Gamboa Moves Up To Face Rios For Vacant WBA Title

Boxing fans can expect many happy returns this tax season. Former world lightweight champion Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios and former featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa will collide in a battle of the undefeated for the vacant WBA lightweight championship, Saturday, April 14, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Arena Box U.S., the fight will be televised live on HBO as the main event of World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET.

Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs), the former WBA lightweight champion, from Oxnard, Calif., enters this fight having won 10 of his previous 11 fights by knockout. Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs), the former world featherweight champion who won Olympic gold in 2004 for his native Cuba and now resides in Miami, Fla., will return to the ring having won eight of his previous 11 by stoppage. In short, these warriors have never met a chin they didn’t want to smash.

“Rios and Gamboa are two young and hungry fighters in their prime looking to make a leap to stardom,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank.

“Gamboa has been constantly referred to as a ‘rising Cuban star’ throughout his career. But on April 14, the word ‘rising’ will finally be eliminated. Gamboa will be a superstar,” said Ahmet Öner, president of Arena Box US. “Gamboa is so special and though he has been fighting at 126 pounds, 135 pounds is where he belongs. He will be so much stronger fighting at lightweight.”

“Brandon Rios versus Yuriorkis Gamboa is a spectacular fight and we’re excited to present this showdown live on HBO World Championship Boxing,” said Kery Davis, Senior Vice President, Programming, HBO Sports. “Both fighters deserve recognition for stepping up and saying ‘let’s do it.’ ”

Details on tickets sales will be announced soon.