Rigondeaux Can Spark Super Bantamweight Unification Series

01/08/2015 Ryan Forde-Kelly

As we settle in for 2015, it’s customary for the boxing fraternity and fans alike to state their hopes and wishes for the year ahead. Essentially dream fights which we hope will be made, which against all logic are not likely to happen. There are a few that spring to mind immediately, an end to the Floyd Mayweather/ Manny Pacquiao saga, Andre Ward v Gennady Golovkin (catch weight), Sergey Kovalev v Adonis Stevenson and of course Alex Ariza v a peak Mike Tyson.

On this occasion I have chosen to air on the side of caution and focus my attentions on an occurrence of a more realistic persuasion, which would be the collision of the current crop of Super Bantamweight World Champions. In Guillermo Rigondeaux, Leo Santa-Cruz, Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg, the division finds itself on the cusp of greatness. Greatness it enjoyed almost 15 years previous when Erik Morales won a split decision over Marco Antonio Barrera in what is widely considered one of the greatest fights of all time. Right now we have four fighters, boasting a collective 92-0-3 (61KO’s) record and a blend of styles capable of producing a series of fights that will define each of their careers.

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Santa Cruz: I want to prove I’m not afraid of Rigondeaux

08/19/2014 Jeff Sorby

WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15 KOs) is talking about wanting to fight WBA/WBO 122 pound champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (14-0, 9 KOs) in the near future in a unification match.

Rigondeaux has been taunting Santa Cruz and giving him grief on twitter by saying that he’s terrified about wanting to get in the ring and face him. Santana says he wants to show Rigondeaux how unafraid he is by facing him. Needless to say, this is a very tough match-up for Santa Cruz, because Rigondeaux is the best fighter in the super bantamweight division by far.

“Guillermo (Rigondeaux). He’s the one who’s been calling me out saying that I’m scared,” Santa Cruz said. “I want to prove that I’m not scared. I know it’s a hard fight for me, but we don’t care. I want to give the fans what they want. I want to please them and if they’re happy, I’m happy.”

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Guillermo Rigondeaux destroys Sod Kokietgym inside a round (with a little controversy thrown in!)

07/20/201407/19/2014 James Slater

Today in Macao, WBA and WBO super-bantamweight king Guillermo Rigondeaux scored a devastating 1st-round KO over the experienced and usually very durable Sod Kokietgym of Thailand. The incredibly gifted 33-year-old Cuban southpaw improved to 14-0(9) with the quick, 1-minute 44-seconds win. 37-year-old Sod, also a southpaw, fell to 63-3-1(28).

Expected by just about everyone to win either late on or via somewhat dull decision (the knock on Rigondeaux is that he is defensive minded and boring to watch), the former two-time Olympic gold medallist instead put on a show of power punching. Before today’s fight – perhaps angry at having been rejected by a certain cable T.V giant who refused to take his most recent fight – Rigondeaux promised he’d be more explosive against Sod. The Cuban delivered.

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Will Top Rank let Lomachenko fight Rigondeaux and Mikey Garcia?

06/23/2014 Jeff Sorby

With Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1 KO’s) beating one of the better featherweights in the division last Saturday night in Gary Russell Jr (24-1, 14 KO’s) in their fight for the vacant WBO featherweight title, Lomachenko has removed one of the bigger names in the division.

Easily the best options for Lomachenko to fight is super bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux and WBO super featherweight champion Mikey Garcia. Rigondeaux is a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba with even better counter punching skills than Lomachenko and a far superior body puncher. However, Rigondeaux already took down one of Top Rank’s stars by beating Nonito Donaire with ease last year, and there’s been no attempt by Top Rank to let Donaire attempt to redeem himself.

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Frampton not interested in Rigondeaux fight, prefers Santa Cruz

04/05/2014 Jeff Sorby

Following Carl Frampton’s 2nd round TKO win over Hugo Cazares (40-8-2, 27 KO’s) last Friday night in their WBC 122lb eliminator bout, Gary Hyde, the manager for WBA/WBO super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, took the opportunity to give unbeaten contender Frampton (18-0, 13 KO’s) an offer to fight for Rigondeaux’s two titles next. He even offered to bring the Cuban star over to Belfast, Northern Ireland to face Frampton in his own neck of the woods in front of his own Irish fans.

As good as that fight would be, Frampton said he’s not interested in it at the present time. He wants to fight WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz next, and he wants that fight to take place in Belfast.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Canelo vs Angulo, Santa Cruz, Rigondeaux, and Tony Weeks!

03/13/201403/10/2014 Vivek Wallace

Erik N. (El Paso, TX): I thought Canelo performed very well against Angulo and I feel he’s the best at 154lbs. How did you rate his performance and what are your thoughts for him going forward?

Vivek W. (ESB): From the subplots coming into this event to the ones during the event, as well as those which have spurned in the aftermath of it, there are so many different things to consider with Canelo when you analyze the big picture. Just kind of taking things full circle, I’ll start with the pre-fight angle…..namely the weight issue.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Mayweather/Pacquiao, Shawn Porter, Andre Ward’s Contract Dispute, & RIgondeaux!!

12/12/201312/10/2013 Vivek Wallace

pac931 pac931 Anand G. (San Antonio, TX): Manny Pacquiao is now the mandatory challenger for Floyd Mayweather’s WBC strap. How do you see this set of negotiations going between the two camps now that there’s a governing body both men respect at the center of it?

Vivek W. (ESB): At the core of this drama between the two camps, we’ve seen it all and heard it all, but this new wrinkle marks a first! With Pacquiao being a mandatory challenger, it puts Mayweather in an odd situation. He owns the upper hand at the negotiating table, but does Pacquiao’s mandatory challenger position carry enough weight to force Mayweather into taking a deal that isn’t commensurate to what he rates at this stage of his career? No! Not at all. That said, I do think it serves as a breeding ground for new results. One thing few have considred is the fact that contrary to popular belief, Pacquiao doesn’t have an exclusive deal with HBO.

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Rigondeaux dominates Agbeko; Macklin defeats Russ; Kirkland stops Tapia

12/08/201312/07/2013 Jeff Sorby

rigon65 rigon65 In a fight that should have never been made, WBA/WBO super bantamweight champion (13-0, 8 KO’s) easily beat a ring-rusty veteran Joseph Agbeko (29-5m 22 KO’s) in winning a ridiculously easy 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Rigondeaux was too fast for Agbeko, and was able to hit him cleanly with left hands all night long. Agbeko tried hard to land his shots, but he was too slow and way out of out of his class.

It was one of those fights where the class between the two fighters was too far apart for the fight to be competitive. No doubt, Agbeko could have been more aggressive to try and win the fight, but it looked like he made up his mind he was just going to go the distance and not do what he needed to in order to win the fight.

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Rigondeaux vs. Agbeko & Tapia vs. Kirkland: Return of the 122 King and a classic prospect versus vet matchup

12/06/201312/06/2013 Chris Carlson

This coming weekend boxing fans get quite a treat with a plethora of fights to choose from. This article will focus on the return of the Super Bantamweight King Guillermo Rigondeaux facing off against the hardened pro Joseph Agbeko.

There is a fantastic matchup between rising prospect Glen Tapia, who is vying to become a contender, and always dangerous James Kirkland, which will serve as the co-feature for the HBO broadcast from Atlantic City.

Much has been stated or spewed about Guillermo Rigondeaux’s performance the night he did the unthinkable and beat than Top 5 P4P member Nonito Donaire.

Some of the top writers in the sport rained down on the Cuban’s parade for not having enough excitement or action in his victory. Many including Bob Arum labeled it as horrible bordering on torture to watch the whole fight in one sitting.

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Will Agbeko Perform Better Than Donaire Against Rigondeaux?

05/29/201412/05/2013 Alexander Caldwell

Nonito Donaire and Joseph Agbeko both became well established names in boxing circles following impressive victories against Vic Darchinyan. More than 6 years ago, when still a relative unknown, Donaire was the first to defeat Darchinyan in a shocking upset knockout. From there Donaire coasted and ultimately earned universal elite status recognition. Many people felt Donaire’s great run would continue for the foreseeable future, and it had until he was outclassed by Guillermo Rigondeaux earlier this year.

Rigondeaux made Donaire look absolutely terrible. In fact Rigondeaux was so dominant that it left fans searching for answers. Was Rigondeaux really that good? Was Donaire perhaps a bit overrated? Is Donaire on the slide? A bad style match up? An off night? Too reliant on his power? Whatever the case may be, Donaire’s style was awful and entirely ineffective against Rigondeaux. Donaire more closely resembled a rank amateur than a solidified P4P superstar. It was simply a masterful performance from the Cuban sensation.

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