Featherweight David Navarro will face his toughest test to date when he steps into the ring against undefeated Mykell Gamble on Wednesday night.
The bout will be featured on the ProBox TV App as part of Wednesday Night Fights, live from the ProBox TV Events Center near Tampa in Florida.
Navarro (6-1, 3 KOs), a former silver medalist at the 2019 Olympic Trials, acknowledges the challenge Gamble (7-0, 4 KOs) presents, particularly with his southpaw stance and solid amateur background.
“It’s getting tougher and tougher every fight,” Navarro, 24, told BoxingScene. “This is one of the first times I’m fighting a southpaw in my professional career, so we made adjustments in the gym. We’re still working on some things, but overall, every fight I try to be aggressive but smart.”
Navarro, from Hemet, California, hasn’t faced the 22-year-old Gamble from Cincinnati, Ohio, in the amateur ranks, but he’s well aware of the unpredictability that comes with such opponents with deep amateur pedigree.
“I know the amateur style well — you always have to be cautious,” Navarro said. “With his amateur experience and southpaw stance, I’ve been focusing on certain things. It’s all about the little adjustments.”
Navarro’s career faced an early setback in 2021 when he suffered a TKO loss to veteran Diuhl Olguin. Despite leading on the scorecards, a cut that the referee ruled to be caused by a legal punch stopped the bout in the sixth round. The defeat marked a critical turning point for Navarro, who saw his profile drop as a result.
“That fight definitely changed me,” Navarro said. “It was tough, but I had the right team around me – my family, my coach Robert Garcia – and that support got me through it. I went right back to the gym and started training harder. It made me stronger as a person. I know things happen that are out of our control, but I took it as a life lesson.”
Since that loss, Navarro has only fought four times, and with his fight against Gamble set to be broadcast on ProBox TV, he’s eager to prove himself once again.
Navarro, who trains with Garcia in Riverside, California, also reflected on his 2019 Olympic Trials experience, where he claimed silver by defeating notable prospects like Duke Ragan, Rasheim Jefferson, and Jonathan Mansour.
“I was honored to be in the Olympic Trials,” Navarro said. “It was a great experience, and I fought my butt off. Guys like Bruce Carrington and Johnny Mansour are doing great right now. I think about those fights a lot – I wish I could do it again.”
As he prepares for Gamble, Navarro is focused and determined to show that his early career loss was merely a stepping stone.
“Knowing that all my family, everyone, is going to see me – it motivates me more,” he said. “I’m still hungry. I’ve been training hard, and I’m ready.”
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