"Top Rank met with HBO not all that long ago to talk about some fights for the summer. One was Gamboa against Celestino Caballero, an outstanding featherweight bout, which was ticketed for the July 24 card. HBO made a legitimate offer for the fight (between $650,000 and $750,000) and Top Rank then made a half-hearted effort to make it, even admitting to me that what was offered to Caballero and promoter Lou DiBella was probably not enough to get the fight done (about $250,000). So be it, but Top Rank's Bob Arum is now telling people that Caballero priced himself out of the fight, which is simply not true (shocking, right?). The reality is that Gamboa and Top Rank simply don't want to make the fight right now. They know how tough of a fight it is. Top Rank wouldn't even give HBO a number that it needed to get for the fight after telling the network that the initial offer wasn't enough. Now it looks like Gamboa may instead face titlist Rojas now that Rojas' promoter, Don King, has apparently backed off his silly demand for a 50-50 split. "
- Dan Rafael
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