DONAIRE JR. VERSUS RIGONDEAUX: A REPLACEMENT FIGHT?
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 15 Feb 2013
We are a month and a half into ?The Year of the Snake? and yet the forecast for the sport is anything but venomous. The three major boxing oriented networks of HBO, Showtime and ESPN in the United States do not have any major attraction in line for the first half of the year for boxing fans to crave for.
Gone are the talks or speculations of when and where Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will fight, a big question mark that has stamped itself on boxing for four years now. Pacquiao has a nemesis to exact revenge on while Mayweather Jr. is being the diva that he is, prolonging an announcement to a Cinco de Mayo fight for whatever reasons he and his team has.
With the absence of the Mayweather-Pacquiao mega fight, we turn our eyes to two budding rivals of the 122 pound division, Nonito Donaire Jr. and Abner Mares. We hoped that their fight on Twitter will end up in the squared ring. We hunger for any developments between the fight getting made but they share the one big obstacle to Mayweather-Pacquiao as well, the cold war between their promoters.
And so we are back to zero and with no blockbuster bout to salivate our boxing appetite at. But wait, Donaire Jr. being the Fighter of The Year and the top dog of his division has fighters wanting a piece of his belt, popularity and name.
Enter, the Jackal from Cuba. Guillermo Rigondeaux, a highly decorated amateur fighter with nearly 400 fights in his resume. He was rewarded with the highly coveted Olympic gold with his exploits as an amateur, not once but twice. And after a late start in the pros, Rigondeaux is now the holder of the other 122 pound crown besides Donaire Jr. and Mares.
With the collapse of the Donaire Jr. versus Mares fight, Top Rank and HBO is reportedly in the pursuit of a fight between Donaire Jr. and Rigondeaux. But this is by no means a letdown, not like Pacquiao facing Joshua Clottey or Mayweather Jr. against Juan Manuel Marquez after the collapse of their proposed bouts against each other.
The fight between Donaire and the Cuban Olympian is something that fans can look forward to and feel good having it at their table. It does not have the impression of having a proxy dish served on your favorite restaurant because the day's specials have run out and it is too late to venture into another place.
Rigondeaux has long wanted a shot at Filipino rival. He has his eyes set on him and the accolades that come in beating Donaire Jr. But unlike the popular Mares, his lack of professional fights and following is a disadvantage to him. But a win against Donaire Jr. can change all that both in his record and bank accounts.
Donaire Jr. on the other hand has time and time again confronted the questions of him fighting a smaller fighter, fighting those not in his skill level. This is an annoying criticism of those who do not like him. He, not fighting Rigondeaux last year despite sharing the same promotional company raised the questions of him allegedly ducking the Cuban fighter. This fight and a win at that, will quiet all those remarks and nothing will satisfy the current Fighter of The Year than beating his in-house rival and silencing his critics.
Yes, the fight may stink come fight night. Yes, it may not live to 2012's noteworthy duels like Pacquiao-Marquez IV or Rios-Alvarado. Yes, it may be a case of a boring night of tactical boxing over a display of exciting ruckus in the ring. But we won't know until the final bell has rung right?
Give me a night where a champion meets a champion, where two fighters have a lot to lose if they taste defeat that night and where bragging rights are at stake. And I and the rest of boxing's devoted fans will be there, we will be watching and we will be anticipating.
Mares fighting Donaire may be compared to a Christmas present taken away from our hands, but Donaire Jr. versus Rigondeaux is the late gift that makes up for it. And in no way am I complaining.
Paging Top Rank and HBO, please play Santa on April.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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