by James Slater – Unfortunately, fights get postponed on occasion, such is the unpredictable nature of boxing, and it has been announced today that two intriguing bouts – one originally set for this coming Saturday, the other for July – will not now be going ahead as planned..
Dan Rafael, the man with all the news, has reported on his “Quick Hits” column on ESPN.com, that former welterweight titlist Kendall Holt’s return to action against tough Jesse Feliciano, originally set for this Saturday on the under-card of Andre Ward-Allan Green, is now off due to weight issues on the part of Holt, and he has also reported how the WBA/IBF featherweight unification bout between Yuriorkis Gamboa and Orlando Salido, originally set for July 24th, has been postponed also; due to an insufficiently healed cut on the part of Salido.
Bad news to be sure, but unavoidable it seems. Holt would have been having his first fight back since losing in an upset to Kaizer Mabuza back in February, but the former WBO 140-pound champion’s weight has apparently “ballooned” since his back-to-back losses to Tim Bradley and Mabuza, and “Rated R” made the decision not to risk another loss against Feliciano.
“Holt knew he was heavy,” said promoter Lou DiBella, who is reportedly close to signing a deal with the former champ. “He was trying to come down in weight and couldn’t come down to where he was comfortable in time. He’ll fight again soon. He knows he can’t mess around. His weight had ballooned, so he made the decision to not fight [Feliciano].”
It’s not known if Holt, 25-4(13) will still face Feliciano, 15-9-3(9) when he does return, or when or where he will fight again. In the 6th-round TKO loss to Mabuza, Holt looked a faded force indeed, and it remains to be seen if he can ever recapture the form that saw him defeat men like Ricardo Torres and Demetrius Hopkins.
The July clash that was set for Las Vegas, with Cuba’s Gamboa making his debut in “Sin City,” WILL be rescheduled, with the doubleheader (Anthony Peterson-Brandon Rios in a lightweight eliminator being the co-main event) now set to go ahead sometime in the fall. Salido, 34-10-2(22) and the reigning IBF 126-pound champ, suffered a bad cut in his title-wining fight against Cristobal Cruz back in May, and apparently the cut has not properly healed, an issue that prompted the Mexican warrior to withdraw from the original date.
“Having come off a very physical battle, the last thing Salido or Top Rank wanted for the fans and HBO is a cut opening up immediately and having an impact on the potential result,” Carl Moretti told ESPN.com. “By pushing the fight back, it ensures the quality of the unification match.”
The postponement of Gamboa-Salido is particularly annoying to fight fans, seeing how the 28-year-old Cuban sensation is one of the sport’s most exciting fighters today. With his thrilling style, his great flare and his general crowd-pleasing style, Gamboa, 18-0(15) is a fighter who is perfect for the Las Vegas stage. Hopefully, the rescheduled clash with Salido will still go ahead in “Fight Town.”