Donaire, Rigondeaux to settle grudge war

MANILA, Philippines - With no love lost between two quality fighters, WBO superbantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. takes on WBA counterpart Guillermo (The Jackal) Rigondeaux of Cuba to once and for all settle their grudge war in a unification 12-round bout at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City this morning (Manila time).

Their dislike for each other is no secret. Rigondeaux, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, has twice tried to upstage Donaire by crashing his party after the Filipino Flash disposed of Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and Jorge Arce last year. Twice, the Cuban was rebuffed by Donaire’s security enforcers Brian Singer and Ben Kelso. Then, things took a turn for the worse when Donaire phoned Rigondeaux to castigate him for failing to rein in one of his staff in insulting a Filipina fan in a verbal engagement. Rigondeaux didn’t come to the phone and instead, conditioning coach DJ Montanocordoba got the brunt of Donaire’s distaste. Donaire’s wife Rachel was later involved in a heated debate with Montanocordoba on blog radio.

Words won’t mean a thing when Donaire and Rigondeaux finally cross paths in the ring. In Friday’s weigh-in, they faced each other and it looked like the Cuban blinked in the eye-to-eye confrontation. While Donaire appeared confident, Rigondeaux folded his arms in an ungainly gesture to indicate a bit of nervousness. Both fighters made weight as Donaire tipped the scales at 121.6 pounds and Rigondeaux, 121.5. The superbantamweight limit is 122.

Physically, Donaire is slightly more imposing than Rigondeaux with a one-inch advantage in height and two inches in reach. Donaire has a big edge in pro experience, making his debut in the fight-for-pay ranks in 2001 or eight years before Rigondeaux. The Filipino Flash has a 31-1 record, with 20 KOs, and hasn’t lost in his last 30 outings. Rigondeaux, 32, has an 11-0 mark, with 8 KOs. The Cuban, however, is no novice because of a rich amateur background and started boxing at 13. He lived in the Cuban national training camp called “La Finca” in Havana for nine years, moving in when he was 17. Rigondeaux compiled a 243-4 record as a simon-pure.

A Cuban defector, Rigondeaux captured his first Olympic gold medal in 2000 and his second in 2004. He would’ve fought for his third in 2008 but was prevented by Cuban authorities to compete in Beijing as punishment for an attempt to defect during the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. Rigondeaux eventually made good in his second try and sought refuge in Miami.

Like Donaire, Rigondeaux said he doesn’t study opponents on tape. “I usually don’t watch videos of my opponents,” noted the Cuban. “I’ll fight a right-handed guy, a left-handed guy and if he has another hand, I’ll fight him, too.” For his part, Donaire said, “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.”

Their reluctance to scout only means a lot of unpredictable moments in the fight this morning as both fighters will surprise each other for sure. Referee for the bout is New York’s Benjy Esteves, Jr. who worked IBF lightflyweight champion Johnriel Casimero’s win over challenger Luis Alberto Rios in Panama last month. The judges are New York’s Julie Lederman, New York’s Tom Schreck and New Jersey’s John Stewart. The WBO supervisor at ringside will be John Duggan with Aurelio Fiengo the WBA office-in-charge.

Donaire’s father-in-law Gerry Marcial said Rigondeaux will be lucky to survive three or four rounds, pointing out that the Cuban has not fought anyone with the speed or power or class of the Filipino Flash. Quality of opposition separates the protagonists in terms of laying claim to greatness. 

“Rigondeaux is smart but not slick,” said 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.” Donaire said he’s not impressed by Rigondeaux whom he said was knocked down by Ricardo Cordoba with a jab in 2010. Rigondeaux took an eight-count when his glove touched the canvas after absorbing a right – it was his first knockdown as an amateur or pro. The Cuban had to stage a furious rally down the stretch to eke out a split decision over Cordoba. Rigondeaux seemed passive and fought defensively against Cordoba, keeping a safe distance away. He is expected to avoid engaging Donaire toe-to-toe and use movement to disrupt the Filipino Flash’s rhythm.