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Rigondeaux vs. Solis Bantamweight Title In Play For Dec. 7
By Jake Donovan
Published On Fri Oct 4, 2019, 03:15 PM EDT
Two-time Olympic Gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux aims to become a two-division titlist—doing so at a weight he hasn’t officially since the final days of his incredible amateur career.
The Cuban southpaw and reigning World (lineal) 122-pound champion is planning to drop four pounds north for his next bout, a bantamweight title fight versus Venezuela-born, Panama-based Liborio Solis. The matchup is being targeted for Dec. 7, likely to land on the undercard of Jermall Charlo’s middleweight title defense versus Australia’s Dennis Hogan.
The bout has been made public by representatives of both camps, including Solis himself who took to social media to reveal what will mark his fourth attempt at becoming a two-division titlist himself. It will also mark his official return to the bantamweight division since his last swing at the crown, an anti-climactic three-round No-Contest in his Nov. 2017 rematch with Jamie McDonnell.
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One major holdup in the fight being formally announced is the lack of availability of the actual title to be at stake. The two will vie for the World Boxing Association (WBA) “Regular” title, which was last claimed by unbeaten Naoya Inoue in a 1st round knockout of McDonnell last May.
The three-division titlist and pound-for-pound entrant from Japan has since added the International Boxing Federation (IBF) strap and will next face WBA “Super” titlist Nonito Donaire in the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight finals Nov. 7 in Saitama, Japan. It is presumed that the WBA “Regular” title will become available by that point, although it defeats the purpose of title consolidation bouts to begin with.
Nevertheless, it puts Rigondeaux (19-1, 13KOs) at a weight he hasn’t had to officially make since the tail end of his amateur career. Both of his Gold medal runs came at bantamweight, as it was well within reason to believe he could have collected a third at that weight had he stuck around for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Instead, the gifted southpaw defected from Cuba, ending his amateur career with an eye-popping mark of 463-12. A ten-year pro career has largely taken place in the super bantamweight division, where he claimed an interim title in just his 7th pro fight and his first major title by his 9th pro fight.
Rigondeaux rose to pound-for-pound prominence following his April 2013 win over Donaire to begin what remains the sport’s longest active lineal championship stretch. Seven defenses of the 122-pound crown have followed, including a come-from-behind 8th round knockout of Julio Ceja in their Fox-televised thriller this past June. The win also guaranteed the 39-year old southpaw a shot at reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) 122-pound titlist Rey Vargas, although he has chosen to head in another direction—south, as it relates to his next ring weight.
Solis (30-5-1, 14KOs) became a full 115-pound titlist after edging out Japan’s Kohei Kono in their title consolidation clash in May 2013. He never made an official defense of the strap, badly missing weight for an intended unification bout with Daiki Kameda, settling for a decision win in their Dec. 2013 downgraded non-title fight.
From there came a ring campaign spanning four weight divisions, though largely coming at 118 and 122 pounds. Three swings at a bantamweight title all ended in despair, dropping a lopsided decision to then-unbeaten Shinsuke Yamanaka in March 2016 and landing on the wrong end of a controversial points loss to McDonnell in their first meeting in Nov. 2016. Their rematch one year later ended on an accidental foul, when a headbutt produced a cut over McDonnell’s left eye which ended the fight inside of three rounds.
Five wins have followed for Solis, including a 1st round knockout of Karlos Diaz this past July in his adopted hometown of Panama City, Panama. The bout marked the closest he’s weighed to the bantamweight limit since the McDonnell rematch, with his forthcoming clash versus Rigondeaux serving as his first in the United States.
Conscious Pilot
Do Better.
You really favoring Plant with his early and often gas tank issues over CokeBoy huh
I swear I just don't see it...
reservoirdogs
Superstar
Plant works well for the body though, can slow down Benavidez for later roundsYou really favoring Plant with his early and often gas tank issues over CokeBoy huh
Benavidez had troubles with Gavril not that long ago, I don't see why he'd just go through Plant
Plant better be working overtime on his cardio, I'ma fan and he clearly beat Uzi but he can't fade down the stretch against Benavidez like he did against Uzi. Benavidez will drop hammers on him if h gasses again. All that moving not built to last 12 rounds and I don't think he wants to fool around with inside fighting for the backstretch with someone who has the handspeed and power that Benavidez has.
Bigblackted4
Superstar
You don’t steal on an old man in his back, this is boxing not the streets
Breaking his shyt ain't right, but dude is old enough to know he shouldn't be barking on a woman in someone else's hometown. Someone on Shields' team did the smart thing and removed her sister from the situation, he should have let it go instead of going over there and continuing the threats. You can even see Shields' boyfriend walking over to him and telling him to chill out.
Bigblackted4
Superstar
Right smack his old ass don’t punch him from behind. I get why people did it, but they just fukking up for everybody in this situation.
The axe murderer
For I am death and I ride on a pale horse
holyfield thinking of a comeback too?
Bigblackted4
Superstar
Pure CTE
carny meets carnies
boxing and pro-rassling go hand-in-hand
Omar Little
It’s all in the Game Yo
