Whilst we can laud pure boxing skills all day long boxing is a business and a main event should not be fought in front on a handful of fans. Unfortunately tonight we saw just that as Guillermo Rigondeaux (13-0, 8) defended his WBA "super" and WBO Super Bantamweight titles in front of a scattering of fans at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Rigondeaux, one of the most talented fighters in living memory was expected to be involved in a fight as he took on Joseph Agbeko (29-5, 22) instead what we got was a glorified exhibition. An exhibition that became so uninteresting that only a few members of the press remained in their seat for the bout, and I believe a number of those may well have fallen to sleep.
For the first 6 rounds Rigondeaux landed singes, handcuffed Agbeko with a jab and refused to force the action. Sure it takes two to tango but Agbeko wasn't in a dancing mood. In fact the only thing Agbeko wanted to do was hide behind a tight guard and shuffle forward with little intention of throwing a punch.
By round 7 it appeared even the Cuban was bored. He began to let his shots go in twos and threes and although they were still taken on the gloves of Agbeko he was at least doing something. They weren't having an effect on Agbeko but they were scoring shots and in fact Rigondeaux was landing more than Agbeko was throwing. It was nothing short of a man exhibiting his skills against a human punch bag. Sadly he merely showing off his skills and not how destructive he could be, had he wanted to be destructive then we could have had some entertainment.
For the final few rounds Agbeko slowly began to let his hands go. He wasn't taking many risks but he was finally attempting to fight. This proved to be too little too late and Rigondeaux continued to land the only punches of note in what was one of the most straight forward and simple world title fights of the year.
There was never any doubt in the score cards which were 120-108, in fact if anything the shut out didn't represent the domination of Rigondeaux and it could well have been 120-102 due to how little Agbeko did in a number of the rounds.
Sadly the domination just failed to excite anyone. Thankfully however the fight didn't receive any boos, on the flipside of that, there was no one in the venue to boo the fight. At the end of the day that was only a faint positive as no one will be paying to see another fight like this. I'm afraid that Rigondeaux is giving himself no options. He's too good to fight such a restrained style, but he's too good to change his style. Unless he can find a rival his career is going to be one of the least exciting in history despite the fact he's ridiculously talent.
Showing posts with label WBO Super Bantamweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBO Super Bantamweight. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Saturday, 13 April 2013
Nonito Donaire v Guillermo Rigondeaux
In arguably the first mainstream super fight of the year Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0, 7) unified the WBO and WBA Super Bantamweight titles as he defeated Nonito Donaire (31-2, 20) via decision. Although the bout was billed as a super-fight it really was a huge let down with very little sustained action which saw a lot of booing in the second half of the bout.
The bout started very well with both men landing huge shots in the first 30 seconds though unfortunately that merely saw both men taste each others power and become even more respectful than they were going to be anyway as the bout became a chess match.
In a boxing contest things were always going to favour the better pure boxer and this was clearly Rigondeaux who used his feet to create a lot of distance and totally slow the pace of fight by effective but yet negative movement. It was this negativity that drew the boos though in all honesty Donaire was falling in to the trap of trying to outbox Rigondeaux, something that he was never going to be able to do.
When Donaire stopped following Rigondeaux he managed to have some success and this was most notable in round 10 when he managed to drop the Cuban with the best shot of the bout. This seemed as if Donaire was finally going to change the style of bout though unfortunately for the "Filipino Flash" Rigondeaux managed to survive the round.
Donaire, who had brought the pressure throughout the fight was hugely ineffective with his aggression and this showed notably in round 11 as Rigondeaux was allowed to re-assume control of the bout with his movement and jab. Donaire was starting to load up on every shot he was throwing and was merely making life easier than ever for the Cuban who had recovered fully from the knockdown.
In round 12 the bout flipped on it's head as Rigondeaux landed a massive shot to the face od Donaire which caused Donaire serious problems through out the rest of the round as he covered his eye and started to be the fighter on the back foot. Donaire continued to look for a single big counter but Rigondeaux was simply too well schooled and too fast for Donaire who ended the fight looking both dejected and like he'd be spending a fair bit of time with ice on his face if not needing surgery on his eye.
For Donaire this was his first loss in 12 years (since his second bout) though it was a loss that will sting a lot more than his first. This was a real disappointment for the man that many had as #3 or #4 pound-for-pound and a loss that will likely set Donaire back down the pecking order. For victor come the spoils and Rigondeaux will rightfully have time to reflect on his options to either defend his 2 current titles, to try and collect a 3rd or to move up and fight a top Featherweight.
Although Rigondeaux will be celebrating tonight I'd certainly expect him to be keeping an eye out for next weekend as Cristian Mijares takes on Victor Terrazas or the vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title, though IBF champion Jonathan Romero would also pose an interesting option for the the Cuban.
The bout started very well with both men landing huge shots in the first 30 seconds though unfortunately that merely saw both men taste each others power and become even more respectful than they were going to be anyway as the bout became a chess match.
In a boxing contest things were always going to favour the better pure boxer and this was clearly Rigondeaux who used his feet to create a lot of distance and totally slow the pace of fight by effective but yet negative movement. It was this negativity that drew the boos though in all honesty Donaire was falling in to the trap of trying to outbox Rigondeaux, something that he was never going to be able to do.
When Donaire stopped following Rigondeaux he managed to have some success and this was most notable in round 10 when he managed to drop the Cuban with the best shot of the bout. This seemed as if Donaire was finally going to change the style of bout though unfortunately for the "Filipino Flash" Rigondeaux managed to survive the round.
Donaire, who had brought the pressure throughout the fight was hugely ineffective with his aggression and this showed notably in round 11 as Rigondeaux was allowed to re-assume control of the bout with his movement and jab. Donaire was starting to load up on every shot he was throwing and was merely making life easier than ever for the Cuban who had recovered fully from the knockdown.
In round 12 the bout flipped on it's head as Rigondeaux landed a massive shot to the face od Donaire which caused Donaire serious problems through out the rest of the round as he covered his eye and started to be the fighter on the back foot. Donaire continued to look for a single big counter but Rigondeaux was simply too well schooled and too fast for Donaire who ended the fight looking both dejected and like he'd be spending a fair bit of time with ice on his face if not needing surgery on his eye.
For Donaire this was his first loss in 12 years (since his second bout) though it was a loss that will sting a lot more than his first. This was a real disappointment for the man that many had as #3 or #4 pound-for-pound and a loss that will likely set Donaire back down the pecking order. For victor come the spoils and Rigondeaux will rightfully have time to reflect on his options to either defend his 2 current titles, to try and collect a 3rd or to move up and fight a top Featherweight.
Although Rigondeaux will be celebrating tonight I'd certainly expect him to be keeping an eye out for next weekend as Cristian Mijares takes on Victor Terrazas or the vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title, though IBF champion Jonathan Romero would also pose an interesting option for the the Cuban.
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Nonito Donaire v Toshiaki Nishioka
The highly regarded Nonito Donaire (30-1, 19) made the second successful defense of the WBO Super Bantamweight title as he stopped the well respected Japanese fighter Toshiaki Nishioka (39-5-3, 24) in 9 rounds. Sadly despite this being a very notable win for Donaire it wasn't a fight that matched the expectation that many had, as Nishioka was simply ring rusty and too old.
The bout started very cautiously for Nishioka who seemed almost unwilling to open up in the first 5 rounds which were all clear and easy Donaire rounds. Nishioka gauged the distance well to keep Donaire out of range, and the Filipino-American threw plenty but landed little whilst the Japanese challenger just threw literally nothing.
In round 6 Nishioka opened up for the first time in the bout, sadly however he was made to pay and he was dropped for the first time in the bout. By now the challenger was a long way behind on the scorecards.
Through rounds 7 and 8 Nishioka grew into the bout and he actually had a shout for winning one of those rounds however he was still cautious and didn't appear that willing to actually have a fight with Donaire, and with good reason as Donaire hits hard and was much, much sharper.
Sadly for the challenger it appears that Donaire was luring him into a false sense of security and in round 9, with Nishioka on the offense Donaire landed a beautiful right hand counter that sent Nishioka down for the second time. Although Nishioka recovered to his feet the bout was soon stopped by his corner who realised their man wasn't at the races.
Despite this being a good name on Donaire's record it needs to be known that this isn't the Nishioka of 2 or 3 years ago. This was a 36 year old Nishioka who hadn't fought in over a year and it showed.
For Donaire a fight with Rigondeaux is almost required, for Nishioka however retirement looms.
The bout started very cautiously for Nishioka who seemed almost unwilling to open up in the first 5 rounds which were all clear and easy Donaire rounds. Nishioka gauged the distance well to keep Donaire out of range, and the Filipino-American threw plenty but landed little whilst the Japanese challenger just threw literally nothing.
In round 6 Nishioka opened up for the first time in the bout, sadly however he was made to pay and he was dropped for the first time in the bout. By now the challenger was a long way behind on the scorecards.
Through rounds 7 and 8 Nishioka grew into the bout and he actually had a shout for winning one of those rounds however he was still cautious and didn't appear that willing to actually have a fight with Donaire, and with good reason as Donaire hits hard and was much, much sharper.
Sadly for the challenger it appears that Donaire was luring him into a false sense of security and in round 9, with Nishioka on the offense Donaire landed a beautiful right hand counter that sent Nishioka down for the second time. Although Nishioka recovered to his feet the bout was soon stopped by his corner who realised their man wasn't at the races.
Despite this being a good name on Donaire's record it needs to be known that this isn't the Nishioka of 2 or 3 years ago. This was a 36 year old Nishioka who hadn't fought in over a year and it showed.
For Donaire a fight with Rigondeaux is almost required, for Nishioka however retirement looms.
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