The December boxing schedule is shaping up as being pretty tasty, and pretty full. Another interesting fight that has been floating around for some time has now been confirmed: Gervonta Davis will face Yuriorkis Gamboa on December 28th on Showtime (most likely in Atlanta) – and the vacant WBA lightweight title will be on the line. Top boxing scribe Mike Coppinger of The Athletic was the first person to break this news.
So what can we expect as the unbeaten 24 year old Davis, AKA “Tank,” moves up to try and become a two-weight champ at the expense of veretan former champ Gamboa, who is now 37 but will have turned the age of 38 come fight night? The two men last fought in July, on the same card – with Davis improving to 22-0(21) with a quick win over Ricardo Nunez, this fight turning out to be his final defence of the WBA super-featherweight title; Gamboa stopping Roman “Rocky” Martinez, also in two-rounds.
Gamboa, 30-2(18) showed in the fight with Martinez that he is still fast of hand and explosive, and the gifted Cuban wants to find out just what he’s got left at top level. Davis, he just wants to become a superstar.
Gamboa has actually wanted to fight Davis for some time, believing as he does that he can beat him. And though Davis, so much the younger, fresher man, will no doubt be looked at by all as a prohibitive favourite, we could see an eventful fight – an explosive fight. In many ways, a Davis-Gamboa fight is a fascinating match-up: the young lion against the old lion, both of them armed with tremendous speed, great accuracy and explosiveness.
Might Gamboa teach the young buck some things in the fight, might he be able to set traps for the former WBA 130 pound champ? Who out of the two would actually display the quicker hands? Again, a fascinating fight in a number of ways. One thing is for certain, the upcoming clash between Davis and Gamboa will not in any way be dull. No, sir; it will be full of action, and for however long he is able to stay in there, Gamboa, we hope anyway, will be looking to unleash his sizzling bombs.
Will Tank be able to take whatever does manage to land and test his body and/or his chin? Gamboa seems to have been around forever, and though he came close, true stardom has this far eluded him. Is it too late for the Cuban defector to be celebrated the way he and his great skills perhaps should have been a few years back? A win over Davis would be huge for Gamboa, and very possibly give his career a whole new outlook even as he is just two years shy of his 40th birthday.