Nonito Donaire vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux
The names Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux may not mean much to casual boxing fans, but for big time fans, those names hold a lot of weight. A lot of fans wanted to see Donaire take on Abner Mares, but since Mares is with Golden Boy Promotions, that fight fell through. So instead fans get a match up that may prove to be even better. That is because the style contrasts of Donaire and Rigondeaux should amount to a very dangerous fight for both men. Also the stakes will be very, very high. This fight is a junior featherweight title unification, meaning whoever wins this fight holds every belt and is considered without a doubt the best fighter in his weight class.
Donaire is the #5 ranked p4p fighter in the world and was also the 2012 fighter of the year. In that year fans saw him take on Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka, and Jorge Arce, going 4-0 with 2 knockouts. The scarey thing was that the more fights he had, the better he looked. Donaire has a record of 31-1 with 20 knockouts, and his only loss came in 2001 in only his second professional fight. As far as boxers go, Donaire is a freak of nature in the mold of Manny Pacquiao, and not just because both fighter are Filipino. Like Pacquiao, Donaire has immense power in both hands and punches from very awkward angles. He also moves in and out extremely well, a trait that allows him to fight with his hands lowered to punch from those awkward angles. That also means that Donaire leaves himself open to counter punching, which is very dangerous against Rigondeaux. The other question mark about Donaire is his chin, he has never faced a true knockout artist and has been known to swell up in the past around his eyes. Perhaps the skill that will most help Donaire on Saturday, besides his quick footwork, is his relentless punching. Donaire is a fighter who stays very busy, and doesn't fade late. If Donaire were to beat Rigondeaux it would be the biggest win of his career and cement his legacy as one of the best small fighters of all time.
While Donaire is a well known commodity in professional boxing, Rigondeaux is not. That is because Rigondeaux is from Cuba and spent the bulk of his career fighting as an amateur. His career as an amateur is considered by many to be the best amateur career of all time. He won two Olympic gold medals in 2000 and 2004, and would have been the favorite to win in 2008 if he had not tried defecting from Cuba while on a boxing match in Brazil. That defection attempt was not successful and he was unable to box for Cuba. However in 2009 Rigondeaux was successful and defected to Miami, FL. Legends of his amateur career are widespread, he is said to have won around 400 fights while only losing about 12. Rigondeaux is already 32 years old and his career is just now getting starting to climb. His record as a professional is 11-0 with a very strong 8 knockouts. His true talent is in his defense, he uses the shoulder roll a la Floyd Mayweather and is also a devastating counter puncher. Rigondeaux's hands are lightning fast, which makes the fact that he is a counter puncher even more dangerous, especially against Donaire who often fights with his hands down, and leaves himself open for a counter when he goes in for the kill.
Which boxer will win this bout is really a toss up. Donaire will definitely be the busier fighter so he will probably land the higher number of punches. But because of his counter punching prowess Rigondeaux may land the heavier, more damaging punches. The two big question marks are whether Rigondeaux has the chin to take punches from the heavy hitting Donaire, and whether Rigondeaux's defense will be too slick for Donaire. If the rounds are close the judges may give them to Donaire because he will be busier. But if Rigondeaux can use his slick defense and land heavy counter punches, he could make it a long night for Donaire.
Originally when this fight was scheduled I thought it would be great, but Donaire would come out on top. But it is hard to pick against such an experienced amateur fighter. It also speaks volumes that Donaire has a very similar offensive style to Pacquiao, and Rigondeaux is a similar counter puncher to Marquez. And all fight fans know that Pacquiao has always had trouble with Marquez and was knocked out cold in their last fight. This fight is really all about freakish offensive skills against slick defense and counter punching.
PREDICTION: Guillermo Rigondeaux gets the biggest win of his professional career and jumps way up in the top 10 p4p rankings. Rigondeaux gets the win via majority decision in a bout that sees both fighters hit the canvass.
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