Is Elio Rojas an Elite Featherweight?
Judging by the Ring Magazine rankings for the featherweight division, it wouldn’t appear that there is much to choose between sixth-ranked Yuriorkis Gamboa and Elio Rojas, who is directly behind him at number seven. In theory, their scheduled fight to unify Gamboa’s WBA and Rojas’ WBC featherweight titles should be looked at as a spirited contest between two of the top talents in the sport.
But that just hasn’t been the case. Most people believe that this is a fight that Gamboa should easily win. The general perception is that Gamboa (18-0, 15 KOs) is one of the brightest young fighters in the sport who only needs time and more fights against quality opponents to rise to the upper echelons of the sport. Meanwhile, most people feel that Rojas (22-1, 13 KOs) is a nice, solid fighter but a step below Gamboa in terms of his talent and overall potential.
It’s easy to see why experts would peg Gamboa for superstardom. After all, he’s a former Olympic gold medallist who has become one of the most exciting and intriguing talents in the sport since defecting to the United States several years ago. He has true one-punch power and the ability to change a fight instantly. It’s this kind of dynamic quality that has made his fights true “must-see” events for a growing number of fight fans.
Rojas occupies ambiguous space
Determining Rojas’ place within the sport is more difficult. While he isn’t a former Olympic gold medallist like Gamboa, he still has a strong amateur pedigree - he was a member of the Dominican Republic’s amateur team that went to the 2001 World Championships and the 2002 Central American & Caribbean Games (where he won a gold medal but was stripped of it after testing positive for a diuretic which helps to lose weight).
Much of the problem comes from Rojas’ lack of fights against top contenders. It hasn’t been until his last three fights where Rojas has taken on a higher level of competition. (Interestingly enough, this came immediately after his only career loss when he a split decision to Gamaliel Diaz in a WBC featherweight title eliminator in 2007.) His upset of Hector Velazquez helped pave the way for his title victory over Takahiro Ao and most recent defence against a tough fighter in Guty Espadas Jr. However, none of these fighters are near the top level of fighters in the division.
Another issue is that Rojas has not fought as often as some of the other top-ranked featherweights in the world. He’s fought just four times in the past three years, which has limited his ability to stay within the public spotlight. By a point of comparison, Gamboa has fought 15 times within the same time frame, helping to keep him sharp, active and in the minds of boxing fans everywhere.
King holding Rojas back from elite status
In many ways, it isn’t surprising to learn that Rojas is being promoted by Don King. The legendary fight promoter has earned a reputation in recent years for “protecting” his fighters by holding off on having them fight top-level opponents until absolutely necessary. Ironically, Rojas is being trained by Kevin Cunningham for his fight against Gamboa. Cunningham also trains Devon Alexander, another fighter who is promoted by King; in fact Cunningham has been critical of King’s lack of interest in aggressively pushing Alexander in the past.
As of right now, it’s impossible to consider Elio Rojas an “elite” featherweight; he simply hasn’t fought enough times in recent years against top quality opposition to earn that title. However, he has a good chance to spring an upset against Gamboa - he is a southpaw who is bigger than Gamboa and has good boxing skills. If he beats Gamboa, then there will be little question that he deserves to be mentioned with the top names at featherweight like Chris John and Juan Manuel Lopez.
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