By Dan Ambrose: WBA World super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KO’s) is being mentioned as the co-main event on the undercard of WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley’s first defense of his title on December 15th at a still to be determined venue, according to USA Today.

Rigondeaux, 32, recently defeated Top Rank stable fighter Robert Marroquin by a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision last month on September 15th on the undercard of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs. Sergio Martinez fight.

Rigondeaux could have a mandatory defense coming up as Marroquin was picked from near the bottom of the World Boxing Association rankings at #15. With the #1 position open as of now the next available contender would be #3 WBA Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym. If he doesn’t take the fight then Rigondeaux might have to work down the list until he can get a good opponent that is available to fight him. Hopefully boxing fans don’t have to see Rigondeaux fight another over-sized bottom dweller like the hulking Marroquin, who looked more like a lightweight than a super bantamweight. The size difference between Marroquin and Rigondeaux was fairly startling.

The important thing for Rigondeaux is that he needs a quality opponent that boxing fans have actually heard of in order to increase his popularity to help mount pressure to get IBF/WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire to fight him. Rigondeaux isn’t going to accomplish that if Top Rank keeps matching him against bottom dwellers like Marroquin and Teon Kennedy. They’ve really not done Rigondeaux any favors by reaching from the bottom to find opposition for him to fight his last bouts instead of going after top guys like Scott Quigg, Rendall Munroe, Victor Terrazaz, Jonathan Oquendo and Alexander Bakhtin.

Rigondeaux has the skills to beat anyone in the division but Top Rank has to start making fights for him because his career is being wasted on the likes of Marroquin and Kennedy.