Former World Champion Yuriorkis Gamboa To Make BKB Debut This Year

Former world champion and Olympic gold medal boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa is planning to make his bare knuckle boxing debut. BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing announced today the signing of the Cuban fighter to a "mult-fight, multi-year deal" the terms of which were not made available.

“Bare knuckle boxing is the oldest form of boxing,” said Gamboa is a media statement to announce his signing with BKB. “After winning an Olympic gold medal, world championships in boxing, now I’m focused and excited to become BKB Bare Knuckle World Champion. I’m going to showcase my skills and show why I belong at the very top of this sport.”

Nicknamed "El Ciclon de Guantanamo" or the “Cyclone of Guantanamo” for his whirlwind style, Gamboa (30-5, 18 KOs) was the WBA featherweight world title from 2009 until 2011. He became a unified champion in 2010, winning the IBF title, which he held until 2011. He was the first Cuban to become an IBF world boxing champion, and he last fought in 2022, losing to Isaac Cruz.

“It’s an honour to welcome Yuriorkis to Bare Knuckle, and I can’t wait to see his skills and pedigree on display in the trigon,” said Mike Vasquez, the founder of BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, in a media statement to announce the signing.

“We’ve got some incredible Cuban fighters on our roster, including our heavyweight world champion. This year we’re going to see more and more elite fighters join our global roster of over 200 fighters from over 30 countries.”

Most notably among the Cubans fighting for BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing at the moment is Gustavo "The Cuban Assassin" Trujillo. Trujillo is the BKB Heavyweight Champion of the World and the Police Gazette Diamond Belt holder, having attracted the attention of boxing fans with his victory last year over Australian professional boxer Lucas Browne.

Yuriorkis Gamboa famously hurt Terrence Crawford in their 2014 fight

Gamboa is perhaps best known for his June 28, 2014, fight against future multi-division world champion Terence Crawford (42-0). Crawford faced Yuriorkis Gamboa in a defense of his WBO lightweight title. It was Crawford’s first defense of his title and was held in his hometown at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

While Crawford is known as a careful and thoughtful manager of his fights, this one at times was a war. After Gamboa was dropped in the fifth following an exchange, Crawford thought he was in control. In the 9th, with Crawford looking to close the show, Gamboa went for it and landed a monster right hand that had Crawford on his chicken legs, smiling and retreating.

It was the most vulnerable Crawford perhaps ever was in his career. The dramatic moment, however, was over in an instant as Crawford recovered and dropped Gamboa with a left hook. In the aftermath, Crawford praised Gamboa’s power.

Gamboa is following in the footsteps of other late-career former boxers who are taking the gloves off. Former world champion boxer Paulie Malignaggi will attempt to win the BKB Super Welterweight World Championship on May 16, 2026, in Manchester, United Kingdom. Whether Gamboa will join that May fight card with BKB is unclear. The statement of his signing did not include any potential fight dates for Gamboa

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