A dose of vintage Cuban boxing will hit Miami on May 2, as two iconic figures of their generation, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Guillermo Rigondeaux, make their return to the ring to headline a card at the James L. Knight Convention Center.
Both former two Olympics and world professional champions have signed one fight agreements with young promoter Matteo Attalla, owner of the renowned Boxer Gym in Miami. The event will be officially presented on Thursday, April 2, at 2:00 p.m. ET, during a press conference featuring all the key participants.
Gamboa (30-5, 18 KOs), 44, has not fought since 2022, when he was stopped by TKO against Isaac Cruz. The former unified featherweight champion spent several years in Cuba due to a legal process following a traffic accident. Although he was found not guilty, he could not leave the country until recently. His return to Miami coincides with signing with the promotion BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, where he is expected to make his debut in June.
During his professional career, Gamboa won world titles at featherweight and challenged for a version of the lightweight world title, facing top level opponents such as Terence Crawford, Gervonta Davis, and Devin Haney, often competing above his natural weight class.
Rigondeaux (23-3, 16 KOs), 45, comes off a November 2024 first round stoppage of Dominican Dannis Aguero Arias to capture the WBC International Super Bantamweight title. Despite that win, a new world title opportunity never materialized.
Over the course of his career, Rigondeaux also featured in key bouts that defined his legacy, including his dominant 2013 victory over Nonito Donaire, which unified titles at super bantamweight, and his 2017 defeat to Vasiliy Lomachenko, in a two division jump that highlighted the risks of competing outside his natural weight class.
Both Gamboa and Rigondeaux built elite amateur careers, winning two Olympic gold medals each before translating their success to the professional ranks, where they captured world championships.