HBO Sports President Talks Rigondeaux

[chiguy91]

I read his stuff fairly regularly. Rafael has become increasingly hostile towards Rigo, as if the fat fuck has any right to criticize an athlete of Guillermo's stature the way he does. I mean, you're supposed to be a "journalist," for fuck's sake. Be a little more professional. He's a fanboy with a pen.

i have yet to read anything rafael has written about rigondeaux. i have to check that out. as for this article, that sucks to hear from hershman, but he is a businessman at the end of the day. hopefully rigo is able to get free from top rank and move over to showtime/gbp.
although what has been coming out, talks of a donaire rematch (at least what i last heard nonito talk about) and a potential showdown with lomachenko if he gets past salido sounds like two bouts that'll generate fans' interests. just like reed said, just keep winning.

[Art-illery]

Arum always knew Guillermo was a threat to Donaire. He said so himself. I posted a Youtube interview about it earlier in the thread.
lol

I remember that. It was during the time when Donaire was trying to jump Top Rank's ship because he got tired of being the second-rated redheaded stepchild Pinoy in comparison to Manny Pacquiao's name. This was also during the time when Rachel Donaire (Nonito's dominatrix) was trying to call out Jinkee Pacquiao for dressing tacky, and Bob Arum responded with Rachel dressing like a whore.

It was the same tactic that Arum tried to do with Mayweather by trying to state that may was ducking the likes of Cotto and Margarito (who were in Arum's stable at the time).

[CubanGuyNYC]

i have yet to read anything rafael has written about rigondeaux. i have to check that out. as for this article, that sucks to hear from hershman, but he is a businessman at the end of the day. hopefully rigo is able to get free from top rank and move over to showtime/gbp.
although what has been coming out, talks of a donaire rematch (at least what i last heard nonito talk about) and a potential showdown with lomachenko if he gets past salido sounds like two bouts that'll generate fans' interests. just like reed said, just keep winning.

Below is a quote from Rafael's current write-up on Rigo in his 122 lb ratings, where he has Rigo rated #1. He updates these after every fight. It's just one example of Rafael's growing vendetta towards Rigondeaux.

Although he got knocked down in the 10th round, Rigondeaux, the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist, kept 2012 fighter of the year Nonito Donaire off balance all night and outboxed him for a unanimous decision April 13 to unify world titles. It was a boring but very effective performance. It was more of the same unwatchable dreck when he returned to defend his belts against former bantamweight titlist Joseph Agbeko on Dec. 7. Rigondeaux won a shutout decision in a fight devoid of action as Rigondeaux never once tried to do any damage to a clearly overmatched opponent. He was content to lay back and put everyone to sleep. Don't expect him back on HBO any time soon after those two performances as he probably had folks changing the channel in droves.

That's the kind of writing I expect from an anonymous poster on Boxingscene, not a paid journalist working for ESPN. The Agbeko fight was boring, we all agree. Why does Rafael feel the need to get Guillermo "fired," as it were?

[Los Zetas]

Rigo is boring. I wait til 5 am in the UK to watch headliners. I didn't for Rigo not because a lack of promotion but because his style means less punches landed.

Has he got skills? Yeah he does, but is he worth waiting for? Not for me.

He broke the record for the worse viewers apparently. That's baddd.

[SCEN3RY]

I kind of understand. But I don't think this is solely about Rigo. It's about a moment and who he defeated.

There were rumors and complaints that Rigo wasn't very "entertaining" for the casual fan. But usually boxers are given time. Paulie is not a very entertaining either, or Ward. Yet they are given chances.

But for Rigo everything changed after the Donaire fight. The whole internet and ESPN began campaign to label Rigo as boring and unwanted. Donaire was the cash cow--nobody focused on the fact that Donaire had been previously booed for his inability to bring the fight to a non-brawler--. He was supposed to be Pac. For exposing him, he'll never be forgiven.

Just check out Dan Rafael, who, though profoundly ignorant of boxing, has a mass following. His tweets, no matter how ******, make an impact. He has built a consistent anti-Rigo campaign.

Rigo needs to be given a chance to come out of this mob. Remember, after the Pac fight, Bradley was banished due to the combined pressure from pac fans.

I'm not denying the fact that HBO has the right to judge based on ratings. They are a business after all. But to dismiss Rigo after 2 fights is harsh. Ward has been given chance after chance. Arum, though he joined on the anti Bradley mob, eventually gave him his chance to shine with a brawler.

So much bull**** to address in this post, but more importantly the bold...Bradley wasn't banished from HBO, dummy. They offered his ass an EASY Lamont Peterson rematch for a ridiculous amount of 3 million dollars. Bradley turned it down and decided to wait for something else and so he waited to play rag doll with Provodnikov. Stop tryna rewrite history.

[chiguy91]

Below is a quote from Rafael's current write-up on Rigo in his 122 lb ratings, where he has Rigo rated #1. He updates these after every fight. It's just one example of Rafael's growing vendetta towards Rigondeaux.

Although he got knocked down in the 10th round, Rigondeaux, the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist, kept 2012 fighter of the year Nonito Donaire off balance all night and outboxed him for a unanimous decision April 13 to unify world titles. It was a boring but very effective performance. It was more of the same unwatchable dreck when he returned to defend his belts against former bantamweight titlist Joseph Agbeko on Dec. 7. Rigondeaux won a shutout decision in a fight devoid of action as Rigondeaux never once tried to do any damage to a clearly overmatched opponent. He was content to lay back and put everyone to sleep. Don't expect him back on HBO any time soon after those two performances as he probably had folks changing the channel in droves.

That's the kind of writing I expect from an anonymous poster on Boxingscene, not a paid journalist working for ESPN. The Agbeko fight was boring, we all agree. Why does Rafael feel the need to get Guillermo "fired," as it were?

i never really liked rafael to begin with (that's why i never read any of his stuff), but wow, that was just pathetic. i honestly don't know how anyone can respect dan rafael. i guess it just goes to show how espn really is a complete joke when it comes to boxing.
hopefully rigondeaux can get free from top rank if no big fights like a donaire rematch are put on the table for him. i think he might need to take a page out of GGG's book. fight as much as possible, wherever against whoever is willing to get in the ring with him.

[brickcityboxing]

It's funny how the argument that Rigo isn't popular enough or fan friendly or doesn't have a built in fan base pops up on this board multiple times a week. Hbo makes comments at least twice a month about this guy since he beat Donaire. Sure , the numbers don't lie not many people are watching. But Rigo sure as **** has people talking... He's become popular for being unpopular ! Hbo sucks for that and makes this sport look like a sideshow they should stand behind him. He's one of the great ones ! No one in the nba apologizes for Tim Duncan's style of play. They realize for every Jordan there has to be a Duncan or Nowitzki (spelling). It makes the game better. I hope more than anyone rigo goes to Showtime/GBP where I feel he would be more appreciated... And spare me the business talk from all you fake marketing wiz's I'm a fan of the science and rigondeaux's one of the best to ever do it ... PERIOD...

[CubanGuyNYC]

i never really liked rafael to begin with (that's why i never read any of his stuff), but wow, that was just pathetic. i honestly don't know how anyone can respect dan rafael. i guess it just goes to show how espn really is a complete joke when it comes to boxing.
hopefully rigondeaux can get free from top rank if no big fights like a donaire rematch are put on the table for him. i think he might need to take a page out of GGG's book. fight as much as possible, wherever against whoever is willing to get in the ring with him.

I ran into a recent episode of ESPN's "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, where they had Rafael on the show. You can never get those two to shut up, but they sat like little schoolchildren as they listened to Rafael talk boxing. The sport has become such a sideshow that regular sports journalists don't even follow it anymore. Of course, it doesn't help that one of the best boxers on the planet is being cast aside because the "fans" can't be bothered with...*gulp*...boxing.

[CubanGuyNYC]

It's funny how the argument that Rigo isn't popular enough or fan friendly or doesn't have a built in fan base pops up on this board multiple times a week. Hbo makes comments at least twice a month about this guy since he beat Donaire. Sure , the numbers don't lie not many people are watching. But Rigo sure as **** has people talking... He's become popular for being unpopular ! Hbo sucks for that and makes this sport look like a sideshow they should stand behind him. He's one of the great ones ! No one in the nba apologizes for Tim Duncan's style of play. They realize for every Jordan there has to be a Duncan or Nowitzki (spelling). It makes the game better. I hope more than anyone rigo goes to Showtime/GBP where I feel he would be more appreciated... And spare me the business talk from all you fake marketing wiz's I'm a fan of the science and rigondeaux's one of the best to ever do it ... PERIOD...

How ironic. Yet, there's no way anyone so "boring" would be talked about so much if he ******. Boxing drifts closer to pro wrestling every day.

[Bushbaby]

Way to go hbo. Did that guy forget Andre Berto made a home beating bums on that network? I didn't. They can't fool me. I remember everything.