Boxing In America: WBO, WBA Title Fights Tonight At MSG

There’s a big show tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York as WBA feather champ Yuriorkis Gamboa and WBO super bantam titlist Juan Manuel Lopez put their respective crowns on the line.

Former Cuban defector Gamboa, 15-0 (13), could be the most impressive professional to come out of the boxing-rich island but it’s too early to tell yet if this is truly the case.

After only 15 pro bouts, Gamboa has displayed stunning speed and reflexes that have thus far supported his superb punch selection and aggressiveness.

But, with such an emphasis on offense, there are holes in the defense. This has resulted in the Cuban phenom getting decked a few time but “El Ciclon de Guantanamo” has always gotten back up to win.

Last time out, the 27 year old Gamboa won the Interim WBA belt by stopping Jose Rojas in the tenth in April and has since been elevated to full WBA champ.

Challenging Gamboa tonight will be Panamanian veteran Whyber Garcia, 22-6 (15).

28 year old Garcia was stopped by Jorge Linares in a WBA super feather title bout last November and within the last three years has also been halted by Edwin Valero and Roinet Caballero.

Garcia is a former regional feather and super feather titlist with a lot of experience and if he can punch with Gamboa and not lose confidence in the face of such blinding speed, he could give the champion trouble but if Garcia ends up defensive, it’s all over.

Southpaw Puerto Rican slugger Lopez, 26-0 (24), puts his WBO super feather crown up for the fifth time since crushing fellow KO artist Daniel Ponce De Leon in June, 2008.

Lopez hasn’t let any of his victims past the tenth frame since then and will try to do the same to durable Philadelphia based Tanzanian native Rogers Mtagwa, 26-12-2 (18).

Mtagwa has fought at featherweight most of his career and will have to use a likely strength advantage to push the champion back and apply unrelenting pressure.

If he can hold up under Lopez’s best shots Mtagwa has a chance but no one over the last three years has been able to make such a claim and “The Tiger” must pull off a career best performance to avoid suffering a KO loss as well.

Cuban heavyweight Odlanier Solis, 14-0 (10), continues his matriculation he meets former contender Monte Barrett, 34-7 (2), over ten rounds for the WBC International crown.

Popular New York based Irish middleweight John Duddy, 26-1 (17), will be looking to reverse the first loss of his career, a split decision to Billy Lyell in April, when he goes up against Michi Munoz, 21-3 (14).

Another area middleweight, Pawel Wolak, 24-1 (16), is also on the card and will face off with big-punching Carlos Nascimento, 24-1 (20).