What's up with Gamboa, is he losing his level ???

First, I must say that I am Cuban ( my name says it all, lol ) and I have always been a big Gamboa fan.

But Saturday night, Gamboa vs Perez was a big letdown! Yes, even though Gamboa won by UD and defeated an undefeated top ranked fighter in his first fight at 135 pounds, he just looked plain horrible compared to his old self.

Gamboa didn't seem interested in doing anything big and didn't seem to have an idea as to what he wanted to do in there as the only thing is his mind was throw 1-2 punches at a time while playing defense. Gamboa lacked the aggression, his killer instinct was totally gone and so is his insane speed. Perez even managed to hit Gamboa cleanly a couple of times and Gamboa seemed lost in there. :huh

What in the world is going on? The fans were booing him and with much reason to. Kellerman was highly dissatisfied with his performance and Kellerman has always been a huge Gamboa fan. Kellerman said that Gamboa needs a world class opponent in there so he won't get bored like Saturday night but I suspect is much more than that ...

Here's what I think ...

~ Gamboa's best years may have passed already ( 31 years old ) and it seems his dad is his only trainer now.

~ The lightweight division doesn't seem to be ideal for him as his crazy speed is nearly gone at that weight.

~ Gamboa could be unhappy with his promoter 50 cents ( he said it recently ) and this could be another reason for his lackluster performance.

Conclusion. Gamboa has been losing many fans ( including myself ) with his last three snoozers ( Ponce, Farenas and Perez ) even though he may not realize it yet. Gamboa won thousands of fans with his Tyson/Jones aggressive and flashy style that seems to be gone now even though he keeps on winning.

I suspect he doesn't have much time left as all Cuban amateurs have a built in time clock of up to 33-35 years old because of so many amateur fights in Cuba. Yes, Gamboa may get another Title opportunity and beat Cuban Champ Abril but what about after that???

Will Gamboa ever re-grab the top P4P rankings and delight us with his old style again or is this the beginning of the end of his reign ???

:huh:huh:huh

 

The guy is nothing but another Berto. Relying solely on his superior athleticism to win. He has no plan B and no ability to adjust. He will get brutally KOed when he faces a slick counterpuncher.

 

Totally disagree. Gamboa was 3 times better than Berto in the amateurs and is way more gifted too. He has only looked sluggish in his last 3 fights but before that he was absolutely amazing.

:-(

 

Yes, Gamboa is faster with probably better natural talent but my POINT is that both have relied heavily on their superior athleticism to win fights and seldom had a plan B or showed the ability to adjust. That's exactly why he has tasted the canvas a good amount of times against inferior fighters.

 

Inactivity you fools. He took a year off and has two fights since then. He should be fighting wayyyyy more after that huge layoff.

 

Yes, understood but he has already fought 2 times ...

 

Did he look spectacular in either? NNNNNNNOPE. He needs to keep going, he looks rusty.

 

For one thing he needs to get a trainer that will push him and provide a solid game plan with plan B and C if needed. One of the commentators, made a good point by saying how when a fighter has their dad as a trainer they usually, do what they want.

It could be that he figured Perez was not at his level and would take him out with ease via one punch. But he should really go into every fight as if every opponent was the most dangerous. Going in underestimating opponents will backfire badly one day.

 

It does seem like he is on the decline judging by his most recent fights, however you should also factor in inactivity, but I feel like it's more than likely that his best days are past him at this point. I was a huge fan, and in some ways his talents seems slightly wasted.

 

Age, inactivity, and high mileage (in this case from his amateur days): those are all the enemies of fighters blessed with great speed. The hope is that by the time some of the speed goes, you've developed other aspects of your game to compensate. Perhaps his recent lackluster performances have been because of trying to make those adjustments to win in other ways. I don't know for sure, just throwing it out there.

What I do know is I miss the old Gamboa and he was one of my favorite fighters to watch. Hopefully his career can get some kind of direction for one last push before time catches up to him.

 

scared of using PED thats why... he was phenominal before the layoff..and after the leak he seems to lack the 'fun' that he used to have in boxing. Looks like a busted up guy using the Gamboa name now.

 

and i do not think it was inactivity....he is a top notch fighter that will stay in shape and still go to the gym to get his work on and still would spar. I just think his mind is not there anymore for boxing. At times he shows he is in the game, but for most part its just like bleh.."i'll do what i need to do just to win and not wow the crowd like before'

 

i thought his farenas fight was exciting myself. it showed his explosiveness and also his weakness.

 

he's gotten a lot slower and seems too heavy. He's too small for lightweight and too heavy for the type of style he has

 

Gamboa is too small for 135 lbs. Didn't seem him as confident as when he was fighting at 126, also the inactivity has affected him...my opinion.