Gamboa: I Wanted To Beat Solis Quicker Than Pacquiao
Dmitriy Mikhalchuk
March 27, 2011, 5:49 a.m.
%foto2%WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa added another spectacular chapter to his sensational pro career in front of a sold-out crowd at "Boardwalk Hall" in Atlantic City on Saturday night. "El Ciclon de Guantanamo" literally blew away Jorge Solis, dropping the experienced Mexican five times in only four rounds to score his 20th win in as many pro-fights with 16 victories inside the distance.
Gamboa needed only one round to check out his opponent before sending Solis to the canvas twice in the second. The 31-year-old "Coloradito" managed to get up and into the break only to be chopped down again by a beautiful left hook halfway through the third round. After two more knockdowns referee David Fields stopped the one-sided bout at 1:31 in the fourth.
Although Gamboa was favoured to win the bout, the Cuban 2004 gold medalist impressed fans and experts by the way he handled Solis, the WBA interim super featherweight champion who had entered the ring with only two losses in 44 pro-fights: a close decision to Cristobal Cruz in a featherweight championship fight and an eighth round stoppage against pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao back in April 2007.
"Of course, I knew that Solis had shown a great fight against Pacquiao", said Gamboa after the fight. "And, of course, it was an extra motivation to beat him faster than Pacquiao did. I wanted to make a statement tonight. I always enter the ring to prove that I am the best fighter in the world. Whoever wants to prove me wrong should just come and fight me. I don’t care about my opponent's names - I want the big fights to show the world that I am the best."
Promoter Ahmet Oner was once more thrilled by Gamboa’s performance. "That was exactly the Yuriorkis Gamboa we all know and want to see", said Oner. "He didn't look as determined and explosive in some of his last fights. But today he showed the full package again: his extraordinary hand speed and overall movement plus his enormous power and accuracy. He is definitely one of the most exciting fighters in the world today. And I don't see anybody he has to be afraid of. Gamboa is simply made for this sport. He's a natural born boxer and winner."
