Yuriorkis Gamboa

Yuriorkis Gamboa Toledano (born December 23, 1981) is a Cuban professional boxer who, as an amateur boxer, won an Olympic gold medal in the flyweight division at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the former IBF and WBA Featherweight champion, being stripped of both titles. Gamboa's younger brother is fellow professional boxer Yoelvis Gamboa.

Amateur highlights

• Four-time Cuban national champion
• 2003 Pan American Games gold medalist
• 2004 Olympic gold medalists
• 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships bronze medalist
• 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalist
• 2006 World Cup champion

Gamboa's 2004 Olympic Boxing results were:^[1]

• Round of 32 - Defeated Igor Samoilenco of Moldava – PTS (46-33)
• Round of 16 - Defeated Somjit Jongjohor of Thailand – PTS (26-21)
• Quarterfinals - Defeated Georgy Balakshin of Russia – PTS (26-18)
• Semifinals - Defeated Rustamhodza Rahimov of Germany – PTS (20-11)
• Gold Medal Match - Defeated Jérôme Thomas of France – PTS (38-23)

Defection

While training in Venezuela, Gamboa, along with Cuban teammates Odlanier Solis and Yan Barthelemy sneaked out of camp and found their way to Colombia and eventually to Germany, where they applied for visas to enter the United States.^[2] Before defecting, he had sold his Olympic gold medal to support his family.^[3]

Professional career

Debut in Germany

Gamboa made his professional boxing debut on April 27, 2007, in Hamburg, Germany against Alexan Manvelyan. Gamboa put Manvelyan on the canvas in the third round and beat up his foe throughout the fight for the unanimous decision victory. Two months later, he defeated Araik Sachbazjan by fourth round technical knockout.

Debut in the US

After winning his first four fights in Germany, Gamboa made his United States debut on October 30, 2007, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, against Adailton De Jesus. De Jesus was dropped to the canvas halfway through the first round. A Gamboa slip in the fourth round was ruled a knockdown by the referee. Gamboa's relentless pressure eventually forced a stoppage in the sixth and final round.^[4]

Gamboa fought Gilberto Luque on January 5, 2008, at Bally's Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Gamboa sent his opponent to the canvas less than 30 seconds into first round with a left hand. After two more knockdowns the referee stopped the fight.^[5] On February 22, 2008, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he made his American television debut against Johnnie Edwards. Gamboa knocked Edwards down in the first 30 seconds of the fight after connecting with a left hand to the head. Edwards got up, but was met with left-hand punches from Gamboa ending with two consecutive right hands that knocked Edwards down for the second and final time as the referee moved in and halted the fight in round one and won the vacant NABF Super Featherweight title.^[6]

On May 17, 2008, at Buffalo Bill's Star Arena in Primm, Nevada, Gamboa fought Darling Jimenez. Gamboa started off well in the first three rounds of the fight, swarming Jimenez and hitting him with punches over and over. Gamboa looked flustered in the fourth round and began showing signs of fatigue. He got careless and was knocked down by a right hand behind the ear from Jimenez. Gamboa got up and finished the fight strong, winning by unanimous decision and claiming the vacant WBC International Super Featherweight title.^[7] After the fight, Gamboa’s promoter Ahmet Öner fired his trainer Osmiri Fernandez, replacing him with Ismeal Salas.^[8] On July 18, 2008, stepping down to Featherweight, Gamboa scored a first-round technical knockout victory over Al Seeger to win the vacant WBO NABO Featherweight title in a fight that took place at Buffalo Bill's Star Arena in Primm, Nevada. A left hook to the body set up a right hand that landed across Seeger's face, causing him to collapse backwards flat onto the canvas. The referee stepped over Seeger without bothering to count, officially stopping the bout.^[9]

On October 5, 2008, Gamboa stepped up in class, yet again, and fought Marcos Ramirez, a Kansas City Featherweight in Temecula, California. Gamboa exhibited amazing hand speed and quick combination punching in the first round before he was dropped by Ramirez. Gamboa quickly came to his feet and resumed fighting until the bell rang to signify the end of the round. In the second round, Gamboa picked up where he left off and knocked Ramirez down with a fast right uppercut, followed by another combination. Ramirez let the referee administer the eight count before rising to his feet. Gamboa then finished the fight by pressuring Ramirez into the ropes and landing a left hook to the body, followed by a right uppercut to the jaw.^[10] Gamboa's next fight took place at Buffalo Bill's Star Arena in Primm, Nevada on January 9, 2009 against Roger Gonzalez. Gamboa used quick combinations from the beginning of the third round to relentlessly attack Gonzalez. Gamboa began his assault after going down during the second round, after absorbing a sneaky right hand by Gonzalez. The referee halted the one-sided bout with 48 seconds remaining after Gonzalez sustained a barrage of punches to the head. Gamboa led 89–82 on one judge's scorecard and 89–83 on the other two judges' cards through nine rounds.^[11]

On February 20, 2009, Gamboa fought Walter Estrada at The University Center at Nova Southeastern University. Gamboa knocked out Estrada with a left hook to the body followed by a right hand to the face 25 seconds into the fight.^[12]

Featherweight

On April 17, 2009 Gamboa stoped Jose Rojas via 10th-round TKO to win the Interim WBA Featherweight title.^[13] On October 10, 2009 Gamboa stopped Whyber Garcia in the fourth round to win the WBA Featherweight title.^[14]

On January 23, 2010, at the WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City, he destroyed Rogers Mtagwa in two rounds. Gamboa had a very dominating first round. He buzzed Mtagwa several times from several angles and scored a knockdown in the final ten seconds with a counter hook. He continued the damage in the second round, battering Mtagwa and sending him down two more times before the fight was stopped.

On March 27, 2010 at HamburgGermany Gamboa dominated Argentinian boxer Jonathan Victor Barros in twelve rounds to retain the WBA Featherweight title with a unanimous decision.

On September 11, 2010 Gamboa fought Orlando Salido to unify the WBA and IBF Featherweight titles with the result being Gamboa winning by unanimous decision. Salido knocked down Gamboa in the eighth round. Gamboa knocked Salido down in the 12th round, but was docked two points for hitting Salido in the back of his head while Salido was down. With this win Gamboa became the first Cuban boxer to hold the IBF world title since the organization's inception.^[15]

On March 26, 2011 Gamboa fought Jorge Solis to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) Featherweight Title. Although the fight was originally agreed to set under dispute both of Gamboa's World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight titles at the moment, it was early in the day of the fight after Gamboa had missed a mandatory re-weighing procedure established by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) that his chance to defend it was annulled, as well as Solis's chance to claim it in case he had defeated Gamboa. The fight lasted only four rounds as Gamboa after having fought a relative conservative first round decided to control the pace of the fight sending Solis to the floor a total of five times and causing referee David Fields to stop the fight giving Gamboa the victory by TKO just after Gamboa had connected several unanswered punches as Solis looked hurt against the ropes. After the fight Gamboa was interviewed, a moment that Gamboa took advantage of to express his awareness and support towards the victims of Japan's latest earthquake and Tsunami. Gamboa also took the opportunity to proclaim his desire to fight higher caliber featherweight boxers such as Indonesian Chris John and Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez who was attending the fight as a spectator and decided to come up to the ring and proclaim his desire for a possible fight with Gamboa as he also made the observation that it was a business decision to be taken by their shared promoter Bob Arum.

On September 10, 2011 Gamboa fought Daniel Ponce de Leon in a non-title fight at the Featherweight division. Gamboa managed to connect more punches in each and every round keeping the score cards in his favor from the start. Although there were not many exchanges Gamboa's hand speed and reflexes were on display as he connected with quick and short combinations and managed to avoid some of De Leon's left swings with his characteristic upper body swing move. In the eighth round during a short exchange Gamboa and De Leon accidentally clashed heads, as a result Daniel Ponce de Leon suffered a cut in his forehead, consequently the referee stopped the fight and asked De Leon's corner to check the boxer's wound. After having tried and failed to stop the bleeding it was determined by De Leon's team that their fighter was unable to continue in the fight.

Professional Record

Trainers

On October 26, 2011, Gamboa hired world-famous Emanuel Steward as his head trainer.

References

External links

• Yuriorkis Gamboa's Official Site
• Amateur record
• Professional boxing record for Yuriorkis Gamboa from BoxRec