It is rare in contemporary boxing to find an elite fighter who is willing to get hit by punches to help find spaces to set up his offense, never mind a group of elite fighters in the same division.
That though, with the brutal disposal of Anthony Peterson by the brutal left hooks and uppercuts of Brandon ?Boom Boom? Rios, is just what is lining up in the lightweight division.
The same division that held court to the epic Rock ?Em Sock ?Em Robots-esque war between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo five years ago has a few names that might soon be, if they are not already, household.
Brandon Rios. Juan Manuel Lopez. Yuriorkis Gamboa.
The remarkable things about these fighters is that they are not perfect.
Rios was easily outpointed in the first couple of rounds by Peterson. It quickly became apparent, and then verified by always reliable slow motion, instant replay, that Rios punches, while not as sharp looking were doing the majority of the damage.
Lopez, always looking to finish quickly in spectacular fashion, was rocked and floored at the end of the first round in his fight against Bernabe Concepcion, a fight in which Lopez, in spite of the knockdown, dazzled and ended in the second round.
Gamboa, in a Jekyll and Hype performance against Orlando Salido, showed fits, frustration and confusion at times and confidence, precision and determination at others.
Max Kellerman, commenting during Gamboa?s performance did a good job of describing the Cuban professional boxer?s ring presence.
Kellerman described Gamboa as ?two different fighters.?
?The guy who is not comfortable enough to believe he can simply overwhelm his opponent. That?s the perimeter of the ring potshoting Gamboa, who is less exciting but maybe more effective in the long run. Then there is the exciting Gamboa who feels comfortable enough to go on the attack. The problem is he does it without discipline. He does it with his hands down because he is comfortable and it makes him vulnerable.?
?Which is not a problem for fans but a problem for Gamboa.?
Kellerman?s assessment is a brushstroke that captures not only Gamboa but also shades of Rios and Lopez, fighters who may not be the greatest technically but at times fight with the confidence that they are.
With Lopez fighting Rafael Marquez on November 6, and Gamboa most likely fighting mandatory opponent Chris John, a Lopez-Gamboa fight might not happen with boths fighter undefeated. Marquez, the younger brother of Juan Manuel, is a fighter with skill, will and power (traits that became apparent in his career defining trilogy against Israel Vasquez) and John is a proven champion though he has not been active since September 2009.
Regardless, following the Marquez and John matchups, Lopez-Gamboa should be on target.
In interviews with BoxingNews24 after the Gamboa fight, both seem willing to fight the other and both seemed eager to prove their continued dominance in the division.
?I have seen an excellent fight from both guys?, said Lopez. ?I congratulate Gamboa but I also saw some things I might be able to take advantage of in case we will fight soon. There are lots of excellent fighters out there at 126 at the moment with Gamboa, Chris John and Celestino Caballero being three of the names I?m looking at.?
Gamboa sentiments echoed those of Lopez.
?I know that there is a lot of talk about me fighting JuanMa soon?, says Gamboa. ?But it?s not my job to worry about that. I will leave this up to the promoters who want to put the fight together. I can only say that I am ready and up for the challenge. I want to prove that I am the best and to do so I have to beat everybody they put in front of him, no matter if his name is Salido, Rojas, John, Caballero or Lopez. Just bring ?em on!?
James Slater of East Side Boxing is practically salivating at the chance of the fight.
?Personally, Pacquiao-Mayweather aside, I can?t think of a hotter match-up,? Slater wrote.
In gauging the skills of Gamboa, Tom Donelson of Black Athlete Sports Network compared the skills and style of Gamboa to those of Roy Jones Jr., a boxer who ?depended upon great athletic skills to defeat one opponent after another. He broke all the rules of boxing but when he got older, those old boxing rules came back to haunt Jones.?
I agree with Donelson that Gamboa?s athletic skill is comparable to that of Jones Jr., but have to go back to Kellerman comparing Gamboa?s style to that of Prince Naseem Hamed, a fighter who, when confident, would swagger into punches with his hands down and his chin out, a style which caught up with him quickly.
Rios, on the outside of a possible Gamboa-Lopez fight, has plenty to pick from until one of the two is lined up and following his victory was already looking elsewhere in the division.
??Humberto Soto has the real WBC belt and is looking for an opponent for his next fight so let?s do it. I know it will be an exciting fight, Rios said post-fight.?
Soto, who is scheduled to fight Fidel Monterrosa Munoz Saturday Sept, 18, is the current WBC Lightweight Champion.
Regardless of when matchups between Rios, Gamboa and Lopez occur, the future looks good for the lightweight division in boxing, full of fighters who are willing to box and brawl.
