BoxRec

Ricky_ wrote:Gamboa is absolute garbage, this is a mismatch. Walters early.

Now Gamboa is garbage? You must be looking in the mirror, Dicky.

Tanzio wrote:

Ricky_ wrote:Gamboa is absolute garbage, this is a mismatch. Walters early.

Now Gamboa is garbage? You must be looking in the mirror, Dicky.

No, not "now", always was.

Gambia was an electric boxer, very exciting, quick and powerful. He got to a level and then stagnated, Crawford was far too much for him though really Gambia shouldn't have been boxing at lightweight. He took his lumps and kept trying, no way is he a rubbish fighter and no way is he afraid of a scrap.

At one point I felt this guy if properly prepared and 100% could beat almost anyone, Gamboa had my full attention and it was all systems go for him.
Then came the arrest, the lay off and the lack of motivation.
He had suffered knockdowns but it really wasn't a big deal, then came his fights with Michael Farenas and Darleys Perez and he had changed.
When Farenas knocked him down signalled all was defiantly not right, he should have tanned Farenas six ways through sunday and stopped him but he made hard work of what was really an easy situation.
Against Perez he did not look good at all and was unmotivated and lacklustre, he didn't seem to care one iota that he was boxing on the big stage and his reputation was at stake.
Even though Crawford beat him I did always feel Gamboa had it in him to make a fight of it but in the end it was the punishment that caught up with him.

We see this a lot in the sport and it's especially frustrating when a potential big star in the making throws it all away due to a number of factors other than actually in the ring.

"Cuban fighter syndrome"

Maybe a little truth to that for some people but not for me ^
When you are a proven good amateur one of the things I want to see regardless of your nationality which makes no difference in my book is how you cope over a longer distance fight.
Gamboa proved he could go 12, stamina power speed and the rest of the package weren't the problems for him.

I doubt that Gamboa would be totally healthy if he tried to make 130 pounds today, given that he hasn't made 130 flat in over 2.5 years. Gamboa has only fought two times in the last two years, so inactivity could work against him. Gamboa also got messed-up pretty good in the Crawford fight, so I question the state of his punch resistance and neurological health after that fight. Therefore, I think Walters would be a favorite at 130.

One of the mistakes Gamboa and his team made were not fighting Brandon Rios.
Even if Gamboa struggled to make the weight or had to fight lighter is was worth the risk at the time.
When a fight is hot it can sometimes turn cold quickly.
But when a fight is hot and goes well it can be very helpful.