The last?and only?prizefight extravaganza held at Radio City Music Hall, topped by Roy Jones, Jr., in 2000, was notable chiefly for its many oddities, including a parallel universe undercard. Derrick Jefferson wore himself out belaboring David Izon, and, thus, fell victim to the dreaded TKO VIA EXHAUSTION; Brian ?The Bull? Barbosa bowled over a real estate agent in less than a round; and 1980s holdover and AMA symbol Leslie Stewart finally retired after losing to Jones stablemate Billy Lewis. Paulie Walnuts was in the audience. Redman performed. David Telesco did more talking than fighting while suffering the torments in the main event. To top it all off, the much-maligned and little-missed Murad Muhammad, whom Don King once labeled ?the stupidest man in boxing,? promoted this otherworldly show, although that may be hard to believe considering the fact that it was a success.
Now, thirteen years later, boxing returns to the home of The Mighty Wurlitzer in New York City, when Nonito Donaire faces off against Guillermo Rigondeaux in an intriguing matchup on HBO.
Although there are any number of Omniscients out there ready to induct Rigondeaux, 11-0 (8), into the IBHOF or fast-track him onto P-4-P fantasy lists, the fact remains that ?El Chacal? has faced limited opposition as a professional. Only Ricardo Cordoba, who dropped a split decision to Rigondeaux in 2010, can be considered a world-class fighter. And when Cordoba showed more mettle than expected?scoring a knockdown with a jab?Rigondeaux turned in a master class in hauling ass over the last half of their 12-round atrocity. You get the feeling that Rigondeaux would be a killjoy at a Civil War battle reenactment or a paintball tournament. He does, however, recognize overmatched opponents as soon as he plays chin music with them, and that, at least, is the sign of a professional. So Teon Kennedy is given a drubbing, a battered and dispirited Rico Ramos is sent back to the Al Haymon League of Ordinary Fighters in less than six heats, and ?Wee? Willie Casey hears the sounds of uilleann pipes before the bell can sound to mark the end of the first round. Mixing it up does not come naturally to Rigondeaux, but when he works combinations in close and applies pressure, he can be a destructive little blur.
Rigondeaux, Miami, Florida, by way of Santiago de Cuba, also likes to draw leads by feinting on the outside. Because of his superb balance?and his precise technique?he often beats his opponent to the punch with jarring straight lefts. If you reach for him, like Robert Marroquin did last year, you run the risk of walking into a hard counter. Still, Donaire, 31-1 (20), has a far better resume and nearly three times as many professional bouts. Are 400-plus amateur fights and two Olympic gold medals enough to offset the gap in professional experience Rigondeaux will face tomorrow night? Or is pure talent enough? And is Rigondeaux sturdy enough to absorb the tiny hand grenades Donaire will hurl at him? After all, Rigondeaux has already been twice down in his short career.
Training with New Age gear that resembles a prop out of Battlestar Galactica (although it pales in comparison to the hyperbaric duffel bag Sergio Martinez used prior to beating Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.), Donaire, 30, is as physically fit as any pro out there today. But against Rigondeaux he will have to be mentally sharp as well. In the past, Donaire has appeared unfocused in the ring, especially when he has been unable to blow out the competition in the first few rounds. After surviving early onslaughts, both Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., and Jeffrey Mathebula scored with their fair share of blows against Donaire. Mathubela, thin as a Giacometti, landed enough pitty-pat shots to convince a few of the easily convinced that he was actually in the fight.
An explosive counterpuncher with fast hands and a quicksilver style based on superior athleticism, Donaire, San Leandro, California, tends to wait for openings to land his destructive left hook. His last fight, against a pitifully overmatched Jorge Arce, was nothing more than an opportunity for Donaire to inflict whiplash on a man set up for a dangerous pratfall. Squash matches like that?designed to make money fighters resemble The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms attacking Coney Island?remain the illusory heart and soul of boxing, but Donaire-Rigondeaux appears to be a spectacular exception to the rule. Not only is Rigondeaux a dangerous proposition inside the ring, but he is also an insignificant commodity outside of it. This is not the kind of algorithm boxing usually offers up. In fact, a fight with math as fuzzy as this is often the byproduct of an error somewhere. Just how deadly is Rigondeaux to box offices across the United States? Last year he drew 374 paying customers to watch him dismantle Rico Ramos in Las Vegas. Even Andre Berto, ?The Human Bermuda Triangle of Boxing,? probably got a chuckle out of those figures.
With the sunburst arches of Radio City Music Hall as the backdrop, Donaire and Rigondeaux get a star turn on one of the legendary stages in America. ?The gilded semicircular vault of the ceiling, defining the sixty-foot-high proscenium, suggested the view from an ocean liner of the sun rising and setting over the ocean,? wrote Robert Hughes about the Music Hall. ?Why a liner motif? Because those floating palaces were the arch-symbols of escape and luxury: floating islands that could carry you away (along with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire) from the dreary anxiety of the Depression.? Whether Donaire and Rigondeaux can provide a distraction from the sequester, a high unemployment rate, and the dire predictions of Stephen Hawking remains to be seen. This fight can be anything from dreary to high drama, but if ?El Chacal? resorts to retreating tomorrow night, then the crowd may call for the Rockettes to take over the entertainment. If he works harder than usual, then the sellout crowd at Radio City Music Hall may witness something special. In the end, Donaire is the proven commodity, and proven commodities are as rare as honest politicians. When you find a few, you simply have to put your trust in them.
