The bad news for those anxiously awaiting a head-on collision between undefeated featherweights Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa is that it?s still being slowly cooked, with extreme optimism pointing towards a June 2011 showdown at the very earliest.
The good news is that all of the fights leading up to such a matchup from here on out threaten to entertain, if not rock the very core of the division in the process.
All of this comes about in the midst of Gamboa not quite impressing the critics in his most recent performance, a convincing but not particularly entertaining decision win over Orlando Salido.
Thank goodness for a supporting cast.
The truth is that such a fight never really stood much of a chance of being entertaining. Salido is a wily veteran who can make any featherweight look bad on any given night.
Gamboa happened to be that guy on that particular night, although the timing wasn?t the greatest. The fight was what sadly has become a rare HBO fight these days, serving as the only fight card between mid-August and early November.
But with it out of the way, the real fights begin, and it?s not just limited to the boys at the top.
Four days after Gamboa and Salido underwhelmed in their HBO-televised headliner, a hidden gem was unearthed in a mid-week low-rent PPV card, topped by the resurgence of all-action Mexican featherweight Jhonny Gonzalez.
Fighting atop a card celebrating the bicentennial of Mexico?s fight for independence from Spain, Gonzalez delivered one of the best performances of his career, going to toe to toe with Jackson Asiku, rallying back from a rough start to drop and eventually stopping the Australian in six rounds.
The win couldn?t have come at a better time for Gonzalez, the featherweight division or for the Mexican boxing scene. Cards surrounding the bicentennial did little to heighten the spirit of the holiday and how the sport has tried to contribute to it.
As mentioned earlier, the September 11 HBO headliner wasn?t exactly a thriller. Last weekend?s HBO PPV main event between Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora lived down to expectations, though the lively undercard somewhat helped fans get their money?s worth.
Even the always exciting Jorge Arce found himself in a fight that wound up drawing some boos in his greatest efforts to pin down an elusive Lorenzo Parra, as the two struggled to a fight that is either a draw or a split decision win for Arce ? scores have yet to be announced, with the official verdict already changing twice since it was originally announced.
As far as quality cards go that are indicative of what fans look for in general and Mexican boxing fans during this particular time of the year, the mid-week PPV hosted by Promociones del Pueblo and Roy Englebrecht Promotions wound up sending everyone home happy.
It was a card that few saw coming ? past similar independent shows usually fall short on quality, but this one wound up delivering from beginning to end, possibly the best $25 any boxing fan could?ve spent in quite some time.
Gonzalez? sensational all-action performance went a long way towards pleasing the public, but more importantly re-inserted him into a division that is suddenly threatening to erupt. If not for injuries, the perfect segue to that card would?ve been the highly anticipated showdown between Juan Manuel Lopez and former two-division champion Rafael Marquez. The bout was originally scheduled for September 18, but an untimely injury suffered by Marquez pushed back the fight to November 6.
Many are already predicting it to be high among the short list of 2010 Fight Of the Year entries. A win by Lopez builds up that much more anticipation for an eventual showdown (hopefully?) with Gamboa; an upset by Marquez, not completely out of the question, certainly turns the tables but by no means whatsoever will harm the division.
While Gamboa will keep a watchful eye on November 6, his handlers will track whatever progress is made in securing a long overdue mandatory title fight with top-rated Chris John, who has been out due to injury, having not fought since his rematch win over Rocky Juarez more than a year ago.
Even if a showdown with John doesn?t occur, it?s clear that Top Rank isn?t particularly averse to matching Gamboa as tough as possible. Elio Rojas ? once in the running for a Gamboa fight before an injury forced him out ? remains in the hunt.
So, too, does Celestino Caballero, who actually has a televised date to look forward to ?a November 27 showcase bout with Jason Litzau, to air live on HBO. The fight takes place at 130 lb,, but it stands to reason that even with his being absurdly tall for the weight, Caballero will drop back down to 126 soon thereafter for the sake of chasing the money.
Reemerging as a darkhorse threat ? even if a considerable longshot ? is Daniel Ponce de Leon, who announced his return with a vengeance last weekend with a brutal knockout win over Antonio Escalante. The bout served as Saturday?s pay-per-view curtain raiser, and couldn?t have made for a better primer to a show that managed to entertain, at least until the main event began.
Ponce de Leon figures to rate no better than best of the rest for as long as he campaigns at featherweight, largely due to his first round knockout loss two years ago to Lopez. But with his improved skills and rediscovering his ability to knock his opponents the (eff) out, it?s not very hard to envision his securing meaningful fights in premium slots.
On the horizon are undefeated contenders Miguel Angel Garcia and Juan Carlos Burgos. Garcia is already calling out the division?s best fighters, even if such a move is a tad premature. Burgos is in line for a vacant title fight later this year against former longtime bantamweight king Hozumi Hasegawa.
It?s a tough sell for the moment to suggest that the aforementioned names can help bring the division back to the same point when being ruled by future Hall of Fame fighters Manny Pacquaio, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales.
But for the first time since the departure of the Fab Four midway through the first decade of the 21st Century, it?s refreshing to know that there stands a great chance of a featherweight revival with all of the matchups that can be made ? and best of all, among a crop of fighters willing to make them.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at [email protected]
