Yuriorkis Gamboa & Promoter 50 Cent in Attendance for Garcia’s Latest Win:
On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, Mikey Garcia clearly outpointed challenger Juan Carlos Burgos, defending his 130 lb. title with relative ease. Despite the anticipation, the bout proved to be dull and the crowd was lulled half to sleep.
Then, two mysterious figures showed up in the early rounds. As they walked by, the crowd began to recognize these two men. They were none other than Yurkokis Gamboa and promoter 50 Cent. Fans were quick to turn their attention away from a fight that lacked action over to the two prominent stars. Make no mistake, they were there for a purpose — their intentions were to create a diversion from the fight.
[Also See: Is Mikey Garcia Top Rank’s replacement for Manny Pacquiao?]
Leading up to the event, Garcia and Gamboa exchanged words over Twitter, both fighters making the case to fight the other. Gamboa has felt that Garcia has been avoiding him, so what better way to address the situation then to confront the man you want to face in person?
Using some WWE-style tactics, Gamboa and 50 Cent were able to get the crowd hyped up for a potential match-up between the two. Their move seemingly paid off, as 50 Cent and Gamboa were asked about the situation after the fight by the press. Gamboa stated:
“I am here to show Mikey that I am not afraid and the people want to see this fight, I am a champion he is a champion let’s make it happen.”
Garcia rebutted with this statement:
“Don’t tell me I am afraid that’s disrespectful. I fight everyone and never turn down a fight. This is a business, sit down with your promoter and I’ll sit down with mine, we’ll take it from there.”
Tensions certainly seem high, which would make the bout all that more tempting to watch. The clash would be an intriguing match-up of Gamboa’s hand speed and raw athleticism versus the refined technical skill of Garcia. Between the two, who would be willing to take a chance of going for the knockout?
Interestingly, Garcia and Gamboa actually share three mutual opponents — Orlando Salido, Jorge Solis and Jonathan Victor Barros.
Gamboa possesses nearly unlimited potential, but has been hurt by his long layoffs and potentially corresponding inconsistency in the ring. Mikey, on the other hand, certainly needs to continue to be tested, and while Burgos is a good fighter, he was no match for Garcia.
Despite his inactivity, Gamboa certainly would fulfill that need. These two are of the most talented fighters in the game, and a Garcia vs. Gamboa fight could be one of the more thrilling lightweight matches in recent memory.
