Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Robinson Castellanos:
Cinco De Mayo weekend always bring about plenty of boxing action. Usually on that Saturday there is a big pay-per-view fight and this time around that will be a fight between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. There will be plenty of other action that weekend though and on Friday Golden Boy Boxing will return to ESPN. That card will be headlined by a bout between Yuriorkis Gamboa (26-1, 17 KO) and Robinson Castellanos (23-12, 13 KO) and the two are scheduled to go 10 rounds from the lightweight division. For a long time Gamboa has been one of the most talented and frustrating boxers in the sport. He has a high skill level but is also very inactive, after not fighting at all in 2016 he has already won a fight this year and Castellanos will mark his second trip to the ring in 2017. As for Castellanos, his record doesn't look impressive but most of his losses came very early in his career and he always gives opponents a tough time, even in a loss. Even at 35 years old Gamboa still has some of the fastest hands in the sport and he loves to put his punches together. Along with a good jab Gamboa also has a skilled right hand and a strong left hook out of the orthodox stance. Offensively he is as talented as any fighter in the sport but the problem for Gamboa has always been his defense. He often sits in the pocket too long and because of that he has been dropped multiple times in his career. Like it has been for Gamboa the issue for Castellanos is his defense. In his 12 career losses he has been knocked out seven times so he definitely has a vulnerable chin. Castellanos is an orthodox fighter who works behing a busy jab. He likes to let his hands go and although his left hook can be wide his has a good right hand he can vary his attack with. He does some of his best work from the pocket and Gamboa will need to watch out for his excellent uppercuts. This should be an exciting fight because both men love to let their hands go and both have major defensive flaws. Gamboa will probably look to sharp shoot from the outside and avoid danger while Castellanos will look to get inside and rough things up. Castellanos is definitely going to have his moments in this fight but he won't do enough to win as Gamboa catches him, and stops him in the seventh round.
Abraham Lopez vs. Jesus Rojas:
Friday's co-feature will be a bout between the unbeaten Abraham Lopez (22-0-1, 15 KO) and veteran Jesus Rojas (24-1-2, 17 KO). The two are scheduled to go 10 rounds from the featherweight division where Lopez is still climbing the ladder. Lopez has a stalking style and fights out of the orthodox stance. At times he will take the lead with a good left hook and solid right hand but often on the inside he likes to counter, especially with a short right hand. Perhaps the biggest knock against Lopez is that while he does many things well he doesn't doing anything at an elite level. However, he has faced solid competition and has never lost a fight and against Rojas he will look to continue his winning ways. Rojas is also an orthodox fighter but against Lopez he will be at a height and reach advantage. Rojas comes in behind a high guard and solid jab but he often squares up too much to his opponent. He loves to throw his wild right hand and always looks to dig that punch to the body but he doesn't have much of a left hook. From the outside Rojas doesn't do much and he usually looks to stay in the pocket and rough things up which is often why his fights feature so many head clashes. This fight probably won't be the prettiest one to watch but there should be plenty of inside action to keep fans excited. Rojas will give a pretty good account of himself but Lopez will be too much for him as he works his way to a clear unanimous decision victory.
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