A new era has begun, SMS has it’s first promotional fight! If you follow 50 on Twitter, you’ve seen all the talk about fighter Yuriorkis Gamboa. Well thanks to Fif, Former unified featherweight titleholder Gamboa got a new opponent in Michael Farenas on Monday for his first fight in 15 months…and guess which undercard they’ll be fighting on?!
Gamboa will face Farenas in a 130-pound non-title bout in the co-feature on the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV undercard on Dec. 8 (HBO PPV) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.com.
Gamboa, who is moving up to junior lightweight after being stripped of a pair of featherweight belts, was originally slated to face Mexico’s Miguel Beltran Jr. for a vacant interim title. However, Beltran (27-2, 17 KOs) was in a brutally tough fight on Sept. 15, losing a split decision in an all-action battle with Roman Martinez for a vacant world title on the Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. undercard.
“He was just physically not ready to go back in the gym after such a grueling match with Martinez,” Moretti said. “It was too soon of a turnaround.”
Top Rank used to promote Gamboa until a falling out and earlier this year sold his promotional contract to hip hop star 50 Cent — real name Curtis Jackson. Jackson, whose SMS Promotions received a promoters license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission last week, made a deal with Top Rank to place Gamboa on the Pacquiao-Marquez IV undercard.
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WRITTEN BY Dan Rafael | ESPN.com & FULL STORY HERE