By James Slater: Well, it turns out the quite mouth-watering match-up that was unbeaten lightweight stars Brandon Rios Vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa WAS too good to be true after all. Upon hearing about the scheduled April 14th showdown set for Las Vegas, fans, experts, writers and just about anybody else who loves boxing went into a frenzy over the possible, probable FOTY encounter.
But now, as has been reported by ESPN.com, the fight is definitely off. Gamboa, who was unhappy with his contract with Top Rank as well as with the money he would have been paid for the 135-pound title clash, will now face legal proceedings by Top Rank; who are seeking to have their contract with the Cuban defector upheld. It could all get very ugly.
But what of Rios? “Bam Bam,” as Rios is known, showed up at both scheduled press conferences, even if Gambo did not. Having trained as hard as can be for April 14th, Rios and his fans will be pleased to know that there will still be a rival opponent on the other side of the ring inside The Mandalay Bay!
“Brandon is disappointed,” Cameron Dunkin, his manager, told ESPN.com. “He’s mad. He’s hurt. All these emotions. He was really looking forward it. It’s a shame, but he’s still gonna fight.”
According to Dunkin, there is one “probable leading candidate” to take Gamboa’s place: another Cuban in interim WBA 135-pound ruler Richard Abril, 17-2-1(8). Dunkin said that while Abril is a real possibility he will have to talk to a lot of people to get that fight done. But at least Rios WILL be fighting next month, against Abril or another suitable contender.
Fans may recall that Abril got into the face of Rios at the Miami press conference for Rios-Gamboa, and “Bam Bam” would no doubt like to take out his frustrations on the 29-year-old from Miami. Abril is a good fighter, too – having never been stopped. Beaten only by Breidis Prescott and Henry Lundy (both defeats coming by way of split decision), Abril has beaten good names such as Sergio Rivera and Miguel Acosta.
Sure, it’s no Rios-Gamboa, but Rios-Abril is a decent late replacement.
Let’s hope the thrilling Gamboa, as much as he’s annoyed some fans, is not kept on the sidelines now and out of the ring.