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Philippines, 15 May 2026 |
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RIGONDEAUX IS BOOED BY FIGHT FANS AFTER HE WINS A BORING FIGHT VS DRIAN FRANCISCO By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Mon, 23 Nov 2015  WBA super bantamweight champion and two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux easily defeated former Filipino title challenger Drian Francisco in a boring, ten round bout and was roundly booed by the fans when it ended at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Sunday, Manila Time. Rigondeaux hadn?t fought for eleven months since no one wished to promote his fights because of his technically sound but lackluster style. It was the same against Francisco who took the fight on short notice although he had been preparing for a fight last November 13 in an MP Promotions USA LLC fight card at the Philippine Navy Gymnasium in Fort Bonifacio and said he was ready to face the WBA bantamweight champion. The unbeaten Rigondeaux who was recently stripped of his WBO belt because of inactivity resorted to jabbing, moving and holding en route to a victory where judges Steve Morrow and Richard Ocasio scored it by a 100-90 shutout while the third judge Don Trella was generous in giving Francisco three rounds for a 97-93 score. Rigondeaux who has appealed against the WBO decision stripping him of his title and is waiting for the decision on his appeal which, if not granted will make Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire?s showdown with Cesar Juarez of Mexico on December 13 in Puerto Rico a title fight. CompuBox stats showed Rigondeaux landed 72 of 347 punches thrown while Francisco who tried to upset Rigondeaux by being aggressive and caught him with a couple of good body shots in round seven landed only 42 of 228 punches he threw. With the win Rigondeaux improved to 16-0 with 10 knockouts while Francisco dropped to 28-4-1 with 22 knockouts. The fight which was on the Miguel Cotto-Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez world middleweight title fight was telecast in the Philippines by TV 5. In a post fight interview Rigondeaux said ?I feel terrific after the fight. He (Francisco) threw heavy shots but his style was nothing on mine. My style outmatched his.? He said ?I definitely wanted to give the fans a better fight so I need to get back into the gym, get more active to give a better performance. I promise with the tools I have now after signing with Roc Nation that next time I?ll be explosive.? A disappointed Francisco criticized Rigondeaux referring to him as ?a runner not a fighter. He is afraid of getting hurt and doesn?t want to fight. I felt pressured into being the aggressor during this fight because he wasn?t fighting, he was running away. He is not a power puncher and won by points. I trained really hard for this fight and I feel like it was a waste of time because I didn?t encounter a fighter tonight.? Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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