say he needs further work before a world title fight, the word is the exciting featherweight will box for the interim version of the WBC title next – probably against Elio Rojas.
A superbly gifted and hugely decorated amateur, who had literally hundreds of unpaid fights, the 27-year-old will no doubt argue he has more than enough experience to make his move. And though he has recovered each time he has been down or received a count – more and more making his comparisons to Felix Trinidad seem more and more valid upon doing so – there is always the worry that at world title level Gamboa’s leaky defence will prove to be a big problem.
For the moment, though, despite his insistence on taking chances, Gamboa remains both a genuine world title contender and a potential star. The fight with Rojas promises to be very interesting indeed.