Guillermo Rigondeaux slams “ducker” Carl Frampton
Guillermo Rigondeaux [17(11)-0] looks to become a two-weight champion next week, however the Cuban maestro is still sending barbs the way of Belfast’s Carl Frampton.
The double Olympic gold medalist jumps up two weight divisions to challenge WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko, himself a double Olympic gold medalist, in a dream fight for purists at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday December 9th.
Rigondeaux formerly held the WBA and WBO belts at super bantamweight, however suffered from a lack of commercial appeal as well as being a chairman of the ‘who needs him’ club.
The Caribbean fighter, once managed by Cork’s Gary Hyde, continually called for fights with big names in the division – including then-IBF champ Frampton.
However, the big names eluded Rigondeaux who, after not defending his belts at all in 2015, was stripped of his WBO strap for inactivity and his WBA status was downgraded to ‘Champion in Recess.’
This paved the way for Frampton to unify his IBF belt with the WBA strap as bitter rival Scott Quigg was upgraded from ‘regular’ titlist to ‘Super champion.’
‘The Jackal,’ of course, won in Manchester at the start of last year, and was immediately ordered by the WBA to defend the belt against ‘El Chacal’ Rigondeaux.
Frampton, advised by Al Haymon, had eyes on a move up in weight and across the Atlantic for high-profile fights with the likes of Leo Santa Cruz – and, after stating these intentions publicly, he was therefore stripped of his WBA belt
Rigondeaux viewed this move as a duck, and Frampton has ever since been the number one target of his dissatisfaction, with the 37 year old regularly goading the Irishman.
Yesterday Rigondeaux sent out a message on his social media showing some of Frampton’s fans creating a lot of noise and atmosphere at the Belfast man’s fight with Santa Cruz at the start of the year, questioning how Frampton could “be a ducker with fans like these?”
How can you be a ducker with fans like these? I seriously don’t understand. Fans like these deserved that you fight whoever and risk everything you go to be the best. Just my opinion. #Dec9. ☘️ fans I am coming for you all! Watch me on @boxnationtv drinking as many 🍺 as u want pic.twitter.com/Ah9UO5LnCX
— Guillermo Rigondeaux (@RigoElChacal305) November 23, 2017
Yes I am
— Guillermo Rigondeaux (@RigoElChacal305) November 23, 2017
Considering the size disparity, Rigondeaux is a big underdog ahead of the fight with Lomachenko. His name has been frequently mentioned, though, as a potential participant in a mooted World Boxing Super Series [WBSS] for featherweights next year.
The Tigers Bay 30 year old returned from his Santa Cruz loss last week with a ten-round win over Horacio Garcia, and looks set to fight again next April before a dream Windsor date in Summer.
The WBSS would then run its quarter-finals across September and October, however the weights for season 2 are still to be confirmed.
