Chris Colbert vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa - July 3, 2021 (OFF)

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Chris Colbert vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa in Play For Showtime Clash, Sources Say

Junior lightweight Chris Colbert is close to a deal to make the next defense of his WBA interim title against former unified featherweight world titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa, multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions told Boxing Scene on Friday.

The fight, which is agreed to but not signed, would air as part of a Showtime-televised undercard and would take place in early July at a site to be determined, the sources said.

Showtime’s network events have all taken place inside the bubble of the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, since it began putting on cards again last summer during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 24-year-old Colbert (15-0, 6 KOs), of Brooklyn, New York, who is a flashy and fast fighter, would be making the second defense of his interim 130-pound belt.

He won it from Jezreel Corrales by unanimous decision in January 2020 in Philadelphia and made his first defense by exciting 11th-round knockout of Jaime Arboleda in December at Mohegan Sun Arena on Showtime.

Gamboa (30-4, 18 KOs), 39, a 2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist fighting out of Miami, would be moving down in weight from the 135-pound lightweight division where success has been hard to come by. He has been much more effective boxing at 130-pounds.

Gamboa has lost his last two bouts, both in the lightweight division. First was a 12th-round knockout to Gervonta Davis for the vacant WBA title in December 2019 in a fight in which Gamboa fought for much of the bout with a ruptured Achilles tendon. After nearly a year layoff to recover from the injury, Gamboa dropped a one-sided unanimous decision challenging WBC world titleholder Devin Haney in November 2020.

Gamboa previously held the same 130-pound interim title he would fight Colbert for. He held it from 2012 to 2013 before moving up to lightweight to find mixed success.

Gamboa and Colbert share a common opponent in Miguel Beltran Ruiz (34-8, 23 KOs), 31, of Mexico, who fought them in back-to-back lightweight fights.

In November 2018, Gamboa won a lopsided 10-round decision over him in Miami on a pay-per-view card they shared with Juan Manuel Lopez against Cristian Ruben Mino. In Ruiz’s next fight he faced Colbert and got knocked out in the first round for a vacant regional title in Bakersfield, California, on a Premier Boxing Champions card on FS1.

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Showtime announces summer schedule: Davis-Barrios, Charlo-Castano, Oubaali-Donaire among highlights

Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions have officially announced a five-month run of fights, all but one event to air on Showtime (the other on pay-per-view), with some really good matchups and some that are, you know, not so great if you’re not writing the press release.

The highlights: Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano will fully unify the 154-pound division on July 17 on Showtime; Gervonta “Tank” Davis moves up to 140 for another secondary title fight against Mario Barrios, which is the PPV event on June 26, and that card will also feature Erickson Lubin vs Jeison Rosario; Nordine Oubaali vs Nonito Donaire on May 29; Luis Nery vs Brandon Figueroa on May 15; Guillermo Rigondeaux vs John Riel Casimero on August 14; and Stephen Fulton Jr fighting the Nery-Figueroa winner on September 11.

Here’s the full slate as stands right now:

May 15 - Showtime
• Luis Nery vs Brandon Figueroa, for Nery’s WBC junior featherweight title
• Danny Roman vs Ricardo Espinoza
• Xavier Martinez vs Abraham Montoya

May 29 - Showtime
• Nordine Oubaali vs Nonito Donaire, for Oubbali’s WBC bantamweight title
• Subriel Matias vs Batyrzhan Jukembayev

June 19 - Showtime
• Jermall Charlo vs Juan Montiel, for Charlo’s WBC middleweight title

June 26 - Showtime PPV
• Gervonta Davis vs Mario Barrios
• Erickson Lubin vs Jeison Rosario

July 3 - Showtime
• Chris Colbert vs Yuriorkis Gamboa

July 17 - Showtime
• Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano, for undisputed junior middleweight championship

August 14 - Showtime
• Guillermo Rigondeaux vs John Riel Casimero, for Casimero’s WBO bantamweight title

August 28 - Showtime
• David Benavidez vs Jose Uzcategui

September 11 - Showtime
• Stephen Fulton Jr vs Nery-Figueroa winner, for Fulton’s WBO and the Nery-Figueroa winner’s WBC junior featherweight title

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Yuriorkis Gamboa has suffered a rib injury and a lesser heel injury whilst training..

Colbert will look for new opponent.

This was the headline bout too.