By Dan Ambrose: WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (31-2, 20 KO’s) was totally out of his class tonight in losing by a 12 round unanimous decision to WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0, 8 KO’s) at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York.
To some boxing fans the fight was close, but most fans likely viewed it as a one-sided fight from start to finish with the exception of the 10th round when Donaire scored a flash knockdown. The final scores were 114-113, 115-112 and 116-111.
I was in agreement with HBO in seeing Rigondeaux win rounds 1-9 & 11-12. In other words, I had Donaire winning the 10th by his flash knockdown, even though Rigondeaux dominated Donaire in that round as well apart from the knockdown.
What was disappointing was the excuse that Donaire made after the fight. He said that he hadn’t studied Rigondeaux. The question is why Donaire didn’t study Rigondeaux when it was clear that he was the best fighter that Donaire had ever faced in his career. That just seems unprofessional to not study his opponent.
Did Donaire purposely not study Rigondeaux in order to have an excuse to fall back on if he failed? I know some people don’t put forth their best effort sometime because they can tell themselves that they would have won had they tried harder.
Donaire said afterwards: “I didn’t feel his power until the last round…I tore ligaments in my shoulder in the last three fights and I need to have surgery. I’m not making excuses I want to go up in the division. It’s very hard for me to make weight. I want the rematch. I didn’t study the fight and I should have.”
If Donaire has been fighting with torn ligaments in his shoulder then why did he take the fight? That’s a question you have to wonder about because right now it just looks like Donaire is trying to make excuses to explain away his loss somehow.
I wish Donaire had said nothing afterwards because his excuses just made him look like someone that couldn’t face the reality of what had happened in the ring tonight.
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