Cuban boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa was born on December 23, 1981 in Guantanamo, Cuba. He defected to Cuba in 2006 along with fellow boxers Odlanier Solis and Yan Barthelemy. The moment they arrived in the United States, the boxers signed with German promotional company, ARENA Box-Promotion.
The Cuban fighter enjoyed an excellent amateur career, fighting in 250 amateur bouts and representing his native country at the 2003 World Championships in Bangkok. He also won gold at the 2004 Olympics before going on to win the bronze medal in 2005 at the World Championships in China, where he fought as a featherweight.
Gamboa defeated Yan Barthelemy for the Light flyweight championship, only to lose to Barthelemy in 2001 in the final. He was the flyweight champion in 2003 after defeating Yosvani Acosta in the 18-5 final. After winning the flyweight title again in 2004, Gamboa was forced to withdraw from the opening match of the flyweight competition a year later. Two years later he became the featherweight champion after he defeated Luis Franco.
He made his professional debut on April 27, 2007, defeating Alexan Manvelyan by a unanimous decision. Gamboa went after the vacant WBC title in 2008 and defeated Darling Jimenez for the belt, which he won by a unanimous decision. In 2010, the Cuban fighter defeated Orlando Salado to unify his WBA and IBF featherweight titles.
Gamboa holds a stellar 19-0 career record. He currently resides in Miami, USA.
