Undefeated former World Boxing Association (WBA) Featherweight World Champion YURIORKIS GAMBOA and former World Boxing Organization (WBO) Junior Featherweight World Champion DANIEL PONCE DE LEON will collide in one of the season’s hottest fight, Saturday, September 10, in the Adrian Phillips Ballroom at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. The 12-round featherweight rumble will be televised live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) The two gladiators boast a combined record of 61-3 (50 KOs) – which translates to a winning percentage of 95% and a victory by knockout ratio of 82%.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Arena Box U.S., Golden Boy Promotions, Caesars Atlantic City and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, tickets to Gamboa vs. De Leon, priced at $250, $100 and $50, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.
“I look forward to meeting Ponce de Leon. This will be the third straight world champion, or former world champion I have faced from México,” said Yuriorkis Gamboa. “I know that México has a great history of world champions, but so does Cuba. I welcome this chance I am getting to continue to prove I am one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I will not disappoint my fans.”
“Gamboa is a good fighter and I know this is going to be a difficult fight,” said Daniel Ponce De Leon. “But I know this is a fight that I can win and I’m going to train hard in Los Angeles to leave the ring with my hand raised in victory. I will not leave any excuses for after the fight.”
“Yuriorkis Gamboa is one of the all-time great amateur fighters. As a professional fighter he has been phenomenal. I cannot wait to see him against Daniel Ponce De Leon on September 10,” said Bob Arum, Chairman of Top Rank.
“Gamboa is one of the biggest and fastest rising stars in boxing today,” said Ahmet Öner, president of Arena Box U.S. “Ponce de Leon is certainly a very tough opponent. He’s a former world champion who wants to show that he still has what it takes to win the big fights. He’s also a hard puncher which means that Yuri has to be careful. Still I know that Yuri wants to show the world that he is made for the big fights. For Yuri this fight is only one step further on his way to stardom. I am absolutely convinced that he will pass this test as he has passed all the tests he has taken so far. Yuri is special and he will show that again on September 10th. All fans are in for a real treat. This is a fight where you cannot afford to even blink because both fighters will give it their all. I am looking forward to a spectacular show and I hope that Yuri can show his best performance again. He will need it against Ponce de Leon. If Yuri wins this fight he will be ready for even bigger things to come.”
“This is a great opportunity for Daniel Ponce De Leon to prove what we all know to be true…that he belongs on the short list of the sport’s elite fighters,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Gamboa will be a tough challenge for him, but Ponce has the heart and determination of a true Mexican warrior which will help carry him to victory. All of us at Golden Boy are looking forward to working with Top Rank on this great fight that no boxing fan should miss.”
“Caesars Atlantic City hails the return of Yuriorkis Gamboa, one of boxing’s most exciting fighters,” said Caesars Atlantic City Entertainment Sports & Entertainment Consultant Ken Condon. “On the heels of Yuri’s fourth-round knockout victory of Jorge Solis in March, we expect just as many thrills when he clashes with knockout artist Daniel Ponce De Leon. Atlantic City is once again the destination for championship boxing.”
Gamboa (20-0, 16 KOs), of Miami, Fla., captured Olympic gold for the Cuban team in 2004. He defected to freedom in 2007 the same year he made his professional debut. Two years and 14 bouts later in 2009 he won the WBA’s Interim Featherweight Championshop via a 10th-round stoppage of Jose Rojas. Soon elevated to full world champion status, Gamboa successfully defended the WBA title five times during his two-year reign, which included unifying the title with a 12-round decision victory over International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Champion Orlando Solis.
De Leon (41-3, 34 KOs), of Huntington Park, Calif., represented his native México in the 2000 Olympics. He made his professional debut the following year winning 26 of his first 27 bouts, with only one victory going the distance. He captured the vacant WBO Junior Featherweight world title on October 29, 2005, winning a 12-round unanimous decision over then-undefeated Sod Looknongyantoy. De Leon successfully defended the title six times – four by knockout – during his three-year reign. Since losing the title to Juanma Lopez in 2008, De Leon has won seven of his last eight bouts campaigning at featherweight, including WBA and WBO title elimination bouts against Roynet Caballero in 2009 and Antonio Escalante in 2010, respectively.
