By Ryan Burton
WBA/WBO junior featherweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux's promotional contract with Top Rank expired after his 1st round knockout of Sod Kokietgym in Macau, China in July. Rigondeaux had been co-promoted by Top Rank and Caribe Promotions. Rigondeaux is still promoted by the Miami, Florida based promotional outfit who is currently looking for a new co-promoter.
BoxingScene.com recently caught up with Caribe Promotions President Boris Arencibia to get an update on Rigondeaux's career. Arencibia said that the plan is for Rigondeaux to return to the ring in December and then they want to line up a big fight in 2015 for the two-time Olympic gold medalist.
"We are confirming a date in December for Rigondeaux and for 2015 we are in discussions with various promoters," said Arencibia. "For example we are speaking to Jhonny Gonzalez's promoter (Osvaldo Kuchle of Promociones del Pueblo) and we want to make a proposition to fight him at 126 pounds. We are focused on making a big fight in 2015. It is what we want, to make a competitive fight that will bring out the best in Rigondeaux against fighters that want to try to beat him and not just survive.
"The problem is that everyone always criticizes Rigondeaux but then when they step in the ring with him they don't fight in a way to beat him so how can (Rigondeaux) just be the only one attacking and be on offense when his opponent doesn't fight back? Boxing is like dancing, it takes two, it is hard for one fighter to make a great fight so what we are doing is looking for a fighter willing to really fight Rigondeaux. We are looking for a fighter who is coming to try to win in 2015."
Arencibia said that Rigondeaux is willing to fight anywhere and that they don't have a problem fighting Gonzalez in his homeland. The Cuban promoter said that the main problem is that the other champions in Rigondeaux's division don't have the guts to face the unified champion.
"Mexico supports their fighters and has a lot of fans that support boxing. We are willing to fight anywhere in the world. If we are going to fight over there it is very important to make a fight versus a Mexican fighter. For example we have made it known that we want to fight Leo Santa Cruz and he has publicly said that he wants to fight but when he leaves the ring he acts differently. (Carl) Frampton doesn't want to see Rigondeaux across the ring from him either. The problem is that none of the other champions want to fight Rigondeaux. That is why we are looking to maybe move up to 126 pounds to fight the champions (at featherweight), to fight champions that want to beat him, that come to win," Arencibia explained before his attorney Jared Lopez went into further detail.
"That is what TV wants," Lopez stated. "TV doesn't want him to fight fighters that are relatively unknown and we don't blame them. He is a top caliber fighter and he should be fighting other top caliber fighters."
Arencibia finished our interview by reiterating that the rest of the 122 pound division are scared of Rigondeaux and said that next year they would love to face any of the top fighters in the featherweight division.
"At 122 pounds all of the champions are chickens. None of them want to fight him. That is why we are looking at the best at 126. He wants to fight Jhonny Gonzalez and (Vasyl) Lomachenko and Gary Russell Jr. In December we are willing to fight any of the 122 pound fighters who want it. We would fight guys like (former champion) Jonathan Romero or anyone at 122 then in 2015 we want to fight the champions at 126 because all of the champions at 122 cower in fear of Rigondeaux. They don't want to hear his name. The nicest thing I can say about them as Rigondeaux's promoter is that they are chicken and nothing else," Arencibia told BoxingScene.com.
Send questions or comments to ringsidewriter@gmail.com. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @ringsidewriter