Prospects Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez in Action

Two of the hottest prospects in boxing fight just one weight class apart from each other. Yuriorkis Gamboa campaigns as a featherweight and Juan Manuel Lopez as a super bantamweight. We get to see both in action just a week apart from one another as they continue their rise to the top of the sport.

Both Gamboa and Lopez have extensive amateur careers. The two men are both dynamic and explosive, although in different ways. Gamboa utilizes his raw physical assets to overwhelm his opponents. In his pro career this far, after he defected from Cuba several years ago, he has shown both amazing potential and a maddening tendency to get hit and hurt against opponents he outclasses. Lopez on the other hand is technically sound and has a great power punch. He has shown few flaws in his early career.

Yuriorkis Gamboa, now 15-0 with 13 knockouts, faced Jose Rojas, now 25-7-1, on Saturday evening on Showtime. Gamboa displayed his sensational hand speed and power over a brutal and dominating 10 rounds of action. Gamboa now holds the regular WBA featherweight championship, a dubious distinction given the WBA's tendency of now awarding two or three fighters in the same division some claim to their title.

Rojas, 37 with only 3 fights over the last 3 years, was physically overmatched against Gamboa and had no opportunity in the fight. Rojas was badly hurt in several rounds, but never went down. Gamboa only struggled when he became overly anxious and tripped over himself en route to unleashing his onslaught. The ref stepped him and saved him from more punishment in the 10 th. Rojas' eyes were badly swollen at the end of the contest.

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Now it's time for Juan Manuel Lopez to shine. With a record of 24-0 with 22 knockouts, Lopez is already a titleholder in the super bantamweight division. He also will be facing a much tougher challenger in his next fight than Gamboa faced in his. Lopez is facing Gerry Penalosa, a 54-6-2 veteran with a great deal of experience at the top level of the sport. As a southpaw and with a unique style, Penalosa should provide a good gauge for Lopez. The fight is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 th and will be broadcast on HBO.

Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa are two of the brightest young stars in boxing, and a potential future showdown is one of the more intriguing fights boxing fans have to salivate over.

By Jake Emen
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer & Director of Boxing Content