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Crawford vs. Gamboa: Head-to-Head Discussion

Before the undefeated fighters, Terence Crawford and Yuriorkis Gamboa, go at it on Saturday night, Round By Round Boxing’s Staff Writer Lou Catalano and Editor-in-Chief Alex Burgos go head-to-head.

Key #2 for Terence Crawford Use Your Height

Terence Crawford Yuriorkis Gamboa- Chris Farina Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

By Alex Burgos

Terence Crawford is a giant compared to Yurirokis Gamboa. At 5′8″, with a 70 inch reach–compared to Gamboa who is 5′5½″ with a 65 inch reach–Crawford must not let this physical advantage go to waste.

Crawford is skilled enough to mix it up from both the orthodox and southpaw stance, which he has done often against lesser opposition. Depending on how comfortable he is against the shorter Gamboa, we may see him show varied stances and even square up at times when attacking.

Regardless of the stance Crawford uses, he must not stay in Gamboa’s striking range for extended periods of time because the Cuban is quick and can crack.

What Crawford should do is maintain a healthy distance from Gamboa where he can land jabs and crosses, and if he decides to attack from close proximity it should be with three to four punch combinations and then circle around his shorter opponent.

 

Key #2 for Yuriorkis Gamboa Angles, Angles, Angles

By Lou Catalano

“The Cyclone Of Guantanamo” became the toast of HBO because of his flashy style and the ease with which he dispatched of his opponents. But along with the aforementioned speed and power, Yuriorkis Gamboa brought another element to the table, a trait few boxers have mastered.

He threw punches from positions that should’ve been impossible to connect from.

There were several instances, especially early in his career, where Gamboa would crack a guy with a left hook from about the fifth row. The poor fella would stare up from the mat, wondering who the hell threw that chair at him. He’s got to get that back.

Terence Crawford can switch seamlessly from southpaw to orthodox, and he has excellent boxing ability. Gamboa can neutralize that by going back to blitzing from odd angles, something boxers have a hard time defending. If he can catch Crawford with something he doesn’t see coming, Gamboa might be able to dent Crawford’s untested chin.

Gamboa has sometimes left himself exposed by throwing shots from long distances, but he’s got to do that in this fight to be successful. If he stands in the pocket, Crawford will be able to pick him off and outbox him.

If this is a chess match, Gamboa won’t win. He needs to knock the pieces off the board and go to work. If he can stay busy and use the angles, not only will it be a hell of a fight, but Gamboa’s chances of winning will jump astronomically.

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