Gamboa Ready To Face Lomachenko at 130-Pounds

By Edward Chaykovsky

Former champion Yuriorkis Gamboa (24-1, 17KOs) is ready to test his skills against a fellow Olympic gold medal winner, WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (5-1, 3KOs).

Gamboa has been out of the ring for nearly a year and suffered his only career defeat at the hands of Terence Crawford last June at the lightweight limit of 135.

Lomachenko is having a hard time securing top names at 126-pounds, because most of the other champions and top contenders are signed to manager Al Haymon, who does no business with Lomachenko's promoter Top Rank. 

There is heavy discussion of Lomachenko moving up to 130 in the near future. Gamboa is willing to meet him at the super featherweight limit.

The Cuban fighter is unrealistic in his expectations. He feels the match would sell out the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. While the fight is a dream bout for hardcore fans, and HBO would certainly air the match, neither fighter is a ticket seller in the United States. Their potential fight would be a perfect co-featured addition to any televised or pay-per-view card.

"I am not 126-pounds. But at 130-pounds Vasyl Lomachenko and I can get 16,000-plus people in the MGM Grand if Top Rank and HBO was up to it," Gamboa stated.