By Jake Donovan
By the time key team members for Guillermo Rigondeaux can figure out how to get on the same page, it’s entirely possible that Jhonny Gonzalez will have already moved on to new business.
The unbeaten World super bantamweight champion was – as suggested by his promoter Boris Arencibia as told to BoxingScene.com's Ryan Burton – eying a move up in weight for the sake of securing a big fight. Topping the list were featherweight titlists Gonzalez and Vasyl Lomachenko.
“The fight has been discussed, one that we are considering at the moment,” acknowledges Oswaldo Kuchle, Gonzalez’ promoter.
Rigondeaux has forever called out the big names at 122 lb., a division loaded with talent but where all of the top fighters manage to somehow sidestep one another. Greater challenges exist deeper up the scale, though it could also prove to be too much of a challenge for Rigondeaux, a natural super bantamweight.
Gary Hyde - the longtime manager of the Cuban wunderkind – dismissed the idea of putting on weight to chase a big fight in a recent interview with BoxingScene.com’s Mike Coppinger.
While Rigondeaux’s team figures out where he belongs, Gonzalez won’t allow history to repeat itself. The three-time titlist in two weight classes was stuck on the shelf for more than nine months following his second title winning effort at featherweight, a 1st round knockout of Abner Mares last August.
A rematch was planned, but delayed due to injuries and conflicts on both sides before it was scrapped altogether. Gonzalez went on to face and beat previously undefeated Clive Atwell in late May, with ring rust evident in his performance as he managed a technical unanimous decision in a bout stopped due to cuts.
Gonzalez was far more impressive – and celebrated – in his one-sided rout of badly faded Jorge Arce in October. The bout generated big business at the box office and in the ratings, though was enough of a mismatch to where Gonzalez felt compelled to carry his countryman at times before finally finishing him off late in the fight.
Bigger game is eyed for the future, though one thing not on his itinerary is wasting any more time than necessary on the sidelines.
“Jhonny has plenty of options to consider for his next fight,” reveals Kuchle. “Whether it’s Rigondeaux, a rematch with Mares, Cristian Mijares or any other champion that will do business with us, we will entertain all offers and determine the best opportunity for when he returns to the ring.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
