:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/34964853/20121210_kkt_aa9_962.0.jpg)
It was a tough Saturday night in Omaha for Yuriorkis Gamboa, who lost for the first time as a professional via TKO-9 against Terence Crawford, but the 32-year-old Cuban fighter has no sour grapes, at least as it appears via his official Twitter account.
Gamboa (23-1, 16 KO) apologized if he disappointed any fans (doubtful, given how great the fight was), and made a plea to those "in charge" in boxing to help him stay more active going forward.
I am sorry if I disappointed u. I tried my best. I really did.
— Yuriorkis Gamboa (@gamboa) June 29, 2014
I am feeling d love. Congratulations to @budcrawford402 u were d best boxer 2day. Maybe next time. Thank you Omaha!
— Yuriorkis Gamboa (@gamboa) June 29, 2014
All I want to do is box. That is it. I am a Boxer. A Cuban Boxer. So if u are in charge please listen. Just let me box. Please.
— Yuriorkis Gamboa (@gamboa) June 29, 2014
Gamboa was fighting for just the third time since 2011 last night, and just the second time as a lightweight. In all reality, he's probably still a super featherweight who can compete at 135 pounds just on pure skill, but his inactivity has certainly been an issue. That said, a lot of that was his own doing -- it was Gamboa who skipped out on a fight with Brandon Rios and had his contract bought out from Top Rank, but to be entirely fair, Gamboa probably thought (as most of us did at the time) that he would be fighting for a new company led by Floyd Mayweather and 50 Cent, not just a makeshift team led by 50 Cent.
But with this performance and his propensity for being exciting to watch when he's on his game, plus the vulnerability he brings to his fights, Gamboa should be in demand. And now that he looks very beatable, that will probably help him land more fights, too. There might be a lot of guys out there from 126 to 135 pounds right now who'd like a shot at Gamboa that might have been a little cautious about mixing with him before last night. Maybe for good reason, and maybe to their own detriment on that count.