Guillermo Rigondeaux responds to criticism surrounding latest performance

Guillermo Rigondeaux

GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX has responded to the criticism surrounding his latest performance โ€“ a drab but one-sided 10-round points win victory over Drian Francisco on the undercard of Canelo Alvarezโ€™s victory over Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. The Cuban has endured a tough 12 months, having been stripped of his WBA and WBO super-bantamweight titles due to inactivity, but had promised that his signing with Roc Nation would herald a change in fortunes.

โ€œI feel terrific after the fight,โ€ said Rigondeaux. “He threw heavy but his style has nothing on mine. My style outmatched his.ย Itโ€™s been 11 months sinceย Iโ€™ve been in the ring andย I definitely felt some cobwebs butย Iโ€™d like to see some other fighters be out 11 months and come back with a win.โ€

The contest was the least entertaining on the bill, and those in attendance were booing the lack of action from as early as the first round.

โ€œI definitely wanted to give the fans a better fight soย I need to get back in to the gym, get more active to give a better performance.ย I promise that with the toolsย I have now after signing with Roc Nation that next timeย Iโ€™ll be explosive.ย Thank you to my team for helping me get this win.โ€

Francisco lost by two scores of 100-90, and one of 97-93, and despite being outclassed, did not have any words of congratulation for his conqueror.

โ€œRigondeaux is not a fighter, he is a runner,โ€ said Francisco. “He is afraid of getting hurt and doesnโ€™t want to fight. I felt pressured into being the aggressor during this fight because he wasnโ€™t fighting, he was running away. He is not a power puncher and won by points. I trained really hard for this fight and I feel like it was a waste of time because I didnโ€™t encounter a fighter tonight.โ€

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