YouTube Image 1

Comeback Struggle of El Chacal, Guillermo Rigondeaux

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

At age 38, Cuban super bantamweight southpaw Guillermo ‘El Chacal’ Rigondeaux (The Jackal) was lucky to stop opponent Julio Ceja at 2:59 of the eighth round in a World Boxing Council elimination bout at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 23, 2019. Ceja was ranked number by the WBC, Rigondeaux was ranked number three by the WBC. Both fighters got deducted a bout for low blows in the eighth and final round of the scheduled 12 rounder. Rigondeaux, 19-1 with 13 knockouts, Miami, Florida, the lineal World Junior Featherweight champion, was behind on all three scorecards against Ceja, 32-4 with 28 knockouts, Alizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico.


Guillermo Rigondeaux knocked down Ceja near the end of round eight, who got up and the bout was stopped, a poor stoppage by referee Russell Mora. Ceja could have continued. Rigondeaux will now face the winner of 33-0 World Boxing Council World Super Bantamweight champion Rey Vargas of Otumba, Mexico versus WBC interim world champion 36-2 Tomoki Kameda of Tokyo, Japan, in July 2019.


Rigondeaux is getting older. He got lucky, but was also getting completely outboxed and outpunched at every opportunity to the head and body inside by Ceja’s combinations. In ten years, Rigondeaux has fought an average of twice a year, yet continues to remain a force in the lower weights. Rigondeaux’s issue is he can box but he isn’t active enough, and he is not a promotable wonder like a Floyd Mayweather Jr. or a Thomas Hearns. Rigondeaux will either get one more tune up, or be shelved until the Fall of 2019, at which point he will be 39 years old. It will be make or break for aging Guillermo, who may have more trouble now outboxing a younger and undefeated world class champion like Vargas, who has knocked out two of every three opponents. For ‘The Jackal’, only time will tell.

PBC on Fox Video Highlights Rigondeaux vs. Ceja

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-6BP6RKa94

Share

COMMENTS

COMMENTS

Robert Brizel - Head Boxing Correspondent
Robert Brizel - Head Boxing Correspondent
Robert is the Head Boxing Correspondent for Real Combat Media Boxing since 2013. Robert is also a photographer and ringside reporter for the RCM Tri State region which includes NJ, NY and PA. Robert conducts exclusive interviews, provides historical boxing articles and provides editorial ringside coverage of major boxing events. You can contact or follow Robert on Facebook and by email at [email protected].