It has been 10 months since Chris Colbert last fought, but the lightweight contender is working tirelessly to make a successful return – and to leave the recent past behind him.

In his previous outing, Colbert (17-2, 6 KOs) suffered a sixth-round stoppage defeat against Jose Valenzuela in a tense lightweight rematch last December at The Armory in Minneapolis.

The 28-year-old Colbert is scheduled to fight for the first time on ProBox TV on Oct. 9 against Mexico's Omar Salcido Gamez (19-1, 13 KOs). He is relishing his comeback after a lengthy break.

“It's not even close to a year,” Colbert told BoxingScene. “But, I mean, I needed this for a little while to get my mind right.

“I've been through a lot in my career against a lot of tough guys. In my last three fights, I've been through a lot of wars. So I needed a little break. But I'm feeling back. I'm feeling better, and I'm ready to do what I do best come October 9.”

Colbert is looking to return to winning ways against Gamez, 24, after that devastating knockout defeat. The rematch with Valenzuela was highly anticipated because of the controversy that surrounded their first fight on the undercard of David Benavidez-Caleb Plant in Las Vegas in March 2023. 

Valenzuela had complained about Colbert being scored the winner via unanimous decision at the end of their 10-round contest, leading to Colbert offering a rematch. Valenzuela then stopped Colbert nine months later.

“This is called boxing,” Colbert said. “You gotta land more punches than throwing harder shots, and I definitely did that. Of course, it didn't go in his favor because he didn't win. Everybody got their own opinion. It’s like an asshole. We all have one.

“In the rematch, what happened was I made the No. 1 rule that you're not supposed to make in boxing. Never pull back with your hands down, and I got caught. I paid the price.”

Colbert has since turned his attention to Gamez. The Brooklyn, New York, native is not underestimating his opponent, despite knowing little about him.

“I watch his fights,” Colbert said. “I've seen him fight, but I don't know him besides watching him fight. It's been a long camp. I was supposed to fight a month ago, but I postponed it because of mental health issues. But I'm feeling much better, and I'm in a better place in life.”

Gamez, on the other hand, hopes to make it two wins in succession when he faces Colbert, having secured a unanimous decision victory over Luis Coria last December in his most recent ring outing. Two months prior to that victory, Gamez had lost for the first time, to Jose Nunez.

When asked what a win over Gamez would mean to his career, Colbert responded: “It means a lot as a giveback fight coming off a big, big loss.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com.