Guillermo Rigondeaux hopes performance vs. James Dickens leads to elusive big fights
Guillermo Rigondeaux is the best fighter in the world not regularly shown on American airwaves.
His last bout, a dreary 12-round decision over an unmatched Drian Francisco, was televised on HBO PPV. His next fight, a WBA junior featherweight title defense vs. James "Jazza" Dickens on Saturday in Cardiff, Wales, will not be.
It's due to that lack of action that Rigo has been shunned by American television executives. Still, the talent is undeniable. He's a pound-for-pound regular and one of the greatest amateurs of all time with two Olympic gold medals won for his native Cuba.
He latched on with Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports last year, but he remains on the periphery of big-time boxing.
The song remains the same: Rigondeaux must not just win, but entertain, if he hopes be showcased to fans stateside. The same holds true for his level of opposition.
The 35-year-old longs for the big fights, bouts against the likes of Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton. But those kind of matchups have eluded him as well. The 122-pound champ is deemed too risky for the small reward he brings to the financial table.
But it's a new year, and if Rigo wants to change his fortunes, it must start vs. Dickens (22-1-0, 7 KOs) in the U.K.
"I'll have an excellent fight on Saturday and let's hope that it make the other boxers want to fight me," Rigondeaux (16-0, 10 KOs) told Paste BN Sports through a translator. "I'm ready to fight anybody that gets to be my opponent.
They're the ones that are not ready to fight me. I'm ready to fight anyone. It's not because of me. I'm willing to fight with anyone."
"El Chacal" was originally slated to face off with Dickens in March, but visa issues prevented Rigondeaux from entering the U.K. and he boarded a flight from Moscow, where he set up camp, back to his residence in Miami.
Four months later, Rigondeaux is finally set for his U.K debut in a bout that will be televised by BoxNation across the pond. And Rigondeaux's belt is back where it belongs: around his waist.
He was stripped of the WBA title due to inactivity, but after Carl Frampton refused to fight Rigo, the belt was returned earlier this year. Rigondeaux says Frampton is "afraid" and that he would have snatched the belt away if they fought. Dickens is a longshot to take the title away.
Per Sportsbook Review, the Brit is as much as a 20-1 underdog to upset Rigondeaux. In Dickens' lone fight of note he was knocked out by Kid Galahad.
Inactivity has sapped Rigondeaux of some prime years, but he says "age is not an issue." What is an issue, though, is Rigondeaux's safety-first style.
"I don't feel the need to change my boxing style because I've never lost a fight," said Rigondeaux, who topped reigning fighter of the year Nonito Donaire in 2013. "Regardless of people saying it's boring or not I still win the fights.
"I'm going to put an excellent fight on Saturday and that's all. I've proven in the past that I've won every fight I've fought. … I'm very ready for saturday and I'm going to knock out Dickens in his hometown."
(Photo of Rigondeaux, left, and Dickens by Action Images/Andrew Couldridge)