ESPN Fight Preview

Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux

On Saturday night airing on ESPN will be a boxing match unlike any other in the history of the sport.  It will mark the first time fighters who each have two Olympic gold medals will face each other as professionals.  Those fighters are Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux and their fight on Saturday will take place in the junior lightweight with Lomachenko's WBO title on the line in this 12-round bout.  Boxing fans have been waiting a few years for this fight to come to fruition and many fans have been following both fighters since their amateur days.  Lomachenko and Rigondeaux are considered probably the two best amateur fighters of all-time and Lomachenko won gold medals in 2008 and 2012 while Rigondeaux won his gold medals in 2000 and 2004.

Lomachenko splitting the guard of Marriaga

Lomachenko is a southpaw who can seemingly do it all on offense.  He has blazing hand speed and is a master of landing punches from every conceivable angle.  He works behind a busy jab with some force behind it but the jab is far from his only weapon.  He also has a strong right hook and a good straight left hand that lands more powerfully when he throws it over the top.  Lomachenko has knockout power in both hands and his ability to fire off combinations and set up his attack with excellent feints make him a very dangerous opponent.  As impressive as his punches are Lomachenko's greatest weapon is probably his feet.  His footwork is excellent and always has him in position to inflict damage and avoid too much punishment.

After winning his second gold medal in 2012, Lomachenko turned pro in 2013.  His only career loss came in his second pro fight against rugged veteran Orlando Salido.  Salido won a split decision but came into the fight overweight and landed enough low-blows that he could have been disqualified had a competent referee been assigned to the bout.  However, since that loss Lomachenko has gone 8-0 with six knockouts and his career record is 9-1 with seven knockouts.  Along with facing Salido, Lomachenko has also taken on quality fighters like Gary Russell Jr., Roman "Rocky" Martinez, and Nicholas Walters.  While those names are certainly familiar to boxing fans, none of them have the same skill set or experience as Rigondeaux.

Rigondeaux landing a jab against Dickens

The similarities between Lomachenko and Rigondeaux aren't limited to the fact that both men are two-time Olympic gold medalists, they are also both southpaws.  Rigondeaux comes from the famed Cuban school of boxing which emphasizes defense above all else.  Rigondeaux's defense is so good that he can win rounds by simply landing a single punch because often his opponent is doing nothing but swinging and missing.  The Cuban also has very fast hands that haven't shown any signs of slowing down despite him being 37-years-old.  He works behind an excellent and very accurate jab that he often sticks to the body.  The southpaw also has a nice short right hook and he is skilled with his left hand.  Rigondeaux prefers to play the role of counter puncher and often opponents are wary of opening up against him because of his defense which means in many fights Rigondeaux isn't a high volume puncher.

The professional career of Rigondeaux began in 2009 and he has remained perfect as a pro.  His career record is 17-0 with a respectable 11 knockouts but unfortunately it has been a career plagued by inactivity.  There are a few reasons for that inactivity, the biggest being other top pugilists unwillingness to get in the ring with him.  His career defining win thus far came in 2013 when he easily handled Nonito Donaire, the reigning Fighter of the Year and he also has impressive wins over James "Jazza" Dickens and Joseph Agbeko.  However, his defensive style also doesn't please casual fans and television networks have never liked giving him airtime.  Despite not being a favorite of casual fans, real boxing heads appreciate the skills of Rigondeaux which is why this fight against Lomachenko sold out so quickly.  

If there was ever a fight for the true boxing fans this one is it.  Both Lomachenko and Rigondeaux have two Olympic gold medals to their names and have unusually impressive skill sets.  While it is Lomachenko who is the more explosive puncher and the busier offensive fighter, it is Rigondeaux who is better on defense.  Rigondeaux has been dropped five times in his career but he has never been badly hurt and usually those knockdowns come because Rigondeaux is cruising to a victory and gets overconfident with his fancy footwork.  While no boxing head will complain about seeing this two face off its a fight that probably should have happened a few years ago in the featherweight division.  Even if 2016 when Lomachenko moved up to junior lightweight and Rigondeaux was a junior featherweight they could have met in the middle.  Instead they will fight in a weight class where Lomachenko is more comfortable and will have a noticeable size advantage.  Another advantage for Lomachenko will be the inactivity of Rigondeaux.  The Cuban last fought in June but the fight was ruled a no contest after the first round.  In his previous fight he stopped Dickens in just the second round and in both cases that was his only fight of the year.  That means the last time Rigondeaux went more than to rounds was back in 2015.  All that aside though the winner of this fight will immediately cement his legacy and can make a strong case from being the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.  Look for both fighters to show what they do best on Saturday.  Lomachenko will look to land power punches and use feints to set Rigondeaux up for blazing fast combinations.  As for Rigondeaux, he will look to counter the more aggressive Lomachenko and frustrate him with his unbelievable defense.

PREDICTION: Vasyl Lomachenko has two major advantages entering this fight.  The first is that he is a much bigger fighter than Guillermo Rigondeaux and the second is that Rigondeaux has been very inactive.  He is also the bigger name with the big promotional company so if this fight is close look for him to get the nod.  This won't be an easy fight for either pugilist.  Rigondeaux will frustrate Lomachenko for serious stretches in this fight with his defensive wizardry but Lomachenko will have plenty of moments himself and he will get the majority decision win helped by a flash knockdown.