Gamboa could face Lopez vs. Salido II winner in early 2012, says Arum

By Boxing News - 08/30/2011 - Comments

Image: Gamboa could face Lopez vs. Salido II winner in early 2012, says ArumBy Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is interested in matching former WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa (20-0, 16 KO’s) against the winner of the rematch between current World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion Orlando Salido (36-11-2, 24 KO’s) and Juan Manuel Lopez (30-1, 27 KO’s) next year after Salido and Lopez hopefully battle it out early in 2012.

It’s a no-brainer for Arum, and he should have already matched Gamboa up against Lopez already but totally blew it by letting the fight simmer too long until Lopez was eventually beaten by Salido.

Speaking with ringTV, Arum said “Big fights for Gamboa down the road are the winner of Juan Manuel Lopez and Salido. I would hope to make that fight by early next year. And then, probably the biggest fight in the featherweight division would be with the up and coming bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, who will be coming up up to featherweight next year and that would be a big, big match.”

Arum is getting ahead of himself a little. First Gamboa has to beat Daniel Ponce De Leon in their fight on September 10th. De Leon can still punches even though he’s lost a couple of fights in the last three years to Lopez and Adrien Broner. That’s no guaranteed win for Gamboa. Also, it’s not that interesting for Gamboa to fight the winner of the Lopez-Salido II fight if Salido wins it, which is very likely. Gamboa already beat Salido last year by a 12 round decision in September. There’s nothing in that fight that would suggest that it will be any different the second time around. Arum no doubt is wishing and praying that his fighter Lopez will win, but apart from maybe a controversial decision – because the Lopez vs. Salido II fight will be taking place in Lopez’s home country of Peurto Rico – I see Salido winning a again.

The much better fight is between Gamboa and Donaire. Arum should maybe skip the Salido-Gamboa rematch if Salido beats Lopez again. I think it’s a waste of time to have Gamboa and Salido fight again so soon when their fight last year was so one-sided. Who wants to see that again? I’d rather Arum skip that fight and fast forward Gamboa to a fight with Donaire.

Arum already blew it once by waiting too long, and he shouldn’t take any chances by stringing it out before Gamboa faces and blows Donaire away. He needs to get this fight over with before someone takes Donaire out because he’s vulnerable.



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