KO MONTHLY U.S. CORRESPONDENT
Rigondeaux proves he's the real deal by defeating
Donaire
The WBO champion followed his
tormentor but didn’t cut off the ring.
He looked sluggish and ill-prepared.
Rigondeaux darted inside and
landed a hard left that made
Donaire blink. He was a hair-faster
and more accurate. He was winning
the fight, but not the crowd.
Rigondeaux, who defected from
Cuba to the United States in 2009,
continued to execute his strategy in
the next few rounds. He’d punch,
move away and then punch some
more. Donaire’s face was swelling.
He tried to get close to uncork his
powerful punches, but Rigondeaux
wouldn’t oblige.
Former amateur sensation Guillermo “The Jackal”
Rigondeaux retained his WBA bantamweight title
and added the WBO belt by outboxing 2012 Fighter
of the Year Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire over
12 rounds at the Radio Music Hall in New York
City, NY.
Rigondeaux (12-0, 8 KOs) employed a variety of
boxing skills to confuse Donaire (31-2, 20 KOs) and
win unanimously by scores of 114-113, 115-112
and 116-111.
The 32-year-old Rigondeaux, a southpaw,
established his superiority in the opening rounds
with speed and timing. Rigondeaux, like a cobra,
seemed to charm Donaire. He probed with his right
and stung with his left. Donaire, 30, landed a few
body shots, but hesitated after being clocked with a
right. A heavy left knocked him into the ropes (the
same punch that knocked out Willie Casey in
Dublin two years ago)
Donaire finally landed a clean blow in round four.
Rigondeaux shook it off and fired back. He stood
his ground, landed a punch and moved away like a
thief in a grocery store. Donaire couldn’t catch him
with more than one punch at a time. Rigondeaux, a
two-time Olympic gold medallist, used side to side
movement to frustrate his more aggressive
opponent.
In round 10, Donaire finally landed his money blow.
Wrapped in a clinch, Donaire broke free and
unleashed a hard left hook. Rigondeaux crashed to
the canvas with a surprised look on his face. He
was up at seven and backpedalling. Donaire
landed another heavy left but Rigondeaux took it
well. By the end of the round he was back in
control.
In rounds 11 and 12, Donaire kept trying to land the
home-run punch, but they sailed or fell short.
Rigondeaux moved in and out. Donaire landed a
good combination in the last round, but was soon
on the defensive after Rigondeaux’s counter left
busted his right eye. He kept his right glove glued
to his face for the rest of the round. Donaire fought
back desperately in the last minute of the round. He
ate another punch and just missed with a powerful
left at the bell.
“I told you I was going to do my job and I did it,”
said Rigondeaux in the ring after the fight.
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