By Bradley Pearson: September 17th all eyes will be on boxing’s current superstar attraction Floyd Mayweather Jr, as he makes his long awaited ring return against Victor Ortiz. But precisely one week prior to this, attentions will turn to a champion who hopes to one day emulate Mayweather’s mainstream appeal- one of the sports future virtuoso candidates, unbeaten Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Gamboa (20-0, 16 KO’s) will step into the ring September 10th when he faces the tough Mexican challenger Daniel Ponce de Leon (41-3, 34 KO’s). Coming off a controversial defeat to Adrien Broner, and having more knockouts than Gamboa has fights, Ponce de Leon poses a considerable threat to the champions undefeated record and cannot be overlooked. Yet Gamboa will undoubtedly be the bookmakers favourite to overcome his Mexican counterpart and retain his title when the two fighters face off this Fall.

At 29, Gamboa remains marginally on the right side of 30 and is likely to have at least another 4-5 years left in the sport. The Cuban has blitzed through the featherweight division since turning pro in 2007, picking up a world title in just his 15th professional bout. The future certainly seems bright for the 2004 Olympic gold medallist, and the question has to be posed; if in fact he does see off Ponce de Leon on September 10th, what lies ahead for “El Ciclon de Guantánamo”?

At featherweight at least, Gamboa arguably has only a few real credible fights left. Indonesian veteran Chris John (45-0-2, 22 KO’s) holds the ‘super’ version of the Olympian’s title and would certainly be a fight that makes sense in terms of determining the ‘top dog’ at 126 lb’s. Yet with injury worries, John recently has become a one-bout-a-year fighter and may prove difficult to negotiate with. Elsewhere, potential fights with both Caballero and Lopez have lost their appeal after both suffered unexpected defeats- although rumours of a Lopez-Salido rematch hint at Top Rank CEO Bob Arum perhaps trying to piece together the shattered pieces of a once highly anticipated Lopez-Gamboa fight, if Lopez was to win back the WBO crown off of Salido, that is.

Gamboa may look to venture into higher divisions to bolster his growing legacy. With a handful of scheduled 130 lb fights early in his career, so making weight wouldn’t be an issue for the Olympic gold medallist, allowing him to test waters at super featherweight somewhere down the line. Britain’s own world champion Ricky Burns would prove a competitive match up for Gamboa on paper- whether or not it translates into reality proves to be seen. With a reported ‘walking around weight’ of around 140 lb’s, even the lightweight division is a legitimate possibility for the Miami-based Cuban fighter, who competed at flyweight in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens. 135 lb’s remains one of the most competitive pool of fighters in the sport today; Marquez, Guerrero, Rios- these just some of the mouth watering clashes that could one day become possible for the reigning WBA & IBF featherweight king. A Marquez-Gamboa fight in particular would generate mass appeal, and much like Prince Naseem’s clash with Marco Antonio Barrera back in 2001, would glorify a slick, young knockout artist locking horns with a crafty ring veteran in a fascinating match up.

Now for any Daniel Ponce de Leon fans reading this article- apologies. It’s difficult to look into the ‘crystal ball’ that is Yuriorkis Gamboa’s boxing future without perpetuating the illusion of overlook his upcoming Mexican opponent. It’s of the opinion of many ringside observers and boxing experts alike that a tough fight looms for Gamboa on the 10th September, and in this writers mind at least, is the Olympians toughest test to date. Suffering multiple knockdowns in his career, Gamboa certainly has his flaws- and hurt or not, those knockdowns serve as a valuable reminder that nobody in this game is invincible. With perhaps the fastest hand speed in the sport, and devastating punching power to back it up, its thought that it may take a technical craftsman to overcome Gamboa & while Ponce de Leon isn’t known for being a ‘pure boxer’ he is certainly heavy handed and a rugged competitor. September 10th we will find out a little more about the Cuban sensation, and give Gamboa another chance to dazzle observers, bidding to prove to the world he’s ready to be catapulted into the company of boxing’s elite.

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