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Rigondeaux vs Lomachenko: Battle of Two Slick and Swift Southpaws By Carmelo Maisonet PhilBoxing.com Tue, 04 Apr 2017  There has been quiet war of words between WBA Super Bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0-0 11KO?s) and WBO junior lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1-0 5KO?s). A fight between these two slick southpaws may soon be brewing in the near future. It only makes sense and it would appear to be a great fight! Vasyl Lomachenko, from the Ukraine, won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. Lomachenko, the man they call ?Hi-Tech?, holds an astounding amateur record of 396-1 and became one of the only fighters in history to become a champion within his first 3 pro fights. Lomachenko is coming off a TKO victory against Nicholas ?Axe-Man? Walters last year back in November. Lomachenko has swift speed, accuracy, as well as artistic footwork. Lomachenko?s appears on almost every Boxing writer?s Pound for Pound list (P4P list). Lomachenko will face Jason Sosa this Saturday and should he prevail, a fight against Rigondeaux makes sense. Rigondeaux next faces Moises Flores in June and needs to defeat him to keep hope alive for that fight to happen. Guillermo ?El Chacal? Rigondeaux, a Cuban boxer, also has an extensive impressive amateur record of 475 fights and 12 losses. Rigondeaux is also a slick fighter who feels he is often overlooked. Rigondeaux has a notable win over Nonito Donaire in a unanimous decision back in 2013. Like Lomachenko, Rigondeaux has also tasted victory at the Olympics winning gold in 2000 and 2004. With his impregnable defense and slick footwork it is almost impossible to touch him in the ring. There was also some talk about Lomachenko (130lbs) moving up in weight to fight WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2 38KO?s) at 147lbs. A potential fight against Paccquio would likely be too much weight to handle at this moment in time. Besides the Pacquiao camp seems to have their sites on Australia?s Jeff Horn and other big fish in the exciting welterweight division. Should Lomachenko prevail in his next bout and Rigondeaux in his, a match between the two would be good for both fighters career?s. Guillermo Rigondeaux is the smarter fight to take due to being closer in weight. A fight between Rigondeaux and Lomachenko is easier to set up as there is already some competitive animosity amongst these two which would help sell the fight. Although Lomachenko and Rigondeaux have such a great skillset, Rigondeaux is still not fully known. These two are both very defensive fighters, quick, accurate, and slick footwork who can make the best fighters in their division look inferior. If a fight were to take place between these two elite fighters, I see it going in favor of Lomachenko. Lomachenko?s is very offensive for a defensive fighter. Lomachenko?s throw punches in bunches staying in the pocket while avoiding damage. Lomachenko?s definitely lives up to his ?Hi-Tech? persona, by working angles and punching from various points with precision, typically giving his opponents a difficult time landing their own shots while failing at avoiding his barrage of punches. Guillermo Rigondeaux is a great counter puncher and is a great technical defensive fighter as well but in a different sense. Rigondeaux is very light on his feet and makes his opponent miss at a high percentage like Lomachenko but Rigondeaux lacks the punch output and aggressive angle use that Lomachenko has in his ring repertoire. Guillermo Rigondeaux has the skillset to be amongst boxing?s elite fighters but Networks have stopped airing his fights since 2013 due to his fights being seen as boring. Rigondeaux relies more on his defense to coast to decision victory which from a technical standpoint may makes him a great fighter, but unfortunately that does not always translate into ticket sales or PPV sales. This is the reason he is unknown to many causal fans of boxing. These two fighters may be close in their defensive skillset, turning a fight between the two into a highly intelligent chess match. Lomachenko would be the busier fighter launching greater offensive in the exchanges. Lomachenko?s high level of ring intelligence as well as his high punch count might even push Rigondeaux out of his comfort zone, causing us to see a more aggressive side of Rigondeaux. If this happens I still don?t see Rigondeaux winning the fight. I doubt Lomachenko can score a knockout but I see the turnout being a unanimous decisions in favor of Vasyl ?Hi-Tech? Lomachenko. Contact Writer: Carmelo.Maisonet@gmail.com Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carmelo Maisonet.  |
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