Mexican boxer Eric Gamboa has underlined his determination to break the hearts of East London fans by beating Landile Ngxeke on Sunday.
The 30-year-old slugger touched down in the city with his trainer, Samuel Uribe Martinez, at the weekend, and was whisked to a beachfront hotel where he engaged in light training ahead of the big fight.
Ngxeke and Gamboa clash for the WBO Intercontinental and IBF International bantamweight titles at the Orient Theatre.
The high-stakes bout will mark the last time Ngxeke engages in a fight without world title connotations, with expectations high that he will challenge for a world title or be mandated to contest a title eliminator.
However, Gamboa, who has lost just twice in 28 bouts, wants to use the opportunity to advance his world title aspirations, and he signalled his intentions by arriving in East London in time to acclimatise.
Xaba Promotions, which is staging the fight as part of the Youth Month celebrations, said the Mexican team wanted to leave nothing to chance in their first visit to SA.
“Obviously, Gamboa and his team are taking this fight seriously, meaning Ngxeke will need to be on his A game,” XP boss Ayanda Matiti said.
Matiti was questioned about opting for such a formidable opponent for Ngxeke when he was on the verge of a world title shot.
Besides coming from a country that produces resilient and aggressive boxers, Gamboa’s fight record proves he is no slouch, especially against a boxer like Ngxeke who prefers toe-to-toe exchanges.
Gambling with Mexican boxers backfired for unbeaten English star Galal Yafai when he was battered to a pulp by Francisco Rodriguez Jr to surrender his WBC interim flyweight title in Birmingham at the weekend, blowing away his chances of clinching a world title challenge against Kenshiro Teraji.
However, Matiti allayed fears of a similar fate befalling Ngxeke, saying if the 30-year-old was ready for the world stage he should be able to beat opponents such as Gamboa.
“The bantamweight division is sizzling hot right now and feasting on soft opponents while others are fighting formidable foes will not cut it.
“Ngxeke must go out there and prove that he is above the level of opponents like Gamboa.”
Despite his impressive record, Gamboa is surprisingly not rated in the top 10 by the world sanctioning bodies, but a victory on Sunday would vault him into the bracket.
His compatriot, Rene Calixto Bibiano, did this when he used another Eastern Cape boxer, Sikho Nqothole, to propel himself to a world title shot.
Bibiano coaxed Mthatha’s Nqothole to fight him in Mexico to take over his high IBF junior bantamweight rating and after scoring a contentious win, went straight to a title shot, losing to compatriot Willibaldo Garcia.
Gamboa’s trainer, Martinez, struggled with the language barrier and could only say “win” when asked about the chances of his boxer on Sunday.
Daily Dispatch
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