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(The following is from an article on ESPN.com by Michael Woods. I posted the first part, "Rigondeaux Has Been Ready All Along," in another thread.)
A word of caution to Guillermo Rigondeaux, and to Rigo fans: Nonito Donaire ain't Rico Ramos.
Things Rigondeaux was able to do against Ramos last Friday in Las Vegas en route to a KO-6 victory, putting a claim on Ramos' WBA junior featherweight crown, won't be so easy to pull off against Donaire, a man on a different talent tier.
If they clash, if Rigo sticks and moves -- and let's be up front here, he often sticks lazily, with a half-ass jab -- I'm pretty confident Donaire won't track him down with the same attitude that Ramos did. That is to say, with not enough attitude.
Even when the 9-0 Rigondeaux is being aggressive, so much of his time is spent feinting. Donaire, who debuts at 122 on Feb. 4 against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., isn't going to go for that stuff. I see him cracking the lefty with a left hook after he sees a lame-o feinty jab. Repeatedly.
I would expect Rigo to revert to the form I've noted in him before. I foresee him being excessively defensive, as he was in a SD-12 win against Ricardo Cordoba on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard in November 2010. The man just doesn't throw enough punches to bother Donaire or take him out of his preferred rhythm.
I repeat: Donaire is no Ramos, who in Round 6 of the Rigondeaux clash complained about being held and hit, wasn't able to work through discomfort to his left eye and then went to the canvas off a left hand to the body and was counted out. To put it delicately, Ramos didn't exude the spirit of an ultimate warrior in that clash, so anyone who bumped Rigondeaux, 31, up a few notches in their rankings might want to rethink it. He isn't in Donaire's class, despite having fought around 400 amateur bouts, despite his winning a crown in just his ninth pro scrap.
Rigo hasn't lost a bout since 2003, in the amateurs. But Donaire, busier and more powerful, would end that streak.
A word of caution to Guillermo Rigondeaux, and to Rigo fans: Nonito Donaire ain't Rico Ramos.
Things Rigondeaux was able to do against Ramos last Friday in Las Vegas en route to a KO-6 victory, putting a claim on Ramos' WBA junior featherweight crown, won't be so easy to pull off against Donaire, a man on a different talent tier.
If they clash, if Rigo sticks and moves -- and let's be up front here, he often sticks lazily, with a half-ass jab -- I'm pretty confident Donaire won't track him down with the same attitude that Ramos did. That is to say, with not enough attitude.
Even when the 9-0 Rigondeaux is being aggressive, so much of his time is spent feinting. Donaire, who debuts at 122 on Feb. 4 against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., isn't going to go for that stuff. I see him cracking the lefty with a left hook after he sees a lame-o feinty jab. Repeatedly.
I would expect Rigo to revert to the form I've noted in him before. I foresee him being excessively defensive, as he was in a SD-12 win against Ricardo Cordoba on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard in November 2010. The man just doesn't throw enough punches to bother Donaire or take him out of his preferred rhythm.
I repeat: Donaire is no Ramos, who in Round 6 of the Rigondeaux clash complained about being held and hit, wasn't able to work through discomfort to his left eye and then went to the canvas off a left hand to the body and was counted out. To put it delicately, Ramos didn't exude the spirit of an ultimate warrior in that clash, so anyone who bumped Rigondeaux, 31, up a few notches in their rankings might want to rethink it. He isn't in Donaire's class, despite having fought around 400 amateur bouts, despite his winning a crown in just his ninth pro scrap.
Rigo hasn't lost a bout since 2003, in the amateurs. But Donaire, busier and more powerful, would end that streak.
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