Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs) says he’s looking forward to meeting up with the trash talking WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (9-1, 7 KOs) in their fight in 3 months from now on December 9 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Rigondeaux has heard how Lomachenko says he’s going to destroy him in this fight, and he’s says he wants to see the Ukrainian back up his talk by proving it inside the ring.
Rigondeaux isn’t worried about needing to move up 8 pounds from the 122 lb. weight class to take on Lomachenko. Rigondeaux says poison comes in the smallest containers, and he’s going to be poison for lomachenko.
Lomachenko had no interest in dropping down a weight class to meet the 36-year-old Rigondeaux halfway between 122 and 130, which would have been 126, the featherweight division. Lomachenko is using his A-side advantage to the maximum for this fight. It’s fine that Lomachenko wants to do this, but it’s going to hurt him if he gets beaten by Rigondeaux.
There won’t be an excuse that Lomachenko can make like he used when he got beaten by Orlando Salido in 2014. Lomachenko blamed that loss on Salido being heavier than him. It was a poor excuse, but Lomachenko used it anyway. The boxing public ignored Lomachenko’s rationale for losing, and instead they saw him as not being able to handle fighting body punchers.
“We tried 122, and we tried 126, No one wanted to fight me. So I have to go to 130,” said Rigondeaux to Behind The Gloves about him moving up to super featherweight to take on WBO champion Lomachenko. ”It’s 2 divisions but we’re going to giving the fans what they want. I’m ready to fight. When it’s quality, you don’t need size and weight. When it’s quality, size and weight is not an issue,” said Rigondeaux.
Frampton could have as much as a 15 lb. weight advantage over Rigondeaux on the night of the fight. 15 lbs. for fighters that compete in the 122 and 130 lb. weight classes is a huge amount of weight. But Rigondeaux will have the hand speed advantage. Lomachenko isn’t that fast. and he’s easy to hit.
It’s too bad Rigondeaux hasn’t had much luck in getting fighters from the 122 pound division to fight him during his career. He did fight Nonito Donaire and beat him soundly in 2013 by a 12 round unanimous decision, but he was never able to get the British fighters Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg to fight him.
”On the night of the fight, I’ll be there,” said Rigondeux. ”He knows where to find me on December 9th. I’ll be there on December 9th. Let’s see if you’re going to do what you say you’re going to do. I’ll be there waiting to see what you’re going to do. They say the worst poison comes in small containers,” said Rigondeaux.