By Ryan Maquiñana
Robert Garcia, the reigning Trainer of the Year and cornerman of former WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios, stopped short of saying a deal between his fighter and Yuriorkis Gamboa was complete, but did not rule it out, either.
“Obviously that would be a great fight for Brandon and a great matchup,” Garcia told BoxingScene.com. “Gamboa’s an exciting fighter and so is Brandon, and we would love that fight.”
Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs), out of Oxnard, Calif., is coming off an 11th-round stoppage of Englishman John Murray last month where he was stripped of his title after coming in over the 135-pound limit. Since that fight, Rios has employed Cecilio Flores, the nutritionist of middleweight boss Sergio Martinez, to help keep him in shape.
Meanwhile, Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs), a Miami-based Cuban who was once the unified featherweight champion, took an eight-round technical decision over Mexico’s Daniel Ponce de Leon last September.
“To be honest, though, I haven’t heard anything yet about it being a done deal,” Garcia added. “[Rios’ manager] Cameron [Dunkin] hasn’t told me anything yet, but I’m sure it’s being talked about right now.”
Ryan Maquiñana writes a weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (CSNBayArea.com). He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Advisory Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at www.maqdown.com, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
