Two of the most notable Cuban professional boxers of this century will be featured on a May 2 show in Miami.
Guillermo Rigondeaux and Yuriorkis Gamboa are set to co-headline in separate bouts at the James L. Knight Center for an event the promoter is billing as “Havana Heat.”
This is their first time sharing the same bill in the paid ranks. Their opponents have not yet been named.
“Gamboa and Rigondeaux aren’t just accomplished fighters – they represent a boxing tradition that has produced some of the toughest, smartest and most respected champions in the sport,” Ron Johnson of American Dream Presents and Nothing But Sportz said in a press release.
“Cuban boxing carries real history, discipline and pride. To present both of these men on the same night – in a city like Miami that understands that culture – is something I take seriously. It’s an honor to bring two legends to this stage.”
Rigondeaux, 23-3 (16 KOs), is a 45-year-old former junior featherweight champion. He won Olympic gold medals in both 2000 and 2004, and later defected from his home country. Rigondeaux turned pro in 2009, won his first world title at the start of 2012 and then dethroned Nonito Donaire in 2013 to add another sanctioning body belt as well as the Ring Magazine and lineal championships.
Rigondeaux was often derided for a style that emphasized defense more than offense. In order to land a big fight, he went up two weight classes and unsuccessfully challenged fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasiliy Lomachenko at junior lightweight in 2017, calling it a night after the sixth round.
Rigondeaux moved down to bantamweight in 2020 and won a secondary WBA belt – Naoya Inoue was the primary titleholder. But that was followed by back-to-back defeats: a split decision against then-WBO 118lbs titleholder John Riel Casimero in 2021 and a unanimous decision against the 16-3 Vincent Astrolabio in 2022.
Since then, Rigondeaux has won three fights, the most recent coming in November 2024, when he returned from a 17-month layoff and dispatched the 20-2 Dannis Aguero Arias in less than two minutes.
Gamboa, 30-5 (18 KOs), is a 44-year-old former featherweight titleholder. He won gold in the 2004 Olympics, defected from Cuba and ultimately made his pro debut in 2007. Gamboa won a secondary WBA title at 126lbs in 2010 and added the IBF belt later that year with a decision over Orlando Salido.
Gamboa moved up to lightweight in 2013 and suffered his first loss in 2014, getting taken out in the ninth round by Terence Crawford. His next defeat came in 2017, when he was shocked and stopped by the 23-12 Robinson Castellanos.
Gamboa then put together four consecutive victories, including wins over Jason Sosa and Roman Martinez. That run came to an end in a 2019 match with Gervonta Davis for a secondary WBA belt at 135lbs. Gamboa fought through a torn Achilles tendon for most of the one-sided bout before being put away in the 12th round.
He has fought only twice since, with both bouts ending in losses: a near-shutout against Devin Haney in November 2020 and a fifth-round TKO against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in 2022. Gamboa also spent a couple months in jail in Cuba at the start of 2023 following a tragic car accident.
Two months ago, it was announced that Gamboa would be taking part in BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing. That apparently will wait until after Gamboa’s next bout under traditional boxing rules.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
