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.
The first time Sod was hurt resulted in the controversial aspect of the brief bout. With Rigondeaux coming inside, a hard head-butt crashed into Sod’s skull and down he went, in obvious pain and looking to the referee Mark Nelson. Was the butt intentional? This will almost certainly be debated by fight fans. But then, when the action resumed, the defending champ almost sucker-punched the challenger, with a right followed by a wicked left to the head comb that was launched a split second after the two had touched gloves. Sod went down again, badly stunned and just like that, the fight was over with. Sod was immediately angry and he had to be restrained by his team.
Rigondeaux, known as a master boxer, showed venomous power today and his somewhat controversial win will certainly give fans who call him boring something else to think about. Okay, Sod (I’m being lazy referring to the 37-year-old by his first name!) was no world elite fighter, but he had won all but one of almost 40 bouts (just one draw) since his 2006 KO loss to Daniel Ponce De Leon.
To have taken his man out so quickly (again, with the assistance of a head-clash and a “sucker-punch”) Rigondeaux deserves a rave review. Will more people tune in to see “The Jackal’s” next fight?
