By Jake Donovan

It was a clean sweep for the "Rising Stars" side of HBO Boxing After Dark's tripleheader, as Yuriorkis Gamboa, Alfredo Angulo and James Kirkland remained unbeaten with very different forms of victory in Primm, Nevada.

Despite entering the fight with just nine pro fights and having never appeared on a show beyond the ESPN Friday Fight Nights level, transplanted Cuban and 2004 Olympic Gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa claimed top billing on the card. He left an impression, but also showed room for improvement in overcoming a fourth round knockdown to otherwise dominate fringe lightweight contender Darling Jimenez over ten rounds.

Jimenez entered the fight coming off of a year-long layoff, in fact his last fight falling on the same date in which Gamboa made his pro debut (April 27, 2007). The ring activity showed, particularly in the first three rounds, with very little variance offered between the frames.

The rounds were vintage Gamboa: spending far too much time with his hands down, but landing pretty much at will without fear of incoming. Jimenez had swelling over and below his left eye as early as the second, which only got worse as the fight went on. By round three, Jimenez was already on the defensive, as he was no match for Gamboa, punch for punch.

That would change in the fourth.

Gamboa fought far more purposeful, landing a combination upstairs and staying on the attack, drawing a reaction from the crowd. His own arrogance, however, would come back to bite him in the ass, on which he would land after a chopping right hand landed behind his ear. He immediately bounced up and attempted to sell referee Russell Mora on a slip, but to no avail, instead suffering the second official knockdown of his career.

The knockdown convinced Jimenez that he was right back in the fight, but Gamboa sought to prove otherwise. Though still carrying his hands low, the Cuban was able to force Jimenez around the ring early, driving into the ropes while shooting off rapid-fire combinations. The second half of the round saw Gamboa use lateral movement, forcing Jimenez to come to him while looking to set traps. The Dominican never bit, but still lost the round.

A right hand early in the sixth gave Jimenez renewed confidence, but failed to follow up. Gamboa started working the body, but was warned by the referee for one that strayed a little too low. Upstairs he went, with right uppercuts snapping back Jimenez' head and lefts and rights from the outside forcing an earmuff defense. A left hook to the body got through for Jimenez, only to take a flurry of headshots in return. Both fighters spent the last twenty seconds of the round swinging and missing.

In between rounds, Jimenez' corner urged their charge to let it all hang out, that he was past the point of no return on the scorecards. Their math was slightly off, but Gamboa made it true seconds into the round, unloading on Jimenez with a fusillade of head shots, but not producing any major damage. Jimenez maintained his composure, even coming back to land a left hook, right hand combo midway through the round. The second half of the round was all Gamboa, though marred by two separates pushes that drew a warning from the referee.

The eighth round was all Gamboa until Jimenez landed a straight right hand about two minutes in, leaving the Cuban momentarily unsteady. It wasn't enough to win the round, but enough to draw a reaction from the crowd and boost his spirits at the start of the ninth. A left hook missed by a considerable margin, but suggested that Jimenez still had some fight left in him. Gamboa decided to buckle down and return to imposing his will, forcing Jimenez back onto the defensive. The round ended with Gamboa dipping and dodging jabs and right hands while slinging right hands of his own from the outside in return.

The fight was in the bag, but Gamboa was urged by his corner to remain focused heading into the final round. To everyone's surprise, Gamboa heeded the advice, with his hands up and unloading on Jimenez in an opposite corner for the first thirty seconds of the round. Jimenez survived and escaped from the ropes, but took just as much punishment in center ring, unable to offer anything in return. The final minute was Gamboa shooting off combos from the outside, avoiding the incoming, the two clinching… rinse and repeat until the final bell.

It was the first time Gamboa was forced to go ten rounds, in fact his first fight past six rounds, but didn't seem particularly bothered by it. Even if he was, his reward would come on the final scorecards, where he would win by tallies of 97-92 (2x) and 99-91.

Gamboa moves to 10-0 (8KO) with the win, already his third of 2008. The distance win ends an eight-fight knockout streak, but is still just as dominant as he's been in every other pro fight. If there's a downside, it's that despite his bout serving as the main event, he failed to stand out from the rest of the pack, at least on an evening where his supporting players registered explosive stoppage wins.

Jimenez watches a six-fight win streak, all by knockout, end as he dips to 23-3-2 (14KO).

While two knockout streaks ended with the main event, Alfredo Angulo continues his assault on the bubble level of the junior middleweight division. The latest victim was Miami-based contender Richard Gutierrez, who stood tall for as long as he could before succumbing to the Mexican in five action-packed rounds.

It was a give and take opening round, with both fighters effective throughout. Gutierrez was able to touch the body with left hook, while Angulo relied on the type of relentless workrate that has made him such a highly touted prospect. The round ended with the two going toe to toe, Angulo flurrying in efforts to steal a round that appeared to belong to the Colombian.

Angulo settled into his groove in the second round, and never really let up. Gutierrez was still getting in his licks and was busy by general standards, but often looked like he was fighting in slow motion in trying to keep up with the fiery Mexican.

The fourth was fought in a phone booth for the most part, with Angulo establishing distance when he saw fit. Gutierrez enjoyed modest success when able to keep the fight on the inside, but it was all Angulo anytime the two didn't fight like they were joined at the hip.

The tide momentarily turned in a big way in the fifth when Gutierrez uncorked a left hook about thirty seconds into the round. Angulo was stunned as he staggered into the ropes, but Gutierrez was unable to take advantage.

A right hand midway through the round got through for Angulo, with the Colombian now on wobbly legs. Angulo unloaded everything while switching back and forth between conventional and southpaw. To his credit, Gutierrez took it all well, but wasn't fighting back. This would come back to haunt him, as eight more unanswered shots – all upstairs – prompted referee Tony Weeks to intervene.

The official time was 2:48 of round five.

Angulo runs his record to 13-0 (10KO) with the win, having now scored nine straight stoppages. It was the deepest knockout in his young career, having only gone more than four rounds one other time in his career, a six-round decision in 2005. The five rounds made for more than Angulo's last three bouts combined, which says something of not only Gutierrez' ability to absorb, but give back in return.

"It was a difficult round," admitted Angulo in recalling the see-saw fifth round. "He hurt me but I was able to hurt him and eventually pull through. I was a little anxious, but as a boxer you have to think. I hurt him with my combinations and was able to finish him."

Gutierrez returns to Miami with his second loss in four fights, falling to 24-2 (14KO). Both losses have come on HBO; he lost a majority decision to Joshua Clottey in 2006.

Usually it's Angulo who's getting fighters out of there early, setting the stage for a James Kirkland main event. It was role reversal tonight, with Kirkland opening up the telecast, though not sticking around for very long, twice dropping Eromosele Albert and stopping the Nigerian in just over a minute.

Albert enjoyed significant height and reach advantages heading into the fight, but it didn't mean anything the moment Kirkland started landing, which was seconds after the opening bell rang. It was all Kirkland in the brief affair, fighting with his usual tenacity while looking for any opening to present itself.

A left hand eventually made it through, leaving Albert in a world of hurt. Kirkland stayed on his foe, with another left hand producing the first knockdown of the bout. Albert made it up at eight, but was on wobbly legs when being evaluated by referee Joe Cortez, who surprisingly let the bout continue. It merely prolonged the inevitable; Kirkland moved in for the kill, sending Albert to the canvas seconds later. This time, Cortez wisely recognized the damage that would come in waiting for a third knockdown, and immediately waved off the bout, despite a brief protest from the Albert camp.

The official time was 1:06 of the opening round.

The Houston southpaw advances to 22-0 (19KO) with the win. His last three bouts have lasted less than four rounds – about 9 ½ minutes of ring time. He attributes the current streak to how hard he's pushed in the gym by trainer and former women's boxing standout Ann Wolfe.

"I've been in training two months for this fight. I don't underestimate anyone I fight. I prepare like a killer."

Kirkland, who also has in his corner promoter Gary Shaw and 2007 Manager of the Year Cameron Dunkin, let it be known afterward that he was ready to advance from prospect to contender in his very next fight.

"At 154, I want to take it all. Anyone at the weight class, I'm ready and waiting."

The HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader was presented by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.

Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .