It only took Rigo two rounds to keep his title as Dickens failed to rise from his seat to answer the bell in the third round due to a broken jaw which happened in the second round, when the Cuban gold medalist caught Dickens with a big left hand that cracked his jaw.
Usually, challengers would call out the winner of a title fight for the opportunity to grab the title as their passport to more lucrative fights. In many situations, title challengers would even watch the fight in the venue and call out the winner immediately after the fight to let the fans know that he is interested.
But in the case of Rigondeaux, no one is calling him out. The reason is obvious. Promoters know that Rigo isn’t an easy boxer to sell because of his reputation as a boring fighter to watch.
Boxing fans who are not keen on watching Rigondoeaux in the ring outnumbers those who appreciate his skill in boxing, which he mastered from his long exposure in the amateur competitions.
The 35-year-old Cuban fighter has won all his fights since turning pro in 2009 after an enviable performance in the amateur leagues — including two gold medals in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
Except his unanimous decision victory against Nonito Donaire in 2013, Rigondeaux has not fought elite fighters in Donaire’s level, apparently to keep his unblemished record of 16 wins as a pro.
While Donaire has no objection to a possible rematch against Rigo, he pointed to his promoter Bob Arum as the one who will decide on the matter.
Obviously Arum is having second thoughts about the rematch, as he would favor a Top Rank fighter over Rigondeaux to obtain maximum financial returns for his company by not sharing the revenue with a co-promoter.
But Donaire has earlier stated that he would prefer to face someone who is willing to put his title on the line and one of them is Rigondeaux.
Rigo is ranked No. 1 by the Ring in the 122 pound weight limit and is the current holder of the WBA super bantamweight title. The other titlist is Hugo Ruiz, who is the IBF titlist in the division but is set to face Hozumi Hasegawa on Sept. 16. Carl Frampton has moved to the next weight limit and is now set to face Leo Santa Cruz.
If Donaire is serious with his plan to face a world titlist for his next fight, his best bet is Rigondeaux, who currently holds the WBA’s 122-pound belt, otherwise he would most likely face a non-titlist challenger from Top Rank’s 122-pound fighters.
