Cuban trainer Ismael Salas has the opportunity to refine one of the rawest boxing specimens in the world. His challenge: to instil an element of defence into one of the most explosive and exhilerating talents to emerge in recent history.

Yuriorki Gamboa is reckless abandon personified. In fact, the Cuban, who is a 2004 Olympic gold medalist with abundant amateur pedigree, treats boxing's oldest adage, "protect yourself at all times", with scorn and derision. Defence is absent from his game. The only way he seeks to avoid punches is by hovering outside punching range, then when he hurls one of his hayemakers, he frantically bobs his head to make them miss. Attack is defence for Gamboa and he will also look to simply overwhelm his opponents with fast, hard combinations. He has supreme confidence in his style.

His energy is indomitable. He bounces around the ring as if there are springs in his feet, with his arms always  hanging by his sideas he faints this-way, that-way, until he sees an opening and pounces. His attacks are devastating and his hand-speed is bewildering. Because his hands start from waist height, he is able to launch attacks from every angle, usually in the form of hooks, which you can only catch on slow motion playback. Gamboa seems to rush his fights, but he can keep his ferocity going the distance and has proven this over ten rounds.

He is 5,5 yet has the aura of Mike Tyson. He has bulldozed his way up the featherweight rankings, using his heavy hands and relentless attacks to overwhelm all 14 of his opponents so far - 12 by KO. He has won nine of his 14 win inside two rounds, but has twice gone ten rounds and these are the fights which Ismael Salas will study if is to improve Gamboa's rugged approach. Both those fights, against Darling Jimenez (Salas was brought in as a result of this fight) and Roger Gonzalez, had a fundamental likeness. They both demonstrated how you can tuck up tight with a defence, survive Gamboa's onslaughts and be selective with your punching, waiting for him to rush in head first then BAM!

Gamboa's been down four times and is a counter-puncher's dream. He will gift you free shots throughout because he doesn't put his hands up and plunges in with his shots from distance, sometimes head first. He has never been in serious trouble and he has showed good recovery powers. But he can be caught flush with well-timed, short punches which will temporarily halt the Cuban. You can't trade with him because if you leave yourslef open he will turn your lights out quick. But Jimenez - possibly one of the most durable fighters in the division - soaked up Gamboa's attacks all night (lord knows what pain he went through), waited for him to make the inevitable mistake and then opened up with precise shots on the button. It was intelligent boxing, and an incredibly gutsy performance. The man from the  Dominican Republic was never put down and exposed Gamboa's style as deeply flawed. Yet Gamboa never tired, kept throwing punches and ultimately battered Jimenez, whose eyes were bulging and practically shut by the end of the fight - a lop-sided decision. One noticable thing about Gamboa's attacks against the tightly guarded Gonzalez (TKO'd in 10) and Jimenez, is that he never thought to go to the body, where he could have done a world of damage. He seemed intent on taking their heads of and has been known to waste punches in this respect. Conversely his conditioning is tip-top and he doesn't stop throwing; punch out-put is not an issue.

So as Gamboa enters fight 15 against Jose Rojas, with the Cuban a strong favourite to knock the 37-year-old Venezuelan out, there are a myriad technical enhancements he could make to become one of the most successful Cuban fighters of all time. The question is: can Ismael Salas, or any trainer, change the Cuban's incorrigible tendency to neglect defence? If not, surely another knockdown and eventual KO is a distinct likelihood for the exciting Cuban, who is yet to reach his prime.