Yuriolkis Gamboa’s career will have an unexpected turn, now as one of the fighters linked to BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, one of the most demanding modalities on the professional circuit.
The so-called “Guantánamo Cyclone”, Olympic champion in Athens 2004, decided to extend his legacy by fighting bare-knuckle from now on, and at the age of 44 he signed a multi-year contract with the company that guarantees him the celebration of several fights, report The New Herald.
So far, the details of the agreement have not been revealed nor has there been a date set for the Cuban’s debut on this circuit, something that will reinforce the projection of this type of fight considered for years as an extreme version of boxing without much scope.
BKB just got a lot scarier.
A former Olympic gold medalist and multi-weight world champion boxer, Yuriorkis “El Ciclón de Guantanamo” Gamboa is coming to BKB Bare Knuckle.
Terence Crawford said he hit harder than anyone he’s ever faced.
Debut coming soon @gamboa pic.twitter.com/03nJ6OTj0x
— BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing (@bkbbareknuckle) February 4, 2026
BKB was founded in 2015 and is currently immersed in a global expansion process, highlighting the acquisition of developments in the United Kingdom and the United States.
For now it has a portfolio of more than 200 fighters from 30 countries and broadcast agreements with several television networks.
Gamboa will arrive at these stages with an extensive record, both at the amateur and professional level. After winning the flyweight division under the five rings, he began a career spanning three decades in boxing.
His forays closed in 2022 with a balance of 30 wins and five losses, including 18 KOs. During that journey, he reigned in the featherweight division of the World Boxing Association (WBA) between 2009 and 2011, and unified that scepter with the title of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) to become the first Cuban boxer to win a world title from that organization.
His confrontations with figures who have marked an era in the division remained for history, among them Terence Crawford, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz.
Another world title?
The news of Gamboa’s incorporation comes when many of the followers of Cuban boxing had assumed that, due to his age and the extra-sporting problems that affected him in recent years, the Guantanamo-born man would not enter a ring again.
Until recently, the Guantanamo fighter had not been able to leave Cuba, where he remained since the end of 2022 to face a judicial process linked to a traffic accident that cost a person’s life.
In August 2024 the boxer was free of chargesbut it was not until the end of January that his return to the city of Miami, where he has established his residence, was known.
Boxing: Yuriolkis Gamboa returns to Miami, more than a year after being acquitted in Cuba
Once all the setbacks have been overcome, Gamboa intends to return to the stellar planes, something that would promote the conquest of the world title in a modality that continues to gain followers around the world.
“Break fist boxing is the oldest form of boxing. After winning an Olympic gold and world championships, I am now focused and motivated to become BKB world champion,” declared the fighter, quoted by the media.
On the other hand, the company did not hide its satisfaction at having signed a figure with enough track record to continue attracting attention.
“Gamboa is a game-changer for BKB…His Olympic pedigree, world titles and track record against the best make this the most important signing we have ever made,” said CEO David Tetreault.
