HBO’s Boxing After Dark Returns With Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Orlando Salido

Added on Sep 09, 2010 by Brian Blake in

Boxing

This Saturday night HBO Sports returns with their acclaimed Boxing After Dark series with a double-header at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and current WBA featherweight title holder, Yuriorkis Gamboa takes on IBF featherweight king, Orlando Salido in a 12 round unification bout.

In the televised opener, Anthony Peterson and Brandon Rios wage war in a 12 round battle of unbeaten lightweights.

Gamboa (18-0, 15 KOs), who now fights out of Miami after defecting from his native Cuba, needed only 15 fights as a professional before being crowned the WBA’s interim featherweight title holder when he knocked out Jose Rojas in the tenth stanza in their 2009 bout. Since claiming the crown he has successfully defended his strap twice stopping Whyber Garcia and Rogers Mtagwa in the fourth and second rounds, respectively.

The Top Rank charge now looks to add the division’s IBF title to his resume with a win over Orlando Salido. He’s widely considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters today, with blazing hand speed, supplemented by brute power, that often puts thunderstruck opponents on the canvas in the early rounds.

Salido (34-10, 22 KOs), who hails from the boxing rich town of Sonora, Mexico, made his pro debut back in 1996 where he was stopped in the fourth round by Ivan Cazarez. After six years of inconsistent results, Salido began to come into his own in 2002 as he put together nine consecutive wins which led to his first shot at a major world title. In 2004 Salido would fail in his initial bid for the WBA and IBF featherweight belts as he was on the losing end of a unanimous decision to Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez. His second attempt at a world title didn’t fare much better as he dropped a close split decision to Cristobal Cruz in October of 2008.

The world title that had eluded him for so many years was finally his as he defeated Cruz in a rematch for the IBF featherweight title with a unanimous decision earlier this year. After 14 years of chasing the dream of a championship and finally having it fulfilled, there’s not doubt that he’s ready to give the Cuban superstar all he can handle.

As previously mentioned, the televised opener for the evenings fight card features the undefeated Memphis lightweight fighter in Anthony Peterson (30-0, 20 KOs) as he looks to utilize his grace, quick feet and picture-perfect technique as a win would bring him one step closer to the WBA lightweight crown.

Currently, he is ranked in the number two spot by the WBA in the lightweight division.

Right behind him in the rankings at number three is his opponent on Saturday night, Brandon Rios (24-0, 18 KOs) of Oxnard, California. The two combatants have a very impressive combined record of 54-0 with 38 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

The HBO Sports team of Bob Papa and Max Kellerman will be serving as ringside announcers for the event which will be televised at 10 PM ET/PT.