Cordoba tells Rigondeaux ‘this isn’t the amateurs’
Things are heating up for the 13 November card featuring Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, and it’s not just Texas heat. Experienced super bantamweight Ricardo Cordoba (37-2, 23 KOs) has called out professional newcomer and amateur virtuoso Guillermo Rigondeaux (6-0, 5 KOs) in the wake of their undercard bout. Cordoba said he plans on sending Rigondeaux, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, back to the amateurs.
“The fight is now official, we’re just training hard to get well prepared for this commitment,” explained Cordoba. “He has more experience than me as an amateur, but this professional boxing and it’s two different things.”
“El Maestrito” is busy training in Miami, Florida, with Cuban fighter Luis Franco and Ramses Barthlemy, as well as Jamaican fighter Nicholas Walters.
Many consider Rigondeaux, who has achieved little professionally by virtue of just turning pro, one of the greatest amateur fighters of all time. Apart from compiling an astonishing 374 wins and 12 defeats as an amateur, he is a seven-time national champion, having won gold on all but one occasion (twice at the Olympics, twice at the World Amateur Championships, once at the Pan Am Games, the Central American and Caribbean Games, and the World Cup).
Likewise, in just six professional fighters, Rigondeaux has already acquired the status of one of the best super bantamweights in the world. He has five devastating knockouts in six bouts, and is especially known for his fight-stopping body shots.
Cordoba’s most famous win was against Celestino Caballero in 2004, one of only two men to beat Caballero, a former IBF super bantamweight champion. Cordoba has challenged the best of his division and routinely come out on top. He is considered one of the division’s top contenders and is ranked number four of his division according to Ring Magazine.
Tags: