On the way to leap onto the Gamboa bandwagon......

[p4pking]

As 50/50 as can be?? I must be in bizzaro world. I just see a better fighter in Gamboa, Lopez isn't nearly fast enough to win exchanges with him, and his defence is way to leaky to outbox Gamboa from the outside without getting caught, and that's if he even has better tools from a distance in the first place, which is hardly a given. Lopez might look to be better schooled against the right opponent, but Gamboa showed a hell of a lot against Mtagwa, was much more patient than he has been and still just as explosive. Obviously Lopez can bang and has a good punchers chance if/when they fight, but I'd fully expect Gamboa to chew him up.

[Dantesdad]

Gamboa was incredibly impressive with his left hook. It was fast and consistent. He should not have been able to hit a reasonably good fighter with that punch if he did not have exceptional skills. He was the better fighter on that night and if he and Lopez meet, he will beat him. It would be a good fight, but Gamboa would win. He has too much speed and too many skills.
We shall see if I am right.

[ElTerribleMorales]

As 50/50 as can be?? I must be in bizzaro world. I just see a better fighter in Gamboa, Lopez isn't nearly fast enough to win exchanges with him, and his defence is way to leaky to outbox Gamboa from the outside without getting caught, and that's if he even has better tools from a distance in the first place, which is hardly a given. Lopez might look to be better schooled against the right opponent, but Gamboa showed a hell of a lot against Mtagwa, was much more patient than he has been and still just as explosive. Obviously Lopez can bang and has a good punchers chance if/when they fight, but I'd fully expect Gamboa to chew him up.

aside from Mtagwa, name one quality opponent on Gamboa's record up to date

Lopez already has beaten the likes of, Ponce De Leon, Penalosa, Mtagwa, and Luevano, and he stopped all but one of them in a fight that was his last at that given weight class

Gamboa's chin has all over it seeing how he's been dropped against nobodies, Mtagwa had a tired Lopez hurt and still wasn't able to drop him or stop him, it's in no way farfetched to put this fight as a 50/50 fight, especially since we've still haven't seen Gamboa with a A level opponent

[Kirkland Laing]

I'm jumping off the Lopez bandwagon and onto the Gamboa one, although I think I was already on it. Lopez looked unstoppable when he was blowing people away in a round, he doesn't look so good when you see a few rounds of him.

[Mar]

It's too soon to risk you ankles jumpin on or off either of these wagons. Gamboa looked good this weekend but he still has a lot of flaws. To me he looks as good as he should look with as many pro fights as he's had. Juanma's the same, he's not quite as good as his people tried to convince us of but he's still the same guy who blasted ponce, beat the crap out of gerry p and for a bit was ko'ing guys in R. mtagwa class in the first round. Let's just not get too excited is all. We could forget about both these guys two years from now as finicky as fans are.

[Myk_Myk]

I agree with Mar here. Either guy has potential to be great, yet both have shown that they have their weaknesses. I think Kellerman showed great insight when he talked about how hard it was to look objectively at these two fighters after that night. It may actually be that Juanma had the more impressive victory, but it's hard to reconcile against the excitement that Gamboa produced while beating an opponent that Juanma had just struggled with.

TitoFan made some great points as to why these two are probably a lot closer than our emotional responses lead us to believe. Plus, the chin issue with Gamboa having been dropped 4 times already was pointed out.

I'd like to add the fact that Mtagwa a Juanma had just fought 3 months earlier. I think it was too early for Mtagwa to fight again, especially at a higher weight class. Isn't Juanma in the same boat, especially since he was the one hurt late? Yes and no. Juanma is younger and can recover more quickly, plus he plumped right up to 126; while Mtagwa stayed right at 122. This indicates that Mtagwa was at a comfortable weight for their fight; while Juanma was ready to move up and perhaps weight drained.

I also think that Juanma was effected by fighting again so soon, and who knows what he would have looked like if he hadn't had such a hard fight so recently? After being rocked in his last fight and because he was moving up for the first time, he was probably testing the waters a bit at first. Also, have to wonder how he would have done against Mtagwa at 126?

Gamboa is an amazing athlete and his stock and credibility definitely rose more after the night, but Juanma's rose too, and he was already ahead. Gamboa has his incredible speed, reflexes, power, and killer instinct, but Juanma has more pro experience, a cooler head, maybe better technique, and lots of power himself. I'm of the mind that these two match up more evenly than the night's performances at first and emotionally suggest.

[Master]

Jumped on the bandwagon first time I saw him, great to see him do well. He is a special fighter hope he becomes an ATG.

[p4pking]

As 50/50 as can be?? I must be in bizzaro world. I just see a better fighter in Gamboa, Lopez isn't nearly fast enough to win exchanges with him, and his defence is way to leaky to outbox Gamboa from the outside without getting caught, and that's if he even has better tools from a distance in the first place, which is hardly a given. Lopez might look to be better schooled against the right opponent, but Gamboa showed a hell of a lot against Mtagwa, was much more patient than he has been and still just as explosive. Obviously Lopez can bang and has a good punchers chance if/when they fight, but I'd fully expect Gamboa to chew him up.

aside from Mtagwa, name one quality opponent on Gamboa's record up to date

Lopez already has beaten the likes of, Ponce De Leon, Penalosa, Mtagwa, and Luevano, and he stopped all but one of them in a fight that was his last at that given weight class

Gamboa's chin has all over it seeing how he's been dropped against nobodies, Mtagwa had a tired Lopez hurt and still wasn't able to drop him or stop him, it's in no way farfetched to put this fight as a 50/50 fight, especially since we've still haven't seen Gamboa with a A level opponent

Darling Jiminez is/was a very good fighter, who took Gamboa the distance and gave him a good fight. He's EASILY comparable to any of the guys Lopez has beaten if you ask me, and clearly a better fighter than Mtagwa, who is nothing besides tough as nails. I think Gamboa has definetly shown some vulnerability, but at the same time you can attribute that to him being overconfident and wanting to please the crowd. Against Mtagwa he looked much more relaxed and methodical in his approach, and the result was devestating. I just feel Gamboa has much much better tools than Lopez, and with the right game plan would smoke him.

[ElTerribleMorales]

As 50/50 as can be?? I must be in bizzaro world. I just see a better fighter in Gamboa, Lopez isn't nearly fast enough to win exchanges with him, and his defence is way to leaky to outbox Gamboa from the outside without getting caught, and that's if he even has better tools from a distance in the first place, which is hardly a given. Lopez might look to be better schooled against the right opponent, but Gamboa showed a hell of a lot against Mtagwa, was much more patient than he has been and still just as explosive. Obviously Lopez can bang and has a good punchers chance if/when they fight, but I'd fully expect Gamboa to chew him up.

aside from Mtagwa, name one quality opponent on Gamboa's record up to date

Lopez already has beaten the likes of, Ponce De Leon, Penalosa, Mtagwa, and Luevano, and he stopped all but one of them in a fight that was his last at that given weight class

Gamboa's chin has all over it seeing how he's been dropped against nobodies, Mtagwa had a tired Lopez hurt and still wasn't able to drop him or stop him, it's in no way farfetched to put this fight as a 50/50 fight, especially since we've still haven't seen Gamboa with a A level opponent

Darling Jiminez is/was a very good fighter, who took Gamboa the distance and gave him a good fight. He's EASILY comparable to any of the guys Lopez has beaten if you ask me, and clearly a better fighter than Mtagwa, who is nothing besides tough as nails. I think Gamboa has definetly shown some vulnerability, but at the same time you can attribute that to him being overconfident and wanting to please the crowd. Against Mtagwa he looked much more relaxed and methodical in his approach, and the result was devestating. I just feel Gamboa has much much better tools than Lopez, and with the right game plan would smoke him.

guess we're just gonna have to agree to disagree, i see the fight right now as a winnable fight for both guys, whoever wins will have to be at his best cause overall IMO they're just about even, both have their weaknesses as well as their own distinct advantage over their opponent, Gamboa won more impressively on Saturday, but Lopez beat a better quality opponent than Gamboa in Luevano, making his win just as good as Gamboa's, as for Darling Jimenez being just as good as anyone Lopez has faced?

Jimenez' biggest win was a KO victory over Mike Anchondo , the same Anchondo who was wrecked by Barrios, he has never fought for a world title and hasn't done jack shit since Gamboa beat him

That being said you're seriously saying Jimenez is as good or better than, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Gerry Penalosa, and Steven Luevano

[luvfightgame]

I'm extremely impressed with Gamboa. Not just ability but attitude. His speed and aggressiveness is amazing. He reminds me of PBF with balls. He did exactly what PBF should have done to Marquez.

If you have all the ability in the world you should show it in the fight just like Gamboa does. I've been impressed every time, and now he's in my top 5 fighters to watch.

[p4pking]

aside from Mtagwa, name one quality opponent on Gamboa's record up to date

Lopez already has beaten the likes of, Ponce De Leon, Penalosa, Mtagwa, and Luevano, and he stopped all but one of them in a fight that was his last at that given weight class

Gamboa's chin has all over it seeing how he's been dropped against nobodies, Mtagwa had a tired Lopez hurt and still wasn't able to drop him or stop him, it's in no way farfetched to put this fight as a 50/50 fight, especially since we've still haven't seen Gamboa with a A level opponent

Darling Jiminez is/was a very good fighter, who took Gamboa the distance and gave him a good fight. He's EASILY comparable to any of the guys Lopez has beaten if you ask me, and clearly a better fighter than Mtagwa, who is nothing besides tough as nails. I think Gamboa has definetly shown some vulnerability, but at the same time you can attribute that to him being overconfident and wanting to please the crowd. Against Mtagwa he looked much more relaxed and methodical in his approach, and the result was devestating. I just feel Gamboa has much much better tools than Lopez, and with the right game plan would smoke him.

guess we're just gonna have to agree to disagree, i see the fight right now as a winnable fight for both guys, whoever wins will have to be at his best cause overall IMO they're just about even, both have their weaknesses as well as their own distinct advantage over their opponent, Gamboa won more impressively on Saturday, but Lopez beat a better quality opponent than Gamboa in Luevano, making his win just as good as Gamboa's, as for Darling Jimenez being just as good as anyone Lopez has faced?

Jimenez' biggest win was a KO victory over Mike Anchondo , the same Anchondo who was wrecked by Barrios, he has never fought for a world title and hasn't done jack shit since Gamboa beat him

That being said you're seriously saying Jimenez is as good or better than, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Gerry Penalosa, and Steven Luevano

Clearly Jiminez isn't a very accomplished fighter whatsoever, the guy hasn't been active at all over the last few years.. But I do think he is talented, and the test he represented Gamboa is at least on par with what those 3 you mention would have. That's all I really feel is worth going by when your talking hypotheticals like this. Penalosa WAS a great fighter at the lighter weights some years back, but now, at jr featherweight, Gamboa would have made his corner stop it much earlier imo. Ponce De Leon is pretty well mediocre, and just as made to order for Gamboa than Mtagwa was. So I do hear what your saying as far as on paper Lopez has beaten more quality opponents.. But the fact is they only share the one common opponent, who gave Lopez absolute hell and nearly had him out of there in the last 2 rounds, and then got completely blitzed easily by Gamboa. I just think Yuriorkis is the better fighter.

[Taeth]

As 50/50 as can be?? I must be in bizzaro world. I just see a better fighter in Gamboa, Lopez isn't nearly fast enough to win exchanges with him, and his defence is way to leaky to outbox Gamboa from the outside without getting caught, and that's if he even has better tools from a distance in the first place, which is hardly a given. Lopez might look to be better schooled against the right opponent, but Gamboa showed a hell of a lot against Mtagwa, was much more patient than he has been and still just as explosive. Obviously Lopez can bang and has a good punchers chance if/when they fight, but I'd fully expect Gamboa to chew him up.

aside from Mtagwa, name one quality opponent on Gamboa's record up to date

Lopez already has beaten the likes of, Ponce De Leon, Penalosa, Mtagwa, and Luevano, and he stopped all but one of them in a fight that was his last at that given weight class

Gamboa's chin has all over it seeing how he's been dropped against nobodies, Mtagwa had a tired Lopez hurt and still wasn't able to drop him or stop him, it's in no way farfetched to put this fight as a 50/50 fight, especially since we've still haven't seen Gamboa with a A level opponent

Rojas is at least a name fighter, Al Seeger went 8 rounds with Ponce de Leon.

He obviously doesn't have the resume JML does, and I think it will be a great fight because JML is one of the very best prospects in the sport, but Gamboa has to be the favorite in this fight. They both could be hurt, they have both have the ability to hurt eachother, but if I had to put my money on who is going to land those type of blows more often there is no doubt in my mind it will be Gamboa.

Also Jimenez was a very gifted amateur and he had the toughness along with the mental fortitude to hang in there with Gamboa, I think he possed a greater challenge then a lot of guys considered better than him. He may not of the credentials of the guys that have been mentioned in JML's defense, but he has more speed and a better chin(except Penalosa)

[ElTerribleMorales]

As 50/50 as can be?? I must be in bizzaro world. I just see a better fighter in Gamboa, Lopez isn't nearly fast enough to win exchanges with him, and his defence is way to leaky to outbox Gamboa from the outside without getting caught, and that's if he even has better tools from a distance in the first place, which is hardly a given. Lopez might look to be better schooled against the right opponent, but Gamboa showed a hell of a lot against Mtagwa, was much more patient than he has been and still just as explosive. Obviously Lopez can bang and has a good punchers chance if/when they fight, but I'd fully expect Gamboa to chew him up.

aside from Mtagwa, name one quality opponent on Gamboa's record up to date

Lopez already has beaten the likes of, Ponce De Leon, Penalosa, Mtagwa, and Luevano, and he stopped all but one of them in a fight that was his last at that given weight class

Gamboa's chin has all over it seeing how he's been dropped against nobodies, Mtagwa had a tired Lopez hurt and still wasn't able to drop him or stop him, it's in no way farfetched to put this fight as a 50/50 fight, especially since we've still haven't seen Gamboa with a A level opponent

Rojas is at least a name fighter, Al Seeger went 8 rounds with Ponce de Leon.

He obviously doesn't have the resume JML does, and I think it will be a great fight because JML is one of the very best prospects in the sport, but Gamboa has to be the favorite in this fight. They both could be hurt, they have both have the ability to hurt eachother, but if I had to put my money on who is going to land those type of blows more often there is no doubt in my mind it will be Gamboa.

Also Jimenez was a very gifted amateur and he had the toughness along with the mental fortitude to hang in there with Gamboa, I think he possed a greater challenge then a lot of guys considered better than him. He may not of the credentials of the guys that have been mentioned in JML's defense, but he has more speed and a better chin(except Penalosa)

Juanma already is a two division champ, so technically he's not a prospect

and i agree that Gamboa looked more impressive on Saturday, but IMO the Lopez that took on Luevano would have gotten the stoppage against Mtagwa, especially at 126

like i said, both have their own distinct advantages that makes this fight so intriguing and making it a real 50/50 fight

[HattonTheHammer]

Would be stunned if they ever paired juanma and gamboa together.

I dont even see the argument here. Gamboa takes this every day of the week and eventually has much better fighters in his sights than lopez. You only have to look at the 2 frames of the fighters to suggest gamboa is clearly fighting below his natural and eventual weight.

Expect to see yuriokis owning 140 pounders within 2years!

[ElTerribleMorales]

Would be stunned if they ever paired juanma and gamboa together.

I dont even see the argument here. Gamboa takes this every day of the week and eventually has much better fighters in his sights than lopez. You only have to look at the 2 frames of the fighters to suggest gamboa is clearly fighting below his natural and eventual weight.

Expect to see yuriokis owning 140 pounders within 2years!

Gamboa looks smaller in frame than Lopez (who was killing himself to make 122)