Miami Herald boxing article by Santos Perez on Cuban boxer Gamboa.
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Knockdown doesn’t slow Cuban boxer Gamboa

Posted on Mon, Oct. 06, 2008

BY SANTOS A. PEREZ

Absorbing an early-fight knockdown failed to deter Yuriorkis Gamboa from another quick victory.

Gamboa, a Miami resident and one of the sport’s rising stars, withstood a first-round fall and scored a second-round knockout against Marcos Ramirez late Saturday in Temecula, Calif.

”The punch didn’t have much of an effect,” Gamboa said of the shot that sent him to the canvas. “Once I got hit, I became more aggressive.”

In fact, Gamboa took an illegal elbow to the chin before Ramirez landed a right to the head. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist shook off the knockdown and scored with numerous power punches the following round.

Any dominance Ramirez enjoyed early ended when Gamboa dropped him with a right uppercut in the second. Ramirez soon learned why previous Gamboa opponents usually fail to last the distance.

Although Ramirez reached his feet at the count of eight, Gamboa quickly followed with punishing combinations. Gamboa floored Ramirez again with rights to the body and head.

Ramirez (25-1) failed to beat referee Jerry Cantu’s second 10 count, and the featherweight bout ended at 1:41 of the round.

Gamboa is now 12-0 with 10 knockouts since defecting from Cuba in December 2006. Eight of Gamboa’s victories have occurred in the first two rounds.

”My career is progressing fast because of my ability,” said Gamboa, 26. “I am happy fans have high expectations of me. Up to now I have not disappointed them.”

WAR OF WORDS

Now it is up to Antonio Tarver and Chad Dawson to back up the talk of a recent conference call hyping their light-heavyweight title fight Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Tarver and Dawson exchanged verbal attacks at each other, including the usual accusations of being scared and old.

”You buckle up because you’re going to go for a hell of a ride,” Tarver told Dawson. “Ever been to hell and back? ‘Cause that’s where you are going [on Saturday].”

Dawson had his own retorts.

”Bring it man, bring it,” Dawson said. “I am going to be locked and loaded. [On Saturday], I am going to get in there and spank him.”

MICCOSUKEE CARD

All-Star Boxing will present its fourth card of the year at Miccosukee Resort and Gaming on Oct. 17.

Former super-bantamweight contender Jorge Lacierva will face Feider Viloria for a regional 122-pound title in the main event.

Featured on the undercard will be South Florida-based fighters Orlando Gonzalez, Lenin Arroyo and Sergio Garcia. For information, call 305-222-4600.

WAIT UNTIL LATER

Raul Marquez’s International Boxing Federation middleweight-title fight against champion Artur Abraham on Saturday in Germany was postponed after Abraham fell ill with flulike symptoms the morning of the bout.

The fight has been rescheduled for Nov. 8. Marquez, a 1992 U.S. Olympian and former International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight champion, is promoted by Hollywood-based Warriors Boxing.
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