By John Gabriel Thompson – While the two have not yet faced off against one another in the ring, Yoriorkis Gamboa’s performance this Saturday night completely dominated that of Juan Manuel Lopez. In a pair of fights in which the only significance was to build up attraction to a potential showdown between the two rising stars, this evening’s bouts may have undermined the intrigue behind such an event. So thorough was Gamboa’s second round stoppage of Rogers Mtagwa (a man who had previously stretched Juanma to the limit) that a match up between the two appears a forgone conclusion.
Olympic Gold Medallist Yoriorkis Gamboa 17-0 (15 KO’s) showed extraordinary speed in the ring, pacing himself, waiting for counterpunching opportunities, and putting the durable Rogers Mtagwa 26-14-2 down once in the first and twice in the second, forcing referee Steve Smoger to stop the bout. While there was little to criticize in Juan Manuel Lopez’s 28-0 (25 KO’s) systematic destruction of Steven Luevano 37-2-1, cumulating in a fantastic combination to the body then head of Luevano which sent him into the corner and rendered him unable to continue, Juanma simply did not look as sharp as Gamboa..
It may be true that Luevano (who holds a win over Rogers Mtagwa) may have been stiffer competition for Lopez. Just because fighter A beats fighter B, and fighter B beats fighter C, it absolutely does not mean that fighter A will beat fighter C. There are so many examples of this in boxing, such as the Mosely/ Cotto/ Margarito fights or the Hopkins/ Taylor/ Pavlik fights in which each man has defeated the other’s conqueror. Because Gamboa had an easier time of Mtagwa than Lopez, does not mean anything when the two face one another.
In fact, there are all sorts of arguments to make for a Juanma victory – he counterpunches effectively against fast, aggressive fighters (see the 1st round KO over Daniel Ponce de Leon), Gamboa shows lapses in defense, Juanma has fought tougher opposition, and he may even possess better boxing fundamentals than Gamboa. The deciding factor, however, will be Gamboa’s quick reflexes. Mtagwa never saw Gamboa’s left hooks coming – left hooks which would serve Gamboa well against the southpaw. Also, there were a few times when Luevano was able to catch Lopez with counter punches (see the end of the 4th round). While the punches of Luevano may have proved ineffective, imagine if Juamna had given the speedy and powerful Gamboa such openings.
This fight can still be made and it can still be a mega fight, but for it to be as competitive as the fans would like, it may serve Juanma well to get a few more championship rounds under the belt before facing the explosive Gamboa. Current WBA and IBF Super Bantamweight Champion Celestino Caballero would make a fantastic test for the still maturing 26 year old Juanma – Caballero having called him out on numerous occasions.
For Cuban star Gamboa there are many options – Chris John, Israel Vasquez, Joan Guzman, or even Juan Manuel Marquez. Regardless, the now WBO Featherweight Champion from Puerto Rico appears to be one of the biggest and most enticing match ups of Gamboa’s promising career.
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