By Scott Gilfoid: WBA/WBO super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0, 8 KO’s) is in need of an opponent for his next title defense of his two 122 pound straps. Rigondeaux’s manager Gary Hyde is interested in matching Rigondeaux up against the #7 WBA Carl Frampton (16-0, 11 KO’s) or former two division world champion Abner Mares.
However, due to the Golden Boy – Top Rank feud that’s still going on, a fight between the Top Rank promoted Rigondeaux and the Golden Boy promoted Mares would seem to be all but impossible. As such, that leaves Frampton or the WBA interim super bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (25-0-1, 18 KO’s) as viable targets for the 32-year-old Rigondeaux to pick from.
I can already say right off the bat that Frampton’s promoter Eddie Hearn at Matchroom Sport won’t likely let Frampton get anywhere near Rigondeaux until he shows signs of aging to the point where he no longer has his incredible skills and even then I have strong doubts Hearn would trust putting Frampton in with such a good fighter.
Hearn is angling Frampton against the IBF super bantamweight champion Jhonatan Romero, who is nothing like Rigondeaux in terms of skills. In other words, he may be a fighter that is beatable for Frampton but clearly Rigondeaux is not.
As for Quigg, he might as well take the fight because why else is he holding the interim WBA title. If he doesn’t want to fight Rigondeaux then he needs to give up the title because if he ever wants the full WBA title he’s going to have to face Rigondeaux to get it.
It obviously would have been a better thing for Quigg had Nonito Donaire beaten Rigondeaux last Saturday night because then Quigg could be in line for a big payday against him instead of what will likely be a lot less money against Rigondeaux.
Quigg is going to have to make up his mind whether he wants the Rigondeaux fight or not. If he doesn’t feel up to it, then he needs to give up the interim strap and then scamper back down below and get in line for one of the other champions because Rigondeaux can’t waste his time waiting on guys.
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