Boxing News 2015: Guillermo Rigondeaux Added to Cotto-Canelo Pay-Per-View Undercard, Rigo Latest News
Super middleweight champion Andre Ward pulled out of the highly anticipated fight card between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez due to a knee injury, but his withdrawal won't be that much of a miss for this pay-per-view event after it was announced that former super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux has been added to the undercard.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be going up against Filipino contender Drian Francisco on Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Rigondeaux sports an incredible amateur career and a professional record of 15-0, with 10 KOs, while Francisco has an impressive record to show as well, 28-3-1, with 22 KOs.
The affair will be a 10-round super bantamweight bout where the Cuban is expected to shake off some rust due to inactivity; he actually hasn't fought in almost a year, the last one being a stoppage win against Japanese fighter Hisashi Amagasi.
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In a statement, Rigondeaux couldn't be happier to once again fight on a major card. "This is a great platform to take my career to the next level, and to showcase my talents on the big state. While I've been sidelined for the past year, I am grateful for the opportunity to deliver a show," he said.
Francisco is a virtual unknown among casual boxing fans. The Filipino was supposed to fight last Friday in his native Philippines but pulled out the last minute when his camp was offered the opportunity to fight Rigondeaux for a much bigger purse. And he knows he's just filling in to give the slick Cuban some tune-up in this one. "I want to make a statement and steal the show," he said. However, no one has really solved the puzzle in Rigo, not even former champion and Filipino Nonito Donaire. It won't make sense to bet on the Filipino in this one but anyone can pull off an upset.
The pay-per-view event is produced by HBO and promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Miguel Cotto Promotions, Canelo Promotions, and Caribe Promotions.
