Guillermo Rigondeaux is the most frustrating and disappointing fighter in recent boxing history

Along with Joan Guzman, and to a lesser extent Yuriorkis Gamboa, Rigondeaux has got to be the most infuriating and wasted God given talent I have ever seen in recent times. He had the tools, speed, reflex, footwork, and power to be the absolute best. The sky was the limit for him, especially after his magical performance against Donaire. Started out as a killer in the ring with offense that had bad intentions only to be reduced to a runner who refuses to engage. He was given so many chances to impress and give promoters reason to broadcast his fights but he constantly gave dull performances after dull performances against sub par opposition and giving other fighters reason to not have to fight him. His mindset was always about doing just enough to win and not give a care in the world what others think of him and his boring style.

I have always admired his abilities and skills but truth be told he has and always will be a ONE DIMENSIONAL fighter who has had no desire to fully impose his full potential given his natural talents. It makes me mad seeing how brilliant he looked against Casey, Ramos, Kennedy, Donaire but then give out stinker performances with no effort to close the show in impressive fashion.

Has there been a more disappointing and frustrating fighter like Rigo?

 

Cant agree more. Terrific fighter, but also a terrific bore

 

i think it is giving him too much credit to say if he just fought more aggressively he would've won. i mean, against lesser opposition, he did get aggressive and let his hands go. it is clear that against better comp, he just didn't have confidence. that's not a waste of talent. it's a limitation. my humble opinion.

 

Guzman i agree wasted his talent.

 

Rigo wasted his talent in large part because he spent his physical prime (his 20s) in the amateurs.

Had he turned pro in 2000 he might have gone down as one of the greater lower weight fighters OAT.

 

first ballot hall of famer

i think he wasted his talent defecting and turning professional. if he stayed in cuba he would be the first 5 or 6 time gold medalist.

 

Wait.... huhhhhh????

How can a pro waste their talent by NOT staying amateur?

That's literally like saying Kobe was a waste of talent because he should have gone to college, THEN spent his career playing overseas instead of going to the draft from High School in 96.

Who gives a shit about the amateurs? That complete and utter bum Audley Harrison won a Gold, let's you know how much those things mean. David Reid and Frank Tate would be all time greats if we measured boxing success by Gold.

ALLLLL that matters is how you do on the big stage.

BTW - Rigo will make the HOF, and he deserves it because there's inferior guys to him in there, but I can't say for certainty he's first ballot. Depends on who he's up against. He's not a popular or loved fighter. There won't be people driving to Upstate NY thinking, "Damn, I hope I meet Rigo!"

If you're a defensive specialist, you gotta be a popular/special one to make it first ballot - like a Floyd, Whitaker, Benitez. Rigo is not that level, so he's no lock for first ballot. Rigo is the same level as Ward, but Ward carved out a bigger name for himself in the pros, partially because he's a higher weight fighter, and partially because he's stayed top of mind because he calls fights.

 

It's not like he gets a bunch of respect for his pro career. Nor was he able to secure big fights

If he had stayed amateur he for sure would've won at least 4 gold medals if not 5 or 6 and gone down as the greatest amateur boxer ever. That is a greater legacy than what he ended up with

 

People Rigo was a level above Ward IMO.

 

Dont see it. His victory against Donnaire was great, but beside that, his resume is rather thin. He also had the habit of fighting down to the level of his opposition

 

A level above is pushing it, but I think Rigo peaked higher than Ward. That is to say, that despite Ward having better longevity, I don't think he was ever as good as Rigo was circa 2012. But, I don't think he was so much better that he could be considered a full level above Ward. That's a big gap when you talk a full level.

I would consider a Floyd or a Roy to be a different level completely from Ward, not Rigo.

 

I agree with this. Full level was an exaggeration.

 

I believe Rigo is a case of a guy who ‘had’ to fight to give himself a chance, growing up poor etc.. which works great for getting started and even developing a successful career.. then once he got some big $$$ the desire and will to put himself into harms way dissipated pretty quick. As opposed to a guy like Manny who just straight loves to fight regardless of his financial status.

 

That just reminded me of that straight retard Mannix arguing that Ward is the best super-middleweight of all time, and Sergio Mora having to set him straight that Roy Jones in fact would have clowned him. Mannix eventually agreed that Jones would’ve destroyed Ward (at this point I’m wondering if Mannix has actually seen a Roy Jones fight other than highlights of him getting KO’d by that crackhead)- but still somehow concluded that Ward was greater as a super middleweight because ‘he fought everyone’ while Jones only fought the weak competition which was all he had available at the time. Doesn’t anyone ever clue into the fact that just maybe it’s not a coincidence that suddenly divisions get super weak when an all-time great fighter comes along destroying everyone??

 

I dont really agree. Ward opposition was much better than rj at 168. Sure, he wasn't as destructive as roy, so maybe his opponents are not as discredited as rj opponents were after he blasted them, but still

 

Sure, the "Super 6" Afforded Ward BETTER Competition, But WHO Did He Fight as Good as '68 Toney in That Tournament???...

Beyond That, Ward and Calzaghe are the ONLY 2 Super Middles in the "All Time" Discussion w/Roy, Yet BOTH of Them Readily ADMIT '68 was Roy's...


REED

 

For sure toney was a better win than any ward got, but his resume was rather thin at 168 beside that.

Now dont get me wrong, id pick rj to beat ward fairly easily at 168 (probably even ko him early to middle), but i tend to give a lot of importance to resume depth when it comes to ranking fighters, and ward beats RJ there

 

Rigo vs Donaire is still a puzzling fight score-wise.

I thought Rigo won by landslide, as did Lampley & co. Late in the broadcast Lampley however mentioned how they got plenty of messages which said they were talking out of their asses and that Donaire was in fact winning.

The opinion of the judges was split, as were the opinions of the press.

 

It's acceptable to call Ward the greatest supermiddle. He has the deepest body of work at the weight.

Roy is head and shoulders the BEST supermiddleweight of all time.