Yuri Gamboa
HISTORY ON THE UNITED STATES & CUBA
San Francisco, CA– White Cubans, particularly those in Florida are one of the strongest political forces in this country. Unlike their fellow but Black countrymen, White Cubans do not feel the wrath of discrimination here that those with nappy hair do. It has always been that way, and it doesn’t look like it’ll change, not in my lifetime anyway.
FIDEL CASTRO OUTLASTS SEVEN U.S. PRESIDENTS
While I know this will probably get me in “hot water” with my former writer turned political columnist, Frances “The Fight Chick” Martel, Cuba hasn’t done any harm to the United States, even though the “out of control” Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been plotting to assassinate the Cuban leader since 1959. Every other country in the world has trade with Cuba, except the United States of America. Why? Because of the power of those White Cubans in Florida!
CUBAN FIGHTERS LIKE BLACKS ON PLANTATION!
In recent years, we have seen a good many Cuban athletes come to the United States and prosper. Baseball players, they have made out the best, while some Soccer (Futbol) players have enjoyed marginal success. But you can’t find one Cuban boxer who has reaped seven figure bounties in the USA. Even though the Cuban’s have put forth the best amateur boxing teams in the last quarter century.
TAKE THE CASE OF ERISLANDY LARA
Erislandy Lara
Erislandy Lara is 16-1*-1, with 11 knockouts. The lone loss* on his ledger was such a rip-off that the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board within one week of Jul9, 2011 suspended all three judges, Donald Givens, Hilton Whitaker III and Al Bennett, indefinitely. When I say “indefinitely,” I mean they have not worked a single fight since they gave “house” fighter Paul “The Punished” Williams a Majority Decision win after 12 rounds over Erislandy Lara.
JUST IN CASE YOU FORGOT!
Givens gave it to Paul Williams by two points, Whitaker had the beaten to a pulp Williams up by one, while Bennett called the fight even. it will go down in history as one of the most absolute heists in boxing history, certainly of the 21st century. Even Williams’ promoter Dan Goossen said he would not have found any fault in the judges had they given it to Lara.
TREATING CUBAN FIGHTERS LIKE SPIT IS THE NORM!
Although manager/promoter Luis Decubas tried to do well with the original “Team Freedom” of Cuban exiles in the 1990s, getting them meaningful fights, or trying to build their records, this was not given the “sanction” of the boxing establishment. The only fighter who made anything more than a little money from that time was 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist Joel Casamayor.
LARA, GAMBOA, RIGONDEAUX TO NAME JUST THREE!
The aforementioned jr. middleweight (154 lbs) Lara, sizzling-hot WBA-IBF featherweight (126) titleholder Yuri Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs) and WBA 122 lb. champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (9-0, 7 KOs) are probably the three hottest Cuban pugilists.
BACKSPACE TO ERISLANDY LARA
The infamous Mexican-based WBC, whether you want to call them the World of Bunko & Chicanery or the World Boxing Circus, they billed Lara’s first round knockout of Ronald (Tommy’s son) Hearns (26-3) a fortnight ago as a WBC “semi-final title eliminator.”
WHAT KIND OF “TITLE ELIMINATOR” IS THAT?
Having been in the fight game for decades, I have seen plenty of “title eliminator” bouts, but never before can I recall a “semi-final title eliminator.” Instead of becoming the mandatory challenger for Mexican WBC champion Saul Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KOS), whom Lara could very well possibly lick right now, the WBC wants to match Alvarez with Miguel Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs) before 2012 closes out. That means Lara would, according to the Mexico City Boxing Mob, the WBC, have to fight one more title eliminator.
CAN YURI BEAT ANYBODY AROUND HIS WEIGHT?
Probably the flashiest and maybe the most talented of the current Cuban crop, Yuri Gamboa, a 126 lb. titleholder, was being asked by his promotional company Top Rank to fight Brandon Rios, a jr. welterweight, who failed in his two most recent attempts to make lightweight (135).
NOBODY SAID A CONTRACT WAS SIGNED!
Gamboa claims to have “never signed a Rios contract” and walked away from the match where he was giving up considerable size and weight. Top Rank has implied they had an “oral agreement” to fight Rios, who was beaten handily by Richard Abril last month and got an unwarranted (make that obscene) decision, Gamboa and Top Rank are in litigation.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST THERE’S RIGONDEAUX
WBA 122 lb. strongman Guillermo Rigondeaux
Guillermo Rigondeaux
only has nine fights, yet he is the most feared fighter in a division that includes WBO king Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (28-1, 14 KOs), Abner Mares (24-0, 13 KOs), the WBC #2 champ at 122 and WBC #1 (Silver) champion Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs).
DONAIRE & RIGONDEAUX FROM THE SAME HOUSE!
Donaire, who has a fight on July 7, 2012 vs. Cristian Mijares (48-6-2, 21 KOs), five years to the day since Donaire knocked then unbeaten and favored Vic Darchinyan into another time zone with a single left hook. Nonito and Rigondeaux, a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist are both promoted by Top Rank, and yet Bob Arum, who has made sure Manny Pacquiao only fight guys under his control, isn’t interested in risking Donaire against the Cuban.
CUBANS ARE TOO GOOD & ARUM IS NO GOOD!
If anything can be learned from this article, it is that the Cuban fighters are so good that they are being ducked, avoided, and most importantly in my opinion, being under promoted. Instead of doing something good for the game like matching like Donaire-Rigondeaux or Pacquiao again with Juan Manuel Marquez or Floyd Mayweather, Arum, who shares a lot of the blame for boxing’s overall decline in popularity in the United States, has Pacquaio fighting Tim “Who” Bradley, a fighter the casual sports fan knows nothing about.
Pedro Fernandez