Super-bantamweight king Guillermo Rigondeaux has finally reacted to the shameful actions and comments made by Top Rank ruler Bob Arum and HBO of late, with the Cuban rightfully livid with the numerous negative quotes and demands which have bizarrely been levied at the WBA/WBO/Ring magazine titlist by his own promoter and network. The undefeated (12(8)-0), pound-for-pound rated, former amateur king, two-time Olympic Gold Medallist and lineal 122 lb ruler finds himself in the absurd predicament of having no immediate fight lined up when only a few months back he dethroned the former division ruler Nonito Donaire in awesome fashion to make his mark in the pro-ranks, astonishingly after only 12 bouts.
Such a feat is remarkable in the modern era, and the fact that he utterly dominated his Filipino foe with such ease ranked him immediately within most peoples pound-for-pound lists. However, the nature of the win has clearly upset Arum and HBO who although have tentatively booked November 9th for his return, have actually slated their fighter in public with his own promoter stating that fans of the sweet science do not enjoy watching his style, and that it would be hard to promote his man in the future let alone get HBO back on board. To be frank, Arum has treated the global boxing star with utter contempt and it would now appear that Rigondeaux will be looking to move elsewhere when his contract ends next year as expected; although rivals Showtime and Golden Boy have allegedly already made it clear they would be happy to guide the Cubans career.
“Here is what bothers me, the lack of respect from Top Rank and Bob Arum, who makes jokes in bad taste – like the one where he says that in order to become a superstar Fidel Castro has to come down and promote me or how the people at HBO vomit when they hear my name,” Rigondeaux told George Ebro. “HBO recently paid homage to all of the champions and Top Rank/HBO did not invite me. They say they’re going to give me exposure on this card and that card and then forget those promises. Everything is a lack of respect. Either they promote me or give me back the contract, but I will not accept any more disrespect. I’ve won my titles with great effort and I will not let anything or anyone come and disrespect me. Arum does not treat everyone equally, I have no doubt about that.”
One has to side with the Cuban in this instance as to face such criticism from his own paymasters is pretty much unheard of and is incredibly unprofessional, amateurish if you will. It also reeks of double-standards when Donaire himself participated in 3 consecutive stinkers against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, Jeffrey Mathebula and Toshiaki Nishioka respectively last year. Ironically, the Filipino star was awarded fighter of the year for those wins and of course still enjoys the undivided attention of Arum and HBO.
Rigondeaux will hopefully feature at 122 lbs this winter, although there are limited opportunities at the weight due to him wiping out the divisions premier fighter in one fell swoop. A move to featherweight may beckon for the former Olympic great, however it remains to be seen whether it will be under the tutelage of Top Rank with relations between the fighter and promoter seemingly at an all-time low.
he's basically fighting for scraps. i don't see why arum don't put him on the pacquaio or even alverado undercard against someone like vic, agbeko or even quigg.
