Sounds Like Rigo Could Be Joining Frank Warren Stable

Manager Gary Hyde has been working his tail off, jetting here and there, and working the phones, and annoying the missus with excessive emailing, as he tries to find a promotional home for his supremely talented Cuban pugilistic professor, pound for pound number two in the world, arguably, Guillermo Rigondeaux (14-0, with 9 KOs; age 33).

After negotiations with Roc Nations Sports hit a snag, the snag being, according to the Irish dealmaker and facilitator Hyde, an impasse in terms of co-promotion between Roc and the team at Caribe Promotions, Hyde moved to Plan B. He reached out to the Brit dealmaker with heavy creds and decades of experience tucked into his trousers, Frank Warren.

“Frank Warren has made a substantially stronger offer than Roc Nation,” Hyde told me Wednesday, with an air of optimism regarding the possibilities for the super bantam champ. “He will deliver three fights a year and will take Caribe into consideration by paying a percentage of Rigo’s purse. He is a Hall of Fame promoter, and it would be a great move to sign with him.” Caribe has promoted Rigo, and also co-promoted him, with Top Rank, for the last couple years. Top Rank and Team Rigo agreed to part ways after his last outing, a win over Sod Kokietgym in Macau July 19.

Hyde and the Warren crew chatted in Portugal, on Monday. Meanwhile, Rigo was chilling in Miami, and hanging with Brit ace Amir Khan. May we presume they compared notes on the merits of this promoter and that one, and maybe Rigo got the crack on Warren from Khan? (Khan was with Warren until 2010, when he parted ways to hop on to the Golden Boy bus.)

So, anyway, Mr. Hyde, is it a done deal, a near-done deal, or something else?

“Frank has agreed to accommodate Caribe,” Hyde said. “Let’s hope they accept.”

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