By Scott Gilfoid: WBA/WBO super bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux’s manager Gary Hyde is looking to force the hand of WBA regular 122 pound champion Scott Quigg (30-0-2, 22 KOs) to get him to fight Rigondeaux. Quigg has been the WBA champion for over a year now, and yet he still hasn’t fought Rigondeaux.
Hyde has petitioned the World Boxing Association to get them to force the Rigondeaux vs. Quigg fight.
The WBA has the power to do this. If the WBA opts not to force the issue, Quigg will likely face IBF super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton next in a unification match. Rigondeaux would like to fight Frampton as well, but he’s had zero luck in getting the Irish fighter in the ring with him.
Quigg is the WBA mandatory challenger to Rigondeaux. Normally the regular champions are in a hurry to fight the Super champion, because it gives them a chance to prove that they’re not just a paper belt holder, but in this case Quigg has been in no hurry to take on Rigondeaux.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeaVS6yR7XA
It’s starting to look like Quigg will never agree to fight Quigg unless the WBA steps in and forces the issue. Even then, it’s debatable whether Quigg will take the fight with the Cuban star.
I can certainly see a scenario where Quigg simply vacates his WBA 122 pound title, and then turns around and faces Frampton for his IBF strap.
Look at it this way; if Quigg takes the fight with Rigondeaux, he’s very likely to suffer a one-sided loss and wind up getting clowned by the Cuban defensive artist. But if Quigg vacates his WBA strap, he can at least sport his unbeaten record for a little while longer until he faces Frampton.
On the positive side, it would be good to clear out a champion who isn’t stepping up to face the best. The next WBA regular champion maybe someone who isn’t slow about fighting Rigondeaux.
Quigg has been out with an injury recently, and he’s been sidelined for a while since his win over little known Hidenori Otake last November. Otake is just one of many obscure opponents that Quigg has faced recently. In his other fights, Quigg has beaten Stephane Jamoye, Tshifhiwa Munyai and Diego Oscar Silva.
Quigg’s promoter Eddie Hearn has been doing a good job of digging up opponents for him to keep him winning, but the problem is the guys Hearn has been putting in with Quigg has been on the weak side and not nearly as talented as Rigondeaux and some of the other fighters in the 122 pound division.
Hyde said this to the WBA: “We are aware that there are some discussions about a bout between Quigg and Frampton. However, we have been in touch with the IBF and they will not sanction the unification fight with anyone other than the highest level champion which in this case is Guillermo Rigondeaux.”
With the IBF not agreeing to sanction the Frampton-Quigg fight, I can definitely see one of them vacating their titles so that the fight can take place. I don’t see Quigg ever agreeing to fight Rigondeaux, or at least while he’s still fighting at a high level.
It’s another thing once Rigondeaux starts showing signs of being a shot fighter. Once that happens, I can see the fighters coming out of the woodwork to want to fight him.
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