Cuban shows no respect for Donaire

MANILA, Philippines - There is bad blood curdling to make the April 13 fight between WBO superbantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. and WBA titleholder Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba more than just a unification showdown.  It’s become a personal grudge match with honor, prestige and bragging rights on the line.

No site has been confirmed for the much-awaited duel but New York City appears to be the frontrunner with Radio City Music Hall and The Theater of Madison Square Garden the main options. Los Angeles and Texas are also under consideration. Macau was scratched early in the planning stage.

Twice, Rigondeaux tried to steal the limelight from Donaire by entering the ring after the Filipino Flash beat Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and Jorge Arce last year. Donaire’s security enforcers Brian Singer and Ben Kelso stopped Rigondeaux from creating a scene. Rigondeaux’ intention was to challenge Donaire in the ring and take away the luster of his wins. The Cuban was prevented from entering the ring because he had no access credentials.

It got heated after Donaire’s knockout win over Arce last December when an unidentified member of Rigondeaux’ team allegedly insulted a Filipina fan in a verbal engagement. When Donaire heard about it, he phoned Rigondeaux in his hotel room to give him a piece of his mind. “Rigondeaux couldn’t come to the phone because he can’t speak English so I think (conditioning coach) DJ Montanocordoba took the call,” said Donaire. “I told him it’s not right to insult a lady or anyone for that matter, that if anyone from Rigondeaux’ team wants to give me a message, tell it to my face. It shows disrespect on their part.”

Donaire’s wife Rachel was recently involved in a debate with Montanocordoba on blog radio. “DJ claimed Nonito’s been mouthing off that he’s the best 122-pound fighter in the world but that’s not true,” she said. “Some people may think it but Nonito isn’t the type to brag. As for Rigondeaux, being an amateur champion is way different from being a professional champion. Whom has he fought? In one of his fights, only 375 people showed up. He can’t even do a Showtime fight.”

Donaire’s father-in-law Gerry Marcial said Rigondeaux will be lucky to survive three or four rounds. Donaire said the Cuban hasn’t encountered an opponent with his speed and power.

“Rigondeaux’s smart but not slick,” continued Donaire. “He’s only fought guys who stood up straight in front of him. He hasn’t fought anyone who counters or shows movement. I don’t think he’s a better fighter than any of the last four opponents I beat – Vazquez, Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka and Arce.”

While he doesn’t think Rigondeaux will be a problem, Donaire said it doesn’t mean he won’t train as hard as he did in preparing for Nishioka and Arce. His goal is to clean up the superbantamweight division. So far, Donaire has unified the WBO and IBF belts although he has relinquished the IBF version. 

Donaire gave up the IBF throne before taking on Nishioka, saving $40,000 in sanction fee and opting to ignore an order to make his next defense against the winner of an eliminator between Takalani Ndlovu of South Africa and Alejandro Lopez of Mexico. Donaire said the IBF charges a hefty five percent of a fighter’s purse as sanction fee compared to only two percent by the other governing bodies.

Donaire now wants to unify the WBO and WBA belts. WBC champion Abner Mares surrendered his crown before coming to terms on a unification bout against Donaire. “At the moment, my plan is to stay at 122,” said Donaire. “I’m cut, ripped and strong at superbantamweight. I’m struggling to firm up to a higher weight. Maybe, I’ll do two more fights at 122 then by the end of the year, I might consider moving up to 126.”

Donaire said he’s not impressed by Rigondeaux. “I’ve watched him fight only once and that was on TV,” he said. “He was knocked down by (Ricardo) Cordoba with a jab. I don’t really care to watch my opponents on film. That’s because I’m a mimic fighter. Whatever I see, I try to do if I think it’s worth doing. I’m also looking to improve by learning. It’s how I picked up good things from guys like Tito Trinidad and Roy Jones. Maybe, that’s why I don’t like watching my opponents because I might end up fighting like them.”

Rigondeaux, 32, has an 11-0 record, with 8 KOs. The two-time Olympic gold medalist turned pro at a late age and relocated to the US in 2009 after he was struck out of the Cuban national team as punishment for a previous attempt to defect. To prepare for Donaire, Rigondeaux recruited his former Olympic coach Pedro Diaz who also trains Miguel Cotto.