Stats
Yuriorkis Gamboa
Age: 29
Hometown: Miami (by way of Cuba)
Nickname: "El Ciclon de Guantanamo"
Height: 5'5 1/2"
Reach: 65"
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 29-0 (15 knockouts)
Ranking: #1 Featherweight
Titles Held: WBA and IBF Featherweight titles
Daniel Ponce de Leon
Age: 31
Hometown: Huntington Park, California (by way of Mexico)
Nickname: none
Height: 5'5"
Reach: 70"
Stance: Southpaw
Record: 41-3-0 (34 knockouts)
Ranking: #5 Featherweight
Titles Held: none
It seems Fall has finally arrived, and with it comes cool weather along with big-name fights. What differentiates these big name fights from more recent ones, such as Haye vs. Klitchscko, is the fact that these match-ups are poised to deliver even bigger action. The first match-up kicking off this busy Fall is a featherweight tilt between Cuban gold-medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa and Mexico's own Daniel Ponce de Leon. This fight is guaranteed to deliver as far as excitement and entertainment go. If you need proof look no further than the fact that HBO executives gave this fight top-billing over a heayweight scrap between Vitali Klitschko and Tomasz Adamek. If you're new to boxing this is a great introductory match. Hell, even the die-hard fans can discover what they've missed considering the lighter weight-classes don't receive much exposure. No matter what type of fan you are, this fight offers everything you could possibly want. So enough with the banter and let's get on to the preview.
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Gamboa (left) lands a ferocious left-hook en-route to a
stoppage win over Mexican veteran Orlando Salido (right). |
Yuriorkis Gamboa has been nothing short of dominant ever since bringing home olympic gold to Cuba. Ever since defecting from the country he has become a fan-favorite to many, along with becoming one of the most avoided champions in the sport. What makes Gamboa so dangerous is his mix of speed, skill, and raw power. He is able to seamlessly bring all these factors together while maintaining a patience and technicality that is usually unheard of in a fighter his age. Gamboa's most recent wins come over Orlando Salido (36-11-2), and a brutal stoppage victory against Jorge Solis (40-3-2). Out of the two victories, his dominant win over Salido is considered to be one his most important. This is due to the fact that right after Gamboa handled Salido from bell to bell, Salido would go on to earn a victory against, then undefeated champion, Juan Manuel Marquez. Some thought that Salido had finally earned the recognition he deserved, but all attention went back to the fact that Gamboa. This was due to the fact that Gamboa was able to dominate Salido from bell-to-bell, unlike his rival "Juanma" Lopez who succumbed to Salido's power. The secret to Gamboa's success in the ring is purely based on his style. He is able to let off wicked-fast combinations while continuosly coming forward. As much as this style has worked for him however, there is no denying that there obvious openings for his opponents to capitalize on. Gamboa tends to crowd his opponents with his chin up, and sometimes leaves his hands down. This leads to him getting knocked down in his more exciting fights, but he is able to make up for this in that he stands back up immediatley, seemingly unfazed by what just happened. It's this style of Gamboa's that leaves his opponents frustrated and exhausted, allowing him to capitalize and score a stoppage win. Another tool of Gamboa's is his stinging right hook which he tends to unleash to both the head and the body at will. This punch is definitley Gamboa's bread and butter, yet most of Gamboa's opponents are still surprised by it. For Gamboa to win this fight he will have to do what he does best, which is control the pace and overwhelm the opponent. If he is able to do all this while maintaining distance, along with establishing his jab, he can cruise to a dominant points victory or win via stoppage.
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Ponce de Leon (right) tags Eduardo Escobedo (left)
before knocking him down in the later rounds. |
Daniel Ponce de Leon is the classic Mexican boxer in that he is willing to sacrifice technique for an all-out brawl in center ring. As appealing as his style may be to watch however, it is this which stops him from reaching a certain level of greatness in his weight-class. Ponce de Leon's last fight was a controversial decision loss to up-and-coming junior lightweight prospect, Adrien Broner. Even though he had lost the fight, many came off impressed realizing that there was more to Ponce de Leon then wild arm-punches and desperate haye-makers. If that wasn't enough to impress people, they had to be impressed in the fact that Ponce de Leon was able to do so well in a weight-class that is above his natural weight. Even though he may be far from being the most technical boxer, he can definitley win this fight. As a southpaw Ponce de Leon already has an immediate advantage, but pair this with the fact that he has a vicious left hook along with stamina for days and you have a fighter who is a tough fight for anybody. To win this fight Ponce de Leon must make this his kind of fight, and lure Gamboa into a fire fight. Although this is a dangerous move for Ponce de Leon, it allows him the best opportunity to catch Gamboa coming in and dropping him. If he keeps this kind of pace from the opening bell, he's in for a short night's work along with some new hardware to take home.
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Ponce de Leon (left) and Gamboa (right)
square off at the weigh-ins before their
Sept. 10th contest. |
Prediction: As far as the fight itself goes it can go many ways, but there's no denying that this is at the top of my list for potential Fight of the Year. I see both fighters coming out in the first round to a relatively slow start as both try to get a feel for each other. From then on, I see Ponce de Leon being the aggressor in the early rounds as Gamboa tries to counter-punch. By the fourth round, Gamboa will come alive and try to beat Ponce de Leon at his own game. A firefight between the two will take place in the center of the ring up until early in the fifth, where Gamboa will be put down by Ponce de Leon's left hook. Gamboa will recover, and by the sixth will begin swarming an exhausted Ponce de Leon. Gamboa will run a clinic, landing jabs and hooks to the body, as Ponce de Leon tries to answer back. After another shoot-out between the two, Gamboa will land a body-shot in the seventh that stings Ponce de Leon, and will score the knockdown by following up with hooks up stairs. In the eighth, Ponce de Leon will be frustrated and exhausted, allowing Gamboa to once again swarm the Mexican fighter. This will continue until Ponce de Leon is once again dropped, forcing the referee to put a halt to the action. I see Gamboa beating a bloody and very game Ponce de Leon via late-rounds stoppage.
Pick: Yuriorkis Gamboa def. Daniel Ponce de Leon via referee stoppage (KO)
Quick Picks
Vitali Klitschko vs. Tomasz Adamek
I give HBO credit for choosing to air this fight, but I see it playing out as most Klitschko fights tend to. Klitschko will dominate from the on-set with his rangy jab, keeping the much-shorter Adamek at bay and putting a halt to any real exchanges. This will continue for most of the fight as Klitschko continues his pace, and finds success landing more powerful blows. This cycle will continue until Klitschko forces a referee stoppage after trapping Adamek on the ropes pummeling him with his powerful left and right straights.
Pick: Vitali Klitschko def. Tomasz Adamek by whatever the hell he wants
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