"So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors on the
ballpark and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville!"
Terry Malloy - On the Waterfront (1954)
The fortunes of Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux have
varied wildly since Rigo dissected Donaire in Radio City Music Hall in New York
in April earlier this year.
Prior to the fight, Donaire was one of the more favoured
fighters in the sport; on many commentators top 5 pound for pound lists and
possessing one of the most hellacious left hooks in any weight division. For
your proof just take a look at The Ring Magazine Knock Out of the Year award.
Donaire's left hook is one of the few punches to have two entries on that list.
Unfortunately one punch is not enough against a defensive
wizard like Rigo, who popped in and out of range with ease and defeated Donaire
comfortably in what some would call a deeply technical chess match, and others
struggle to remember as they fell asleep somewhere along the way.
Donaire appeared unfocused, and much softer around the
middle than in previous outings. He was possibly distracted by the arrival of a
new child.
So unlike Brando in On the Waterfront, who took a dive for
the short end money and ended up in Palooka-ville, Rigo has managed to somehow
find himself on the same train after blacking the eye and the record of one of
Top Rank's biggest stars.
And Donaire? He has a rematch with Vic Darchinyann
headlining on HBO, 6 years after he announced himself by defeating the based
Armenian in 2007.
We already have an absolute career highlight from their first meeting, so we really need to see it again? Nobody flicking through their
cable channels is probably going to complain about seeing a repeat, but not
unlike his fight vs Jorge Arce, there is little scope for the upset in this
one.
Related Links
Donaire-Darchinyan rematch announced for November 9th http://www.boxingscene.com/donaire-darchinyan-rematch-complete-nov-9--69145
Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook weighs up the problems faced by Top Rank in promoting Rigo. Super skilled, but so far unmarketable. http://www.badlefthook.com/2013/4/14/4222890/donaire-vs-rigondeaux-results-commentary-selling-guillermo-arum-promoter-dilemma-hbo-boxing
No comments:
Post a Comment