ATLANTA – Yuriorkis Gamboa has heard Gervonta Davis and his handlers state throughout this promotion that they don’t view him as an old fighter whose best days are long behind him.
Gamboa doesn’t believe them. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist feels they chose him as Davis’ opponent Saturday night precisely because they consider him an aged fighter incapable of upsetting the powerful southpaw.
The 25-year-old Davis is consistently listed as a 20-1 favorite to beat Gamboa, who turned 38 on Monday.
“I know that’s something they’re definitely hanging their hat on, that I’m an old fighter,” Gamboa told BoxingScene.com through a translator after a press conference Thursday. “But we’ll see December 28th.”
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO for Mayweather Promotions, emphasized earlier Thursday that Davis and his team aren’t overlooking Gamboa because of his age.
“When you look at Gamboa, we know what he brings to the table,” Ellerbe said. “You hear this chatter going back and forth about he’s an older fighter. We’re not buying that bullsh-t, because one thing we know about Gamboa, he has this phenomenal pedigree, he knows and has seen everything in that ring and, in my opinion, it’s a very dangerous fight for Tank.”
While Davis is busy building his brand as he moves toward higher-profile fights in 2020, Gamboa is treating this WBA lightweight title fight as his last chance. The Cuban-born boxer has won world titles in three weight classes since he turned pro in April 2007, yet he hasn’t lived up to the hype that accompanied him once he defected from the country for which he won a gold medal 15 years ago.
“I’m very cognizant of what this fight means for me, for my career, for my team,” Gamboa said. “So, it’s something that I’m taking very serious. That’s why I’m so focused. I know what’s at stake. And obviously, it’s a blessing that I’m even here at this time. So, I’m gonna take full advantage of this opportunity.
“It’s going to be a great moment in my career. It’s going to be a career-defining moment, something I’ve asked for my whole professional career. And I’m going to make the best of it.”
Baltimore’s Davis (22-0, 21 KOs) and Miami’s Gamboa (30-2, 18 KOs) will headline Showtime’s three-bout broadcast from State Farm Arena (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).
In the 12-round bout before Davis-Gamboa, Quebec’s Jean Pascal (34-6-1, 20 KOs, 1 NC) will defend his WBA world light heavyweight title against Sweden’s Badou Jack (22-2-3, 13 KOs). The show will open with a 10-round super middleweight match between former IBF champ Jose Uzcategui (29-3, 24 KOs), of Tijuana, Mexico, and Lionell Thompson (21-5, 12 KOs), of Buffalo, New York.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.