Farenas faces unbeaten Gamboa on Pacquiao-Marquez undercard

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino Michael Farenas will take on his toughest test to date against two-division champion Yuriorkis Gamboa on the undercard of the fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Dec. 8 (Dec. 9 in Manila).

According to a report by ringtv.com’s Lem Satterfield, this was confirmed by Leon Margules, who represents Gamboa’s promoter, rapper 50 Cent of SMS Promotions.

The undefeated Gamboa (21-0, with 16 KOs), whose biggest wins came against veterans Orlando Salido, Jorge Solis and Daniel Ponce De Leon, will be heavily favored against Farenas, who sports a 34-3-4 (26 KOs) record.

A Cuban Olympic gold medalist who defected to the US to turn pro, Gamboa is known for his blazing speed and power, with some observers even comparing him to Pacquiao. He has held the WBA featherweight and super featherweight titles.

Farenas’ last outing was a failed world title bid against Takashi Uchiyama of Japan last July. The fight, which was held in Saitama, Japan for the WBA World super featherweight title, ended up in a technical draw after three rounds.

Farenas is the second Filipino to fight in the Pacquiao-Marquez undercard, which will also feature undefeated Mercito Gesta taking on IBF lightweight titleholder Miguel Vazquez.

"It's going to be a great night for the Filipino boxing fans, not only with Pacquiao, but now, with Gesta and Farenas," Top Rank chief Bob Arum told Satterfield.