Gamboa goes for broke

Do or die. That’s the situation Joma Gamboa faces as he battles tormentor Keitaro Hoshino in a 12-round bout for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight title at the Pacifico Yokohama tonight.

Revenge is on Gamboa’s mind. It was the unheralded Hoshino who wrested the WBA crown from the Bacolod-born slugger in Tokyo over a year ago. Gamboa sat on the throne for only four months in a short-lived reign that was almost forgettable. He lost the title in his first defense to Hoshino who was also deposed in his first defense by Thai veteran Chana Porpaoin. Then, Yutaka Niida came along and took the crown from Porpaoin – also in his first defense.

In a startling twist to the championship rigodon, the unbeaten Niida announced his retirement from the ring without a single defense. WBA president Gilberto Mendoza subsequently tapped Gamboa and Hoshino to dispute the vacant title with the winner obliged to defend against No. 1 contender Noel Arambulet of Venezuela within 90 days.

Gamboa, 28, lost in his first three attempts to capture a world title. In 1996, he was knocked out by Saman Sor Jaturong in a World Boxing Council (WBC) lightflyweight title fight. Three years later, Gamboa was outpointed by Pichitnoi Sithbangprachan in a WBA junior flyweight championship match.

After losing to both Saman and Pichitnoi in the 108-pound division, Gamboa decided to campaign in the lower division called minimumweight which has a limit of 105 pounds. Gamboa’s manager Joe Koizumi then negotiated a crack at the WBA minimumweight title held by Arambulet. Alas, Gamboa suffered his third strike.

With Gamboa out of the picture, Arambulet accepted an offer to stake his WBA crown against Satoru Abe in Nagoya in late 1999. But the Venezuelan backed out two weeks before the scheduled fight because of the flu. Japanese promoter Koji Matsuda couldn’t scrap the card as most of the tickets were already sold. So Matsuda looked for a replacement. Gamboa was suggested as a "safe" opponent as he was fresh from a loss to Arambulet. The WBA sanctioned the Gamboa-Abe fight for the interim championship.

Gamboa knew the only way he could pull off an upset was to score a knockout. Abe, the big favorite, paid dearly for underestimating Gamboa. The Filipino posted a shock sixth round stoppage. He went on to outpoint Atsushi Sai in his first defense of the interim title before engaging Arambulet in a rematch for the undisputed crown. Last August, Gamboa hammered out a 12-round decision over Arambulet to formalize his enthronement.

The loss to Hoshino was unforgiveable. Gamboa committed the same mistake as Abe and took Hoshino lightly. He looked sluggish from the onset and threw only occasional combinations. Hoshino, in contrast, was aggressive from start to finish. Gamboa tried to stage a late rally but ran out of rounds. Hoshino, 31, became the oldest Japanese fighter ever to win a world title in his first try.

The scorecards weren’t close. Korean judge Wan Soo Yuh saw it 117-112 while Japanese judges Hiroyuki Tezaki and Takeo Harada had it both 115-113 – all for Hoshino. Gamboa later admitted he didn’t prepare seriously for Hoshino whose manager is former world flyweight king Susuma Hanagata.

Since losing to Hoshino, Gamboa has scored back-to-back knockouts over Thai trialhorses Pigmy Muangchaiya and Samransak Singmanasak to raise his record to 31-6-1, with 22 KOs.

Hoshino has fought only once since bowing to Porpaoin – he stopped Thai patsy Praaabpram Kholongphajon at 1:59 of the 10th round in Yokohama last Sept. 26 to improve his mark to 22-7, with six KOs.

Gamboa promised to let it all hang out tonight. He’s ready to rumble. Just like in the Abe fight, Gamboa realizes his back is against the wall. If he loses to Hoshino, it could mean the end of his career. One thing about Gamboa, he makes sure he doesn’t lose to the same fighter twice. Gamboa suffered his first loss to Jerry Pahayahay in 1994 – he reversed the outcome in a rematch. He lost to Arambulet in their first meeting but beat the Venezuelan in a return fight. Hoshino beat Gamboa once – Gamboa said the Japanese won’t do it again.

On the rematch tonight, Koizumi said: "Neither Hoshino nor Gamboa is such an excellent superstar as Ricardo Lopez but they will show a competitive grudge fight. Hoshino is more skillful but Gamboa is more powerful. We hope to see a better fight than their first encounter in which Gamboa didn’t show his good condition and form to lose against expectations."

If the fight goes the distance, Hoshino will likely win because he’s craftier and a more polished boxer. Gamboa’s chances hinge on his power – he’s got to pressure Hoshino from the opening bell and force him to slug it out. A strong starter, Gamboa has scored eight first round knockouts so expect Hoshino to keep a safe distance away in the early going. If Gamboa lands the same bombs that took the starch out of Abe, he’ll join Manny Pacquiao as the country’s only reigning world champions before the night is over.