Gamboa's Next Oppenent

Who will Yuriorkis Gamboa face and when? The date set out by Top Rank has been either July 17th or 24th in Miami(?), but it seems very few of his possible opponents would be ready then.

It seems Caballero's fight was not sanctioned by the WBA, therefore it is not a mandatory fight that Gamboa needs to take. Personally, I believe after seeing what Pelenchin was capable of on Saturday, Bob Arum won't risk putting either of his big FW stars (the other being Juanma Lopez) in the ring with him. I would really want to see this fight, but there are rumors that it will not happen. One reported stumbling block has been the payout split.

Another rumor is that he could go after Cristobal Cruz for the IBF title and then not have to face Chris John in the WBA. However, Cruz has a fight May 15th against Orlando Salido for the title.

Elio Rojas, the WBC champ, who was heavily rumored to be fighting Yuri previously, is another possible opponent. He is also rumored to be busy: he might be fighting Jhony Gonzalez after a WBC title eliminator in which Gonzalez TKO'd Antonio Davis after 2 rounds.

Chris John, the WBA "Super" champ will be fighting Fernando David Saucedo on May 22nd in Bali. Two other possibilities, Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez will be going at it for a 4th time on May 22nd at the Staples Center, and I cannot see them being ready for a July date after what promises to be a brutal fight.

Finally, Juanma Lopez will be fighting Bernabe Concepcion on July 10th in Puerto Rico, and reports point to a possible Gamboa-Lopez fight occuring in mid 2011.

Among the fringe contenders, Daniel Ponce de Leon will be fighting Cornelius Lock on May 1st at the MGM and that is about it. Steven Luevano could be a possibility after a loss to Juanma Lopez, but that is highly unlikely.

Conclusion: Gamboa will either have to take another stay busy fight for a weaker purse against a no-name that will give him much less exposure, or he could take a slight pay cut against Caballero in what would be a very entertaining bout for boxing fans as well as build his reputation in Miami (if the fight takes place there). Plus, this slight pay decrease now would also lead to a probable 50-50 on the Gamboa-Lopez card, so in the long run, it makes sense for him to make the sacrifice right now.

 

Any inside information/other theories would be helpful as well. Thanks