The Strange Marketing Q of Lara and Rigondeaux

Editorial By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

 

Sometimes you have a great fighter who is not a box office draw. In such a circumstance what do you do? The late World Middleweight champion Paul Pender was in such a position. He lost to Gene Fullmer, beat Sugar Ray Robinson and Terry Downes twice, and beat Carmen Basilio, but the Massachusetts fighter did not generate public interest.

 

In an afterthought, one must take a deep look at the current and mysterious careers of Erislandy Lara and Guillermo Rigondeaux.

 

In the case of southpaw Erislandy Lara, 25-2-2 with 14 knockouts, Houston, Texas by way of Havana, Cuba, Lara has always been considered the best 154 pound junior middleweight today. Lara turned pro in 2008, and has held the WBA version of the World Super Welterweight title in one form or another for five years. He was knocked down twice in a bot by Alfredo Angulo before he fought for a world title.

 

Lara has lost to Paul Williams and Saul Alvarez, and drawn with Carlos Molina and Vanes Martirosyan, unable to win the big fight. Aside from a decision win over Austin Trout, his record does not include any wins in super fights. Now Lara, age 34, will face 21-0 International Boxing Federation world champion Jarrett Hurd, age 27, in an IBF and WBA world title unification matchup on USA Showtime on April 7, 2018. In 10 years as a professional, Lara has not become a household name. Hurd, who just beat Austin Trout, is a rapidly rising name. To what extent does a fighter’s popularity affect the judges, as well as public perception? Lara could win, or not, but his marquee value remains a question mark.

 

Fellow Cuban southpaw Guillermo Rigondeaux, the World Boxing Association World super Bantamweight champion, is another Cuban WBA world champion of considerable ability who has forged on in obscurity. Rigondeaux, 17-1 with 11 knockouts, won his world title in his eighth pro fight, and has fought either once, twice or three times a year since. Not very marketable, he was finally matched two weight classes up against Vasyl Lomachenko for the WBO World Super Featherweight title, and gave up after six rounds in a stinker, losing a point for holding. It was a mismatch in the wrong weight class, two classes up, but there was some money on the table for the Rigondeaux taking the bout. Rigondeaux will turn 38 years old in May 2018. He still holds his WBA world title, but his future is uncertain.

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