Comments Thread For: Arum: I Want Rigondeaux To Be More Fan-Friendly

[deanrw]

Rigo could do plenty of things to appeal to an American Audience. 1: Learn English 2: Speak more to the media, the more word gets out about him can only serve him better. 3: He does not have to become a face first brawler to make him appealing, but he can still do things to make people take notice.

An Example is He had a badly wounded animal cowering in that 12th round against Donaire. He could have capitalized and got Donaire out of there, or at least tried. That is a fact.

Why did Arturo Gatti make big 1-2 Million + paydays on HBO? Because fans loved him. He was marketable. He did not have 1/10th the ability Rigo has, he did not need to.

You could put together a Holyfield vs Tyson 3rd fight on next month and make money. Why? Because both of them are well remembered by the casual fan and they could probably sell a million PPV buys again easily. Us fans in the know would call it a travesty, but we mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

[Uncle Rodge]

That makes ZERO sense. Bob does not want him to lose, he wants him to be as exciting as Donaire, create excitement, and fill the seats. Bob is just bouncing off what HBO said about Rigo and that means lost revenue for Bob.

Wtf is exciting about standing there looking dumbfounded and getting your ass handed to you every time you lunge in?

You've made it on the list. You know what list.

[richardt]

Wtf is exciting about standing there looking dumbfounded and getting your ass handed to you every time you lunge in?You've made it on the list. You know what list.

You are preaching to the choir. I could be happy watching Rigo dominate in the way he does but neither I nor you own the networks and they make the decisions. Sure he is on the PFP list but it is naïve to think that means build it and they will come. This isn't "Field of Dreams". Rigo can fight in the pocket and make a fighter miss and make them pay and not string along a fighter he has outclassed. That is my suggestion.

[_original_]

Rigo could do plenty of things to appeal to an American Audience. 1: Learn English 2: Speak more to the media, the more word gets out about him can only serve him better. 3: He does not have to become a face first brawler to make him appealing, but he can still do things to make people take notice.

An Example is He had a badly wounded animal cowering in that 12th round against Donaire. He could have capitalized and got Donaire out of there, or at least tried. That is a fact.

Why did Arturo Gatti make big 1-2 Million + paydays on HBO? Because fans loved him. He was marketable. He did not have 1/10th the ability Rigo has, he did not need to.

You could put together a Holyfield vs Tyson 3rd fight on next month and make money. Why? Because both of them are well remembered by the casual fan and they could probably sell a million PPV buys again easily. Us fans in the know would call it a travesty, but we mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Excellent post, Rigo definitely needs to learn English and get himself out there more. However, it's worth noting he was doing it more before the Donaire fight, speaking to several Latin media outlets and trash talking before the bout to stir up interest.

[skinnystev]

a-rum needs to be more fan friendly and stop being such a moneygrubber

[-PBP-]

Terrance Crawford is in the same place Rigo was when he was booed against Rico Ramos. If Crawford gets booed again, like Rigo did against Donaire, it isn't Bob who has the say so, it is the TV networks. Bob will then do what he is trying to do with Rigo and has probably already told Crawford he needs to put on more of a show.

I don't agree with that at all. If Arum told him that behind closed doors like you're speculating than he should of done the same in this situation. But the difference is he has a fighter with a fanbase to promote and cash in on so he has to salvage that fighter and rebuild him. He was clearly bitter after Donaire's defeat.

HBO calls Crawford the "best lightweight", deflected the blame on the lack of action to the "awkwardness of Klimov" and are clearly interested in having him back on the network. He was even featured in their fall lineup promos.

Rigo has taken 100% of the blame for the lack of action in the Donaire fight (Harold Lederman got on Donaire which I will acknowledge) because he has less fans and generates less money than Donaire.

HBO for years has showcased Chad Dawson, Devon Alexander, Andre Ward and Bernard Hopkins and not once threatened to blackball any of them.

[Southpawology]

Rigo catching a raw deal from top rank he needs to get out of there

[HeroBando]

HBO for years has showcased Chad Dawson, Devon Alexander, Andre Ward and Bernard Hopkins and not once threatened to blackball any of them.

All those guys American, all of them in the divisions they normally feature. There were zero 122lb fights on HBO for years before they finally warmed up to Donaire

[The Big Dunn]

He looked incredible ONLY to Boxing purists but you forget a simple fact. HBO is not a Boxing purist, otherwise they would have JUMPED at calling him back. You are not thinking outside the box. Your definition of "looking good" and my definition of "looking good" does not match what the networks want in this particular case. You and many of us see a sublime fighter. The network saw a fighter that got booed and did not want him back because he was not exciting or was boring to them. You or I don't own HBO or we would have wanted him back on because he earned that with the win. But we don't represent his value in the mass media, the networks do. It is what it is and wishing it was different doesn't make it that way.

I think the fans were booing the lack of action, not rigo persay. the lack of action stemmed from rigo's style and nonito's unwillingness to continue to throw punches because he didn't want to keep getting countered.

HBO invested in Nonito and Rigo ruined that investment to a degree. HBO had to be smart enough to see this coming when the fight was made.

But I maintain Top Rank's job is to promote Rigo, not get rigo to fight in a different style. The truth is winningboring may not get you big ppv fights but getting KO'd repeatedly will not get you those fights either.

You seem to be saying that HBO doesn't want rigo as the a side of a main event. Fine. I'm cool with that. My problem is Bob suggesting rigo being more exciting will get him big fights where he is the a side. How will that happen if he loses to an inferior fighter?

[deanrw]

Excellent post, Rigo definitely needs to learn English and get himself out there more. However, it's worth noting he was doing it more before the Donaire fight, speaking to several Latin media outlets and trash talking before the bout to stir up interest.

He needs to keep doing it. He also has to reach out to the common fan. When it comes to popularity you have to be a salesman. Some have the natural ability to sell. Some have to work a bit harder. Rigo is not an easy sell. He is a foreigner who does not speak the language. His style of fighting will not appeal to many casual fans on it's own like Provodnikov, but he can still do it. It will just take more work outside of the ring.

Rigo's style of fighting is beautiful, but casual fans want to see a caged Lion. Rigo does not really have to change his style of fighting hardly at all, he only has to turn into a lion in there when it is time. He can be a matador and still go for the kill when it is called upon.