Unless you were stuck in a cave in Lower Slobbovia, you surely remember all the speculation and idle chatter about a brewing superfight between Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico and flashy Cubano Yuriorkis Gamboa. That hot match never was made and now, with Gamboa shooting himself in the foot by refusing to fight Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios on HBO April 14 and getting a lawsuit from promoter Top Rank in the process while Lopez is reeling from two KO losses to rugged Mexican Orlando Salido in his Boricua backyard, you wonder if it ever will occur. Maybe, if Uncle Bob Arum welcomes wandering son Gamboa back to the fold (like he did wanna be Golden Boy Nonito Donaire Jr.), the now not so hot match could be staged. Maybe they battle at 130 pounds, not featherweight or lightweight, and bill it as “Redemption” becvause both of these guys have lost much of their former shine. It doesn’t matter whether Gamboa has “beef” with co-promoter Ahmet Oner or if he feels Top Rank was trying to get him cheap or both. Angering paymaster HBO is never a good career move, particularly for a non-American fighter without massive popularity.
I mean, do you think rival Showtime will now look to put Gamboa on the air? Not hardly. We still can’t say for certain that Gamboa is overrated but Juan Ma’s talent level has been reassesed after taking two buttkickings from solid Salido. It would seem to be idiocy to pair Juan Ma a third time against the Mexican because Salido just seems to have the Puerto Rican’s number. Maybe Juan Ma’s playboy past caught up with him. Maybe he got the superstar treatment too soon. But Gamboa at age 30 and the 28 year old Juan Ma are like two devalued stocks. Juan Ma’s best ring nights seem to be behind him and Gamboa may wind up as a what if character in boxing history. That fight with Rios was Gamboa’s catapault to real stardom and certainly he had a chance to dethrone the lightweight champ. The boxing sky is not exactly filled with supernovas at this time and falling stars Lopez and Gamboa are on the road to ruin. Lopez can’t beat Salido. Gamboa beat himself. Maybe a fight between them truly makes sense now. It could be redemptive.
