By Dan Ambrose: Yuriorkis Gamboa (21-0, 16 KO’s) must really want a payday badly, because he’s brave enough to move up two entire divisions to take on former WBA World lightweight champion Brandon Rios (29-0-1, 22 KO’s) on April 14th in a fight for the vacant World Boxing Association World lightweight title. at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 30-year-old Gamboa will be giving up two and half inches in height and three inches in reach to the 5’8″ Rios, and that’s just the start of his problems. Rios is five years younger at 25, and is a lot heavier than Gamboa. Indeed, Rios has been rehydrating to close to 150 for his fights, putting him in the welterweight class by the time he enters the ring. I know Gamboa can put on some weight to be a legitimate 135 pounder, but it won’t be the same for him because he doesn’t have a large frame like Rios does to carry all that extra weight. What’s going to happen is that Gamboa will be heavier and slower and thus more hittable than he’s been at featherweight.

Gamboa’s best hope to beat Rios is to go after him early and try to hurt him with something big. I can’t see that working, though, because Rios is used to getting hit from bigger fighters and having a small guy like Gambia hitting him won’t be any trouble at all. Gamboa was backed off by featherweight Orlando Salido in their fight in September 2010. Gamboa didn’t have the size or the power to stand in front of Salido and was forced to box him. If Gamboa can’t overpower a guy like Salido, then what is he going to do against a fighter that fights two divisions above him at lightweight and who comes into his fights huge after he puts back on water weight.