• Submitted by: manso
• Sports
• 03 / 28 / 2011

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By Bernard Fernandez / Philadelphia Daily News. Monday, March 28, 2011.ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A great boxing matchup — not necessarily the fight itself, but the anticipation of it — is like a sauce prepared by a renowned chef. You need the proper ingredients in just the right proportions, and the allowance of enough time for the mixture to simmer to mouth-watering perfection.

When Cuba’s Yuriorkis Gamboa and Puerto Rico’s Juan Manuel Lopez successfully defended their respective featherweight championships in separate bouts on Oct. 10, 2009, in New York, Top Rank founder Bob Arum, who promotes both undefeated fighters, was asked when he would pair them in a much-anticipated showdown, or at least a showdown that would be of interest to hardcore boxing purists.

"I got two featherweights that will wipe everybody out, and when they meet everybody will go crazy," Arum replied. "Don’t I have the right to build it up?"

Arum was not among those present here Saturday night in the Adrian Phillips Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall, but Lopez was at ringside as part of a sellout crowd of 2,913. What they saw, as did viewers of the HBO telecast, was proof that an improved Gamboa (20-0, 16 KOs), at 29, is nearing full flavor.

Gamboa, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist in Athens who defected in 2007, floored highly regarded challenger Jorge Solis (40-3-2, 29 KOs) five times before referee David Fields stepped in and halted the beatdown 1 minute, 31 seconds into the fourth round. It was Gamboa’s fifth defense, and maybe his most impressive one, of his WBA 126-pound title.

"I am completely different from (earlier in his career)," Gamboa said. "The package is complete."

Solis, from Guadalajara, Mexico, wasn’t about to argue. He was stopped in eight rounds in a 2007 scrap with Manny Pacquiao, currently regarded as boxing’s best pound-for-pound performer, but he said even "PacMan" doesn’t pack Gamboa’s power.

"Gamboa is a great fighter," Solis said. "Pacquiao throws a lot of punches, but he doesn’t hit as hard as Gamboa."

Arum has spoken of making Gamboa-Lopez sometime this year in the New Meadowlands Stadium, which probably is an overly grandiose projection. The little tigers are terrific, but they couldn’t sell nearly as many tickets as would Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr., a sumptuous dish that has remained on the back burner far too long already. But it’s easy to imagine Gamboa-Lopez doing major business in Boardwalk Hall’s main room or at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

"I’ve never said no and (Gamboa) has never said no," said Lopez (30-0, 27 KOs), the WBO featherweight titlist who defends his belt on April 16 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, against Orlando Salido (34-11-2, 22 KOs), who lost a 12-round decision to Gamboa in his most recent ring appearance. "We have to negotiate. We’re the best in the division. We have to do it."

Should Arum decide that a bit more simmering is in order, he could risk putting Gamboa or Lopez in with Indonesia’s Chris John (44-0-2, 22 KOs ) or possibly with Miguel "Mikey" Garcia (25-0, 21 KOs). Garcia captured the fringe NABF/NABO featherweight belts from Matt Remillard (23-1, 13 KOs), who was knocked down three times and did not come out for the 11th round in Saturday’s other HBO-televised fight.

Source: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/other_sports/boxing/view/