Arum: Donaire-Rigondeaux was a close fight

By Boxing News - 04/15/2013 - Comments

rigondeaux43By Dan Ambrose: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum wasn’t exactly pouring compliments over the head of WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0, 9 KO’s) after he beat WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (31-2, 20 KO’s) last Saturday night by a 12 round unanimous decision at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York.

Arum is usually all over his fighters when they win and smothering them with compliments. This time, Arum seemed subdued and was talking about how difficult it’s going to be to find fights for Rigondeaux and how he thought the fight was a close one. Arum didn’t look happy at all with Donaire losing the fight and Rigondeaux winning, even though he promotes both fighters. It almost seemed like he was making excuses for Donaire’s loss.

Arum said “He [Rigondeaux] could have thrown more punches. It was a close fight.”

Rigondeaux said “Bob owes me now. Let’s see what kind of plans he has for me now.”

The fight wasn’t close. I don’t care what Arum says about that. The rounds may have been somewhat close but they had a definite winner each time with Rigondeaux out-landing Donaire, landing the cleaner shots and making him miss constantly.

Rigondeaux was in control in every round of the fight, even the 10th round when Donaire scored a knockdown after shoving Rigondeaux back with his forearm and nailing him with a left. That looked like a cheap shut because of the shove Donaire gave Rigondeaux before throwing the punch.

In the 12th, instead of Donaire coming out fast to try and score a knockout, it was Rigondeaux who came out on fire and immediately hurt Donaire with a left hand to his right eye. Donaire covered up for the remainder of the round and took a beating.

I hope Rigondeaux isn’t expecting Arum to put him back in with Donaire because that’s not going to happen, even though Donaire said he was open to the rematch. Donaire didn’t seem at all eager when he mentioned wanting to fight Rigondeaux again. It’s just not going to happen.

Donaire says it himself that Arum is the one that makes the fights for him. He just signs the contract. Arum probably isn’t going to make that fight because he’s going to want to keep Donaire as a marketable fighter, and another loss to Rigondeaux, which would seem like a forgone conclusion, will take away a lot of Donaire’s marketability.

I seriously doubt Arum will match Rigondeaux with any big names for his next fight for the remainder of his fights in 2013. At best, I can see Arum putting Rigondeaux in with 38-year-old Vic Darchinyan and then maybe the winner of the Victor Terrazaz vs. Christian Mijares fight. There probably won’t be any Jorge Arce, Toshiaki Nishiokas, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr’s or Jeffrey Mathebulas for Rigondeaux to pad his resume with to become the fighter of the year for 2013.



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