By Reynaldo Sanchez: The rule 5.B in the paragraph #2 section (b) of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) establishes that any fighter who obtains a title in an optional fight in every weight class, he inherits the obligations of the previous champion as for the compulsory defense without impairment of the time that was staying for the moment in which the previous champion lost his title.
Based on this condition, the Jr. Lightweight Argenis Méndez, actually #1 ranked in this class is the mandatory challenger to the IBF Lightweight title, independently of whom is the title holder. The Mexican Juan Carlos Salgado current world champion has just retained his title defeating the Argentinian Jonathan Victor Barros by unanimous decision.
After this, the Salgado’s managers and he have shown interest to fight against the Cuban Yurirokis Gamboa in another optional defense. The deadline for the Salgado’s next mandatory defense according to the IBF is January 28th 2013. Therefore, the winner of the Salgado-Gamboa fight must defend his title versus Argenis Méndez at the end of January or begin of February 2013.
Another possibility is that maybe Gamboa decides in case of beating Salgado to leave the title vacant and to raise to the lightweight. In any situation, be that he (Gamboa) chooses to remain in the Jr. Lightweight or rise to the 135. Both, the Mexican Salgado and the Cuban Gamboa, they are in the obligation to defend in his following fight against the Dominican Argenis Méndez.
Méndez and Salgado fight themselves already in 2011 and in that occasion, the decision was extremely polemic and even some boxing analyst them think that the decision could favor any corner. Now, one of the aspects that they believe can affect the Cuban Gamboa it is the inactivity. From his last fight in September 2011 versus Ponce De León whom he defeat in 126 pounds, Gamboa has not had activity and also, many expectations exist for seeing as he returns in a different weight.
Recently we talk with the Dominican Méndez and he said to us that he was hoping that the Méndez-Salgado II should be before the end of 2012. Now, the panorama has changed a little about this battle, but not his challenger’s condition as #1 in the world ranking in the International Boxing Federation.
Following this line we believe that the best thing for Argenis Méndez would be to make a “Tune Up” fight to be in shape. The Salgado-Gamboa has tentative date for November 17th 2102 and the deadline for the compulsory fight it is in January 2013. A fight at the end of November or beginnings of December it would make the way opened to materialize the titular suit in February or ends of March against the winner between Salgado and Gamboa.
Any of these fights they would be extremely interesting. Gamboa is an fighter with big endurance and speed who against an opponents as Méndez who have very skilled style and he established vs Martin Honorio last July 21st that he actually is a more complete fighter and that he has the weapons to give us a big battle against the Cuban Gamboa.
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