THE WELTERWEIGHTS NOW HAVE SOME COMPANY!
NEW YORK, NY– After languishing through a wintry season with more steroid spats than compelling fights, last Saturday brought some promise to the new year in boxing. Most of the woes of the past few months have originated in or around the welterweight division, where the most iconic figures still remain. But after a near-decade of supremacy, the only thing the two tallest figures in the division—Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (40-0, 25 KOs) and Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs)—can attribute to their name is a sluggish cloud of suspicion and exasperation at the lack of actual fighting. Beyond them in the division, welterweights of the past decade that we grew to know and love are either disgraced (Margarito) or have one foot out the door (Mosley, Mayweather). We could not thank Yuriorkis Gamboa (17-0, 15 KOs) and Juan Manuel Lopez (28-0, 25 KOs) enough for peaking in their careers at the same time.
GAMBOA AND LOPEZ CAN’T GET AHEAD OF THEMSELVES
Whether the featherweights are here to stay is yet to be determined, since the only fight anyone wants to see in this division is the one pitting the two winners of last week’s Boxing After Dark against each other. The good news is that the end of the tunnel isn’t at Gamboa-Lopez, since, as the night’s commentators pointed out, both fighters have yet to establish themselves solidly, and WBA titleholder Chris John (43-0-2, 22 KOs) stands in their way. And the great news is there is no real reason to start fretting about what is going to happen after these two get in the ring: there’s more than enough to analyze about last week’s fights, and more than enough to go on to make predictions.
IS THIS THE TORTOISE & THE HARE
Max Kellerman, shockingly, asked the key question of last Saturday’s fights just after Gamboa obliterated an emaciated-looking Rogers Mtagwa (26-14-2, 18 KOs) and right before Lopez slugged along to a knockout victory against the more formidable Steven Luevano (37-2-1, 15 KOs): Will it be possible for Juanma to create that water cooler buzz that Gamboa did? Well, let’s just say that when the boxer your performance most resembles is human Ambien Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs) and Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) can be seen casually perusing his Blackberry for rounds at a time, it will be pretty difficult to keep tongues wagging. Fortunately for Lopez, he has the most powerful public relations machine in the world of boxing behind him: the nation of Puerto Rico. Stars from Cotto to Tito Trinidad (42-3, 35 KOs) showed up to give him support, and support that he deserves for his talent. He demonstrated a technical ability that is increasingly rare in the sport today, when the only thing that makes money is a proper bloodbath. Despite being relatively young, as most fighters tend to peak at 28, he was patient and took no rush to bringing Luevano down. Contrast this to Gamboa’s style, whose fighting philosophy is that the best defense is a good offense. Gamboa is wildly entertaining and puts out all the stops to give his audience their money’s worth. He has no fear of an opponent’s power and jumps head first into his battles, and this time, the risks paid off. Gamboa made easy work of a fighter that gave Lopez a very tough time to defeat—a fighter the commentators described as about as enjoyable a “root canal”. Compared to Lopez’s caution (which could easily be misconstrued for fear), Gamboa’s brazenness makes him look like a certain winner in their inevitable clash. What Gamboa sells us in the ring is also aided by a healthy dose of positive attitude. In his post-fight interview, he appeared almost despondent about his second-round knockout. There was genuine disappointment in his voice that he knocked the guy out so early because he understands that experts and fans need to have a chance to watch you in action, and he seemed to be keen on showing off his new efficiency and discipline, which he highlighted in the interview. What he doesn’t realize is that it’s good for him that he ended it early, but not just because he was showcasing his impressive punching power. He never got punched hard enough to appear weak. His chin never got tested, and while this may seem (especially to Gamboa) a negative now, since people can keep speculating, it is way too early in his career for him to be showing off his chin.
GAMBOA KEEPING HIS CHIN UP
A chin is something that comes naturally to some fighters, but often takes time to shape. Unlike punching power, it is more commonly acquired later in a fighter’s career. Remember when Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) was writhing on the floor in pain after a professional golfer with a beer belly lightly breathed in his direction? Or when Cosme Rivera (31-14-2, 32 KOs) almost ended Andre Berto’s (25-0, 19 KOs) flourishing career? In some cases, suspect chins are as much a product of training and experience as they are of nature, and it would be a shame for Gamboa’s weakness, if it indeed exists, to be exposed at a time in his career where little else about him has been given the chance to stand out. Even if he redeems himself in the future, no one outlives a Corrie Sanders moment.
WHERE IS JUAN MA’S KILLER INSTINCT?
As for Juanma, he may benefit from going into the fight with Gamboa as an underdog because of his tendency to play it safe. Ultimately Gamboa’s power will not be a factor if he can’t land his power punches, and even if Lopez doesn’t do a fantastic job of overwhelming his opponent, if he fights intelligently he can still wow the judges. If he lets his guard down even once, however, he will expect to be attacked mercilessly from an opponent who cares more about winning in style than winning at all. While Lopez comes into the fight with a higher popularity quotient and a bit more defense, he has yet to prove he has the killer instinct required to eliminate a fighter like Gamboa, and if there is one thing that drives the latter, it is precisely that.
Frances “The Fight Chick” Martel