LOS ANGELES (March 6, 2012) — Former world lightweight champion BRANDON ?Bam Bam? RIOS, former featherweight champion YURIORKIS GAMBOA and Top Rank president,TODD duBOEF are scheduled to host a Los Angles News Conference Luncheon Tomorrow! Tuesday, March 6, in the Crystal Ballroom of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel (506 South Grand Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90071), to announce their battle for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight title. The news conference will begin at Noon PT. All participants will be available for one-on-one interviews.
–TOP RANK JUST SENT THIS OUT ‘RECONFIRMING’ GAMBOA TO SHOW UP
Rios vs. Gamboa will take place Saturday, April 14, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The fight will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing?, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. PT. The telecast will open with 10-round junior welterweight collision between top-10 contenders ?Mile High? MIKE ALVARADO and MAURICIO HERRERA.
As HBO’s Larry Merchant likes to tell us, boxing is the theater of the unexpected. But who knew that includes an initial press conference designed to kick off a savory fight fan’s special attraction, meaning all action Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios against speed and slick Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa. Rios and trainer Robert Garcia showed up for a Miami presser on Monday and Top Rank president Todd duBoef was there to introduce the April 14 Las Vegas combatants. Miami was obviously chosen as Cuban defector Gamboa’s former home. But Gamboa was a no show and rumors are flying fast and furious about Gamboa being seen in Las Vegas with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and some of his associates. “I just got off the plane here in New York,” Bob Arum told me Monday night. “I don’t know what happened. I’m trying to find out what happened.” Flamboyant Rios owns a 22-0-1, 22 KOs record while Gamboa is 21-0 with 16 knockouts. It’s likely the mini mystery will linger until Tuesday when Rios, Garcia and duBoef are scheduled to hold a second press conference in Los Angeles. (Rios lives in nearby Oxnard.) Did I say second press conference? Actually, if Gamboa shows up it will be the first for this bout which had the cognescenti licking their collective chops. Would “Money” Mayweather want to carelessly get hit with another lawsuit when you know Top Rank has Gamboa under a fairly solid promotional contract? That recent “truce” between Top Rank and archrival Golden Boy may be kaput if Mayweather is linked to Gamboa’s shocking no show. And the promotional plot thickens… ([email protected])
