It’s official. Devin Haney will face Yuriorkis Gamboa in a 12-round lightweight bout on Nov. 7 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida.
Organizers announced at the same time that Daniel Jacobs will fight Gabriel Rosado in a super middleweight bout on Nov. 27 at the same site. Both cards will be televised on DAZN.
Haney, who holds a secondary 135-pound belt, is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Alfredo Santiago last November. Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) injured his shoulder in that fight but had surgery and has fully recovered.
Gamboa (30-3, 18 KOs) is coming off a 12th-round knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in December. The 2004 Olympic champion and former featherweight titleholder is 38.
“Yuriokis Gamboa is a dangerous and experienced fighter,” Haney said. “He’s a former unified world champion, and he has been in the ring with some of the best. He hurt Terence Crawford with a big shot, so his power is not to be ignored.
“He beat Orlando Salido, who beat Vasiliy Lomachenko. Less than a year ago he took Gervonta Davis into the 12th round, something no one has ever been able to do. Gamboa is a true warrior and I’m not taking him lightly.
“I’ve called out all the top names, and I finally got someone who will challenge me for my title. I intend on making a statement in this fight. My hunger is on another level. It’s time to show the world who the best fighter in boxing is and that’s me.”
Said Gamboa, who claims he suffered an Achilles tendon injury in his loss to Davis: “I’m extremely thankful to God for allowing this fight to happen and for the miracle of healing my Achilles. I’ve been dreaming and wishing of fighting for the WBC green belt ever since I was an amateur in Cuba.
“I’m ready and determined to win this title for my fans and to prove those who wrote me off as a washed up fighter wrong. I came up short against Davis because of my Achilles in the second round, but I fought the rest of the fight on one foot, hurting him in the middle rounds.
“You are going to see a healthy Gamboa fight with both of my legs, fists and warrior heart of mine. With God’s blessings I will come out victorious Nov. 7.”
Jacobs (25-12-1, 14 KOs) last fought in December, when he stopped Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. after five rounds in Jacobs’ first fight as a full-fledged super middleweight.
Rosado (25-12-1, 14 KOs) is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Humberto Ochoa on the Jacobs-Chavez card. He has been calling out Jacobs.
“Gabe talked his way into this fight, and now it’s time to see if he can back it up,” said Jacobs, a former middleweight titleholder. “He’s got a big mouth, and he’s been bringing up my name constantly for over a year. But on Nov. 27 the talking stops, and I can’t wait to shut him up.
“My aim is to become a two-weight division world champion in 2021, and that starts with a big win in Florida. After that, I’m ready to step up and fight one of the world champions at 168 pounds.”
Said Rosado: “I’m really excited for the fight. There’s been a lot of back and forth between me and Jacobs, and for the fight to finally happen, I’m more than ready. I’ve started training camp with Freddie Roach in L.A. at Wild Card Boxing [Club], and I’m just looking to put on one hell of a show for the fans.
“I’m definitely going to bring the fight to Danny and it’s going to be great.”
Also on the Haney-Gamboa card, heavyweight Filip Krgovic (11-0, 9 KOs) will take on Rydell Booker (26-3, 13 KOs) and Zhilei Zhang (21-0, 18 KOs) faces Devin Vargas (22-6, 9 KOs) in another heavyweight matchup.
On the Jacobs-Rosado card, former amateur star Marc Castro will make his pro debut. His opponent hasn’t been announced.
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