By Elisinio Castillo
WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs) is a boxer who smiles often, but he smiles wide and clear when discussing how his victory over Vasyl Lomachenko will be a stake in the heart for the Ukrainian's promoter, Top Rank.
Several years ago, Rigondeaux was promoted by Top Rank and had a bad falling out with the Las Vegas-based company.
Now Rigondeaux will move up by two full weight divisions to challenge Lomachenko (9-1, 7 KOs), one of Top Rank's big company names, for the WBO super featherweight title in an ESPN televised main event from The Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Rigondeaux and Lomachenko are both amateur boxing legends. Each boxer has captured gold in two Olympic games.
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, believes Lomachenko will knock Rigondeaux out.
But Rigondeaux says his win will cripple Top Rank and damage them far worse than what happened in 2013, the Cuban boxer dominated Nonito Donaire - who at the time was one of Top Rank's biggest stars.
"Let them talk and enjoy this moment before the storm comes," Rigondeaux told George Ebgro. "I'm going to hit Top Rank so hard that they will not recover. The Nonito thing will be nothing compared to this.''
Lomachenko is a very big favorite in the fight, but Rigondeaux is not impressed.
"In the end he's another boxer, knowing what happened after Nonito, now I'm calmer. Whatever happens I'm going to keep winning, a tremendous expectation has been created with Lomachenko, but he's another one in line, nothing more than that," Rigondeaux said.
The WBA has placed a lot of pressure on Rigondeaux. They recently stated that if Rigondeaux loses his upcoming fight, he will no longer recognized as the WBA's "super" champion.
But Rigo is not worried.
"Those things always happen to me, why is that? Those people are always inventing things. If they want to get the title removed, I go back to my weight and I'll take it away from anyone, I'll conquer it back, but I'm not going to give it to them. [It doesn't matter because] I do not intend to lose," Rigondeaux said.