Donaire vs. Rigondeaux

By Dan Ambrose: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says he’s given his fighter WBA World super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux an offer to fight WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, and he should find out the final word by the end of the week whether Rigondeaux will except the offer, which is said to be $750,000.

Arum said to hustleboss.com “That will be decided by the end of the week. We have made an offer to Rigondeaux and we’re waiting to see if he accepts.”

There’s talk that Rigondeaux is being pulled from many different sides on the contract issue, and that’s been the reason for him hesitating signing.

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By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum reportedly will be revealing who his fighter WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire will be facing on April 13th by the end of this week. There’s talk that Arum will be finally giving WBA World super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux a chance at fighting Donaire by letting him have the shot rather than the 37-year-old Vic Darchinyan.

As for the Donaire vs. WBC super bantamweight champion Abner Mares fight negotiations that have been talked about, Arum says that fight can’t happen because the contract Golden Boy Promotions sent over has a number of items that Arum isn’t happy with. According to the Manila Standard, Arum isn’t happy with the date that Golden Boy wants for the fight.

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By Chris Williams: It looks like WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 KO’s) will be facing fellow Top Rank promoted WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KO’s) on April 13th. Thesweetscience.com is reporting that a source has informed them that Rigondeaux “has agreed to terms” for a fight with Donaire for April 13th.

All I can say to this is Bob Arum, the promoter for both Donaire and Rigondeaux, sure didn’t wait very long to make the Donaire-Rigondeaux fight after rejecting the $3 million offer from Golden Boy Promotions for a fight between Mares and Donaire. Why would Arum move on so quickly after receiving such a huge offer? It doesn’t make sense. It makes you think that this is the fight that Arum wanted all along – Donaire vs. Rigondeaux.

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By Ryan Wardle: Current WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KO’s) was rumored to have had talks to schedule a fight with recently crowned 2012 Fighter of the Year, and current WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 KO’s).

However, over the past few days Golden Boy Promotions has claimed to have made a $3 million dollar offer to Donaire and Top Rank to schedule a fight with current WBC super bantamweight champion Abner Mares (25-0-1, 13 KO’s). Many boxing fans view this as too good to be true, as Top Rank and Golden Boy rarely do business together. Fans consider a possible match up between Rigondeaux and Donaire as not only a potentially exciting unification bout, but also as the easier fight to make.

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By Chris Williams: WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire received 2012 Fighter of the Year from a number of boxing news organization for his wins over a handful of older, little known and recently knocked out fighters.

Donaire is now finally on the verge of facing his first real quality in ages in his upcoming April 27th fight against WBA World super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux on April 27th on HBO. Nothing has been confirmed yet about the fight, but it’s like a sold for April 27th.

The only way the fight doesn’t happen now is if Bob Arum of Top Rank can work a deal with Golden Boy Promotions for Donaire to fight WBC super bantamweight champion Abner Mares in April. That’s just not going to happen.

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By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is still supposedly interested in matching his fighter WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 KO’s) against WBA World super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KO’s) in Donaire’s next fight, according to Steven Kim.

Kim said on his twitter “Bob Arum says it’s still his plan to match NDonaire with GRigo [Rigondeaux] next. But after AMares takes care of his WBC mandatory….He will offer Golden Boy and Mares a ”substantial sum” to face Donaire, later.(Assuming, I think, Donaire beats Rigo).”

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By Chris Williams: WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 KO’s) is perfectly clear about who he wants to fight next. He wants to fight a unification bout with WBC super bantamweight champion Abner Mares.

That fight will likely have to wait until either Mares’ promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions runs out or unless Donaire’s promoter Top Rank president Bob Arum can somehow negotiate the fight. Donaire will have to likely settle for a fight with WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KO’s), which may be a much tougher fight for Donaire than the brawling Mares would be.

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By Chris Williams: WBA World super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux’s manager Gary Hyde says he’s been given a promise by Top Rank Promotion Bob Arum that he’ll set up a fight between Rigondeaux and WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire in June next year after Rigondeaux gets in a title defense of his World Boxing Association 122 pound title on February 23rd.

In an interview with the El Nuevo Herald, Hyde said “Rigos next fight is scheduled for February 23rd against an opponent still to be named. Promoter Bob Arum promised me Rigo-Donaire fight will be in June 2013.”

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