by Ronnie Nathanielsz
Elmer Anuran, manager of world-ranked Filipino super bantamweight Drian Francisco claims that WBA champion Guillermo Rigondeaux "refused to fight Drian after a thorough review."
Anuran, quoting a supposed statement from Zanfer Promotions headed by Fernando Beltran, said Rigondeaux "opted to reconsider the Thai (Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym) who was his original foe."
Francisco's manager said, "They (Rigondeaux's camp) believe there's a higher risk fighting Drian."
Anuran earlier informed BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard that his fighter and his trainer Justin Fortune had accepted an offer to fight the WBA champion and thought there was a chance for the Filipino to score an upset over the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist.
However, Rigondeaux' manager, Gary Hyde, told BoxingScene.com that they had decided to defend the WBA title against Poonsawat (48-2, 33KO), a former two-time title challenger.
Hyde said there was some discussion about a fight with Filipino contender Drian Francisco (23-1-1, 18KOs), but that the unbeaten champ has already signed a contract for Poonsawat.
Tags: Guillermo Rigondeaux 
, Drian Francisco , Rigondeaux-Francisco , Rigondeaux vs Francisco 
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