Rigondeaux says he’s targeting all the 122lb champions

By Boxing News - 11/19/2015 - Comments

rigondeaux655By Scott Gilfoid: WBA super bantamweight champion Scott Quigg and IBF belt holder Carl Frampton had better beware, because former WBA/WBO 122lb champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs) says he’s going to be targeting all of those champions after he takes care of business this Saturday night against Drian Francisco (28-3-1, 22 KOs) in a fight on HBO PPV at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 35-year-old Rigondeaux recently was stripped of both of his titles by the WBA and WBO for failure to defend the belts in a timely fashion. The reason why Rigondeaux couldn’t defend his titles was due to problems with his management and promoters, according to ESPN.

Rigondeaux obviously wasn’t helped that the top fighters at 122 weren’t eager to get inside the ring with him. If Rigondeux had a chance to fight the likes of Leo Santa Cruz, Frampton, Quigg and Nonito Donaire, he would have jumped at the chance to take those fights, but those fighters haven’t been in a hurry to face the tough Cuban fighter because he has a way of not only whipping his opponents but also making them look incredibly bad in the process.

“To the rest of the [super bantamweight champions] out there with belts, beware because I am coming for them,” Rigondeaux said via ESPN.com. “I’m coming for all the belts and I am going to destroy them all. I am the real champion and everyone knows it. If you want to step in the ring with me, to prove it, let’s do it. It’s up to the fans to demand it from their champion to step up and get in the ring with me. They can run, but they can’t hide,” Rigondeaux said.

There was talk of Rigondeaux potentially fighting the much heavier WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko next year in 2016, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen though for the time being.

Rigondeaux is targeting the 122lb champions because he’s not happy how he was stripped by the WBA and WBO, and how they’re letting his titles be fought over by the guys that didn’t want to fight him.

Donaire will be fighting for Rigondeaux’s WBO title against little known contender Cesar Juarez on December 11th. Frampton and Quigg will be fighting for Rigondeaux’s WBA title on February 27th next year.

“Once I’m done with Francisco, I’m ready to fight every else,” Rigondeaux said. “My energy after that will be spent winning all my belts back. I don’t need to say I’m the best. I demonstrate it. I will fight everyone at my weight.”

Well, hopefully the winner of the Donaire-Juarez and/or the Framptop-Quigg fight will agree to fight Rigondeaux, because it would be sad if they had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the ring to fight him. The WBA has already said that the winner of the Frampton vs. Quigg fight must face Rigondeaux next. It’s going to look bad if the Quigg-Frampton winner decides to vacate the WBA title in order to avoid Rigondeaux.



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