Max Kellerman speaks on Juanma, Gamboa

Those are actually his weigh-in weights. If you remember correctly he fought at 130 then he moved down to 126 after the Darling Jimenez fight and after he got a new trainer. Other people can confirm this, I'm 100% certain on this issue. Also, it's typically not mandatory for fighters to be weighed again on the actual day of the fight, it only happens on special or certain occasions or in certain states, etc. I'll take your word for it. Thank you for clearing that up. :)

Just to be clear, boxrec doesn't show the FIGHT NIGHT weights, they show the weigh in weights, which are 24 hours prior to the fight. That's why HBO sometimes has the "unofficial" day of the fight weights. As far as I know, we don't know the actual fight night weight for gamboa vs mtagwa. Other than that I agree that these guys aren't fighting in their "natural" weight classes, which is why I believe there should be less weight classes (I know some may disagree with me, but that's my feeling). :) You might be correct for this particular fight; maybe it hasn't been updated. But if you look at Gamboa's list of fights, for example, it would seem that Boxrec does show the boxers' fight night weights.

What do you base that on? The fact that Gamboa disposed of Mtagwa in two rounds? Rogers Mtagwa came into that fight at 122.5 lbs. Yuri came in at 126. Mtagwa's last fight was a tough one against Juan Manuel Lopez. Fights like that can take something out of a fighter. Despite Rogers's gutsy performance against Lopez, he's still just a journeyman. Gamboa only did what Juanma should have done. Lopez claims that he was weight drained for that fight and I (and Kellerman) believe him. Granted, that doesn't excuse Juanma's performance against Mtagwa, but it helps to explain it. On the other hand, Lopez beat Steven Luevano, a champion who had never been stopped and was making his sixth straight title defense. Juanma beat Steven convincingly, by a dominating 7th round TKO performance. If you think Gamboa beats Lopez, that's fine. But I can't see how anyone can form an opinion like that based on these respective fighters' last bouts.Gamboa would have beaten Mtagwa before the Juanma fight just the same. The difference in both physical and boxing ability was way obvious. It was a mismatch of styles and Gamboa had the advantages. Juanma's style just makes it a bit easier for Mtagwa to hang around like he did. Gamboa's power is also greater than Juanma's and Mtagwa just couldn't deal with it.

I can't see the video because I'm at work. I'll try to stay as unbiased as possible. I will be rooting for Juanma of course. I also want Gamboa to do well. I'm not one of these guys who wants Gamboa to lose just to say Juanma is better. I want to see this fight happen. TBH as much as I want Juanma to win, Gamboa has all the tools to not only beat Juanma but win by KO. I'm basing this on style. People that are using the Mtagwa triangle theory have no idea what they're talking about. That said, Gamboa has been KD before and all though he might not have been hurt, it shows that he was open. You don't want to leave yourself open against a big puncher like Lopez. Lopez can really hurt Gamboa if he lands flush. The factor here is how will Lopez deal with Gamboa's speed? Guerra Lopez y Gamboa! I might have written the same exact post, except I'll be rooting for Yuri! lol :beerchug:

But that was pretty retarded, basically he's saying a guy like calderon who's 108 can be competitive with nonito donaire at 112 lbs just because 4 pounds doesnt mean anything. mtagwa came in at 122 lbs, lets say he rehydrated to about 127 lbs gamboa came in at 126, lest say he rehydrated to about 135 thats a huge difference, definitely an advantage for gamboa, but either way gamboa would have knocked him out I'm just saying that the weight does matter According to Boxrec.com, Gamboa and Mtagwa weighed 126 and 122.5, respectively, on fight night. The men that fight in these lower divisions are, for the most part, fighting at unnatural weights. It's simply not normal for a grown man of reasonably average height and build to weigh less than 160 pounds, or so. Many boxers struggle to make their weight because their body simply won't allow them to get any lighter. Some literally lose fights because they went one pound below what they can safely weigh. We're not even just talking about boxing here; we're talking about basic athletic performance.

Thanks. I know I'm probably in the minority here I just think some of the junior and super weight classes aren't necessary, especially considering that now days the weigh in is 24 hours or more prior to the actual fight. There are 2-3 too many weight classes, imo. We can agree on that. I'd like to see less divisions. The traditional eight divisions were a little too spread out for modern fighters, in my opinion. But the solution has been taken too far.

I swear some of you people overrate weight so freakin much it's not even funny. No one weighs 122 on fight night, no one. Everyone rehydrates. The 24 hour prior weigh in nullifies certain weight classes entirely. You can take the best fighters at 122 and put them in against guys at 126 and there wont be much of a difference for the vast majority of them. The only real obstacle is height and reach, not the 4 pounds. Apparently, Rogers Mtagwa does...even when he's supposed to be fighting at 126. For some fighters, making the desired weight is easier than others. I know, from personal experience, that everyone has a threshold beyond which they become noticeably weakened. If an athlete drops even one pound from that point, the difference is felt in a big way.

yes for cutting weight. But if Mtagwa made 122.5 and gamboa makes 126 there is no difference there at all. That's not a factor. It's only a factor when cutting the weight, 4 pounds on fight night is nothing. It just makes more of a difference if you're cutting weight. These guys are very lean, very muscular athletes. A pound or two might not matter, but I would argue that three or more is noticed both in the absorption and delivery of force. Without getting too much into it, Gamboa would have dispatched Mtagwa either way.

4 pounds makes no difference in a fight. None what so ever. Gamboa whooped him because that type of style is always going to be easy for an athletic & fast guy like gamboa. As for Lopez, it's a tough fight to predict. I just think Gamboa's speed will be the difference. Four pounds (in this case, 3.5) makes a difference, especially in the lighter categories. There's a reason for weight classes. I didn't get into any other factors because I thought the ones I brought up were enough. Gamboa would destroy Mtagwa under any reasonable circumstances, weight and style included.

Has Lopez faced a fighter like Gamboa? With that kind of speed and quickness?

What do you base that on? The fact that Gamboa disposed of Mtagwa in two rounds? Rogers Mtagwa came into that fight at 122.5 lbs. Yuri came in at 126. Mtagwa's last fight was a tough one against Juan Manuel Lopez. Fights like that can take something out of a fighter. Despite Rogers's gutsy performance against Lopez, he's still just a journeyman. Gamboa only did what Juanma should have done. Lopez claims that he was weight drained for that fight and I (and Kellerman) believe him. Granted, that doesn't excuse Juanma's performance against Mtagwa, but it helps to explain it. On the other hand, Lopez beat Steven Luevano, a champion who had never been stopped and was making his sixth straight title defense. Juanma beat Steven convincingly, by a dominating 7th round TKO performance. If you think Gamboa beats Lopez, that's fine. But I can't see how anyone can form an opinion like that based on these respective fighters' last bouts.

Based on their recent performances, I can see Gamboa beating Lopez by TKO if not by KO.

Thanks for posting that interview. I think Kellerman's remarks were accurate. Gamboa's style, by it's very nature, is going to capture people's attention. Regardless of who's better, or who's wins are objectively more impressive, Yuri's victories will tend to be more spectacular than Juanma's. Gamboa has more to prove, so between he and Lopez, I'd rather see Yuri fight Caballero next. I don't think Gamboa and Juanma are meeting any time soon, so we may as well see them fight quality fighters until their (hopefully) eventual showdown.

caballero is hella tall. And aggressive, and powerful, and sturdy, and homeboy comes to fight. Hes a bitch for anyone at 122 or 126. I wish he would get a shot.

Max gave it a pretty good breakdown. I like what he said about Caballero, that guy would have an excellent chance of beating either of them. caballero is hella tall.

Max gave it a pretty good breakdown. I like what he said about Caballero, that guy would have an excellent chance of beating either of them.