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Rigo Gets W In the “Protect Yourself At All Times” Fight in Macau

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Tsk, tsk Sod Kokietgym.

I don’t mean to pile on, my good man, but must I be the one to remind you…er, I’m assuming you have heard this one before, being that you debuted as a pro in 2001… “defend yourself at all times.”

You didn’t Sod, and for that, you paid pretty dearly, when you ate that one-two from Guillermo Rigondeaux in round one of your clash at the Cotai Arena in Macau on Saturday.

You might have heard about this ending, which, by the way, is music to the ears of Team Rigondeaux, who on a daily basis have to keep from gnashing their teeth down to enamel dust with the knowledge that they are part of a crew for one of the uppermost talented boxers on the planet, but one who simply doesn’t get sustained love from the suits. Or the paychecks far lesser talented fighters cash on a regular basis mind you…

If you didn’t see the scrap, promoted by Top Rank, and shown in the States on Unimas late Saturday night, it featured two lefties figuring each other out in the first. A most patient and unflappable tactician, the super bantam ace Rigo snapped the jab, landed some crisp lefts, slipped and ducked and moved with swiftness and fluidity early on. The Thai foe looked to land a power left, and as he came in, Rigo too came forward. Their heads clashed and the Thai man went down, to his knees, like he’d been tased. He gestured at his head, trying to tell the ref what happened. He went to a corner, got some extra time, a few extra seconds, though the ref didn’t call for a five minutes or less break to let him get composed. The ref called for action to commence, half-arsedly indicated as much, gestured for the men to re-start the fisticufss, and they did. They went to touch gloves, a universal signal of OK, let’s get that behind us, and carry on…and Rigo drooped the ole tap and smack, or bump and bash, or whatever you want to call it. Both men tapped their lead hands, and the Thai expected the action to re-commence at a more leisurely pace than did Rigo. A split second after the gentleman’s tap, Rigo threw a blinding right hook, followed by a hammer of a left.

Bang, down went the Thai, again, like he’d been tased. This time, he was counted out, as he did reach his feet, but on jelly legs. He complained bitterly to Mark Nelson, but to no avail. The time of the stoppage: 1:44 of round one.

Twitter lit up, with some folks accusing Rigo (now 14-0) of taking the low road. Well, the road taken certaintly wasn’t the high road…but all involved, and all on the sidelines pondering getting involved, and all us mere spectators must know that this is prizefighting, the stakes are high, men will employ whatever slight edge they can to win, and an opponent simply must be on the lookout for corners being cut.

Sod wasn’t told by anyone to touch ‘em up, and for engaging in that bit of in-the-gym-during sparring-sessions sort of nicety, he paid dearly. As with most difficult lessons learned, the price he paid to learn it was stiff. He drops to 63-3-1.

You see that man standing and smiling to Rigo’s left? That’s his manager, Gary Hyde. I asked Hyde about the controversial ending and what’s next for the Cuban cutie. He said, “The finish, which had everyone talking, was just what we wanted.”

The genial Irishman told me, when asked if he thinks Rigo won via a cheap shot, “No way.”

And next, especially in light of the fact that Top Rank’s option to work with Rigo has ended, and he is a co-promotional free agent? “I’m happy with the interest shown by various promoters,” Hyde continued, noting that the team from Caribe continues to stand as a co-promoter. “Hopefully we can get a deal which will keep Rigo busy against the right opponent.”

Like who?

“Ideally Leo Santa Cruz,” he said. “And how likely are we to get that next? It’s up to the powers that be. I will meet with Golden Boy next week.”
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The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake

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The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake

PRESS RELEASE —   CANASTOTA, NY – DECEMBER 5, 2024 – The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum is thrilled to announce the newest class of inductees to be honored during the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend June 5-8, 2025 in “Boxing’s Hometown” Canastota, NY.

The Class of 2025 includes Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao, “The Pazmanian Devil” Vinny Paz and Michael “Second To” Nunn in the Men’s Modern category; Yessica “Kika” Chavez, Anne Sophie Mathis and Mary Jo Sanders in the Women’s Modern category; Cathy “Cat” Davis in the Women’s Trailblazer category; referee Kenny Bayless, cut man Al Gavin (posthumous) and referee Harry Gibbs (posthumous) in the Non-Participant category; broadcaster / journalist Randy Gordon and television producer Ross Greenburg in the Observer category; Rodrigo Valdez (posthumous) in the Old Timer category and Owen Swift (posthumous) in the Pioneer category.

Inductees were voted in by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a panel of international boxing historians. 

“We’re extremely excited about the Class of 2025 and are very much looking forward to honoring the newest class of inductees to earn boxing’s highest honor,” said Executive Director Edward Brophy.

The 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend is scheduled for June 5-8th in “Boxing’s Hometown.” Many events will take place in Canastota and nearby Turning Stone Resort Casino throughout the four-day celebration including ringside talks, fist casting, fight night, 5K race / fun run, boxing autograph card show, banquet, parade and induction ceremony. 

For more information on the 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, please call (315) 697-7095.

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Navarrete-Valdez and Espinoza-Ramirez Rematches Headline Phoenix Fight Fiesta 

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The annals of boxing abound with iconic rematches, and there’s a good chance that list will get longer after this Saturday in Phoenix’s Footprint Center with Top Rank’s ESPN card featuring Emanuel Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) versus Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) and Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs, against Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs).

Valdez’s ties to the local area and multiple Arizona appearances give his bout against Navarrete top billing, but WBO featherweight titlist Espinoza’s initial encounter with Ramirez was the better bout the first time around, deemed Fight and Upset of the Year by many observers.

That’s not to say Navarrete-Valdez 1 didn’t hold plenty of drama as Navarrete captured the WBO junior lightweight belt with a relatively widespread unanimous decision. Valdez got himself into an immediate bind in the first fight by walking into Navarrete’s jab, enabling Navarrete to score early with looping right leads from his six-inch reach advantage. Valdez’s corner implored him to stay patient but it seemed there was no avoiding a firefight that played into Navarette’s always busy hands.

By round 3 Valdez’s face was heavily marked and often on the defensive, waiting to establish an offense that never fully arrived. Though he scored with some big shots down the stretch, his swollen right eye closed by the 9th frame and the eventual outcome seemed obvious.

“I know there’s a lot of pride at stake in a Mexico versus Mexico battle,” said Navarrete. “I believe this will be an even better fight than before because we’re familiar with each other. I know I have to push Valdez to his limits.”

“I made mistakes the first time, the biggest one was trying to knock him out,” reflected Valdez. “I still have a few fights left in me, not everyone gets a second chance. I know what I needed to train for (this time) and I’ll make the most of it.”

Offense was never a problem for either Espinoza or Ramirez, who traded knockdowns in a give-and-take affair that might have gone either way. It was the gloved-up version of mongoose versus cobra as two time Olympic gold medalist Ramirez charged in behind blurring punches up the middle while the much taller Espinoza fired shoulder level combinations. In this case, it was the underdog cobra who triumphed.

Three days from first bell an unofficial consensus of online odds listed the previous winners as favorites, Espinoza by a hair and Navarrete by a solid margin. While the initial winners may still have an edge, that all disappears after the bell, and previous action indicates a pair of pick-em contests isn’t unlikely.

Boxing history is also full of tie-breaking trilogies, too. It wouldn’t be a big surprise if that’s what we’re looking at again in both these cases.

Adding to the electric atmosphere in Phoenix are a solid batch of undercard extras featuring multiple first-rate performers that should get the audience more than ready for the night’s headliners.

Top Rank junior welterweight prospect Lindolfo Delgado, 21-0 (15) from Nuevo Leon, meets skilled Dominican Jackson Marinez, 22-3 (10) in a contest that could qualify as main event worthy in many locales.

Undefeated southpaw heavyweight Richard Torrez, Jr, who earned the silver medal in that division for the USA at the 2020 Olympics faces off against Mexican big boy Issac Munoz Gutierrez, 18-1-1 (15) who reportedly packs a respectable wallop. None of Torrez’s pro opponents have made it to the final bell.

San Diego’s highly ranked welterweight title challenger Giovani Santillan, 31-1 (17) faces Fredrick Lawson of Ghana, 30-5 (22). Lawson has dropped his last two outings but that was against good opposition and he won’t be an easy test.

21 year-old DJ Zamora, a hot prospect at 13-0 (9) from Las Vegas meets experienced Roman Reynoso, 22-5-2 (10), from Argentina and emerging new stablemate Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez, 11-0 (7), who recently signed a long term Top Rank contract faces Gerardo Antonio Perez, 12-6-1 (3).

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R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46

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Israel Vazquez, a three-time world champion at 122 pounds and one of the most crowd-pleasing prizefighters of any era, has passed away at the age of 46. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman revealed the bad news today (Dec. 3) on his social media platform.

Born on Christmas Day 1977, Vazquez began his pro career in his native Mexico City at age 17. He was 16 fights into his pro career when he made his U.S. debut in El Cajon, California, under the management of Frank Espinoza.

Vazquez is most remembered for his four-fight rivalry with fellow Mexico City native Rafael Marquez.

The first two meetings were contested before small crowds in Carson, California, and Hidalgo, Texas.

Marquez won the first meeting thanks to a left hook that broke Vazquez’s nose in the opening round. The nose swelled to the point that Vazquez, who was making the fourth defense of his WBC super bantamweight title,  could no longer breathe and he was all done after seven rounds.

Vazquez won the rematch (TKO 6), setting the stage for a rubber match that would be a fight for the ages. The bout, contested on March 1, 2008 at the soccer stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, was a shoo-in for Fight of the Year, earning that accolade from the BWAA, The Ring magazine and others.

Vazquez pulled that fight out of the fire in the final round, knocking Marquez to the canvas to win a split decision. Ron Borges, writing for this publication, wrote, “they knocked pieces off each other that could never be fully reattached.”

That was true of the detached retina in Vazquez’s right eye. It would require multiple surgeries before Vazquez, nicknamed “El Magnifico,” fought again and the eye would eventually be replaced by a prosthetic.

Their fourth meeting, contested before a celebrity-studded crowd at LA’s Staples Center, was anticlimactic. Vazquez, damaged goods, was stopped in the third round and never fought again.

All four meetings were televised on Showtime which celebrated the rivalry in 2015, airing highlights from all four fights on March 7 of that year. TSS West Coast Bureau Chief David A. Avila, looking back at the series, wrote, “[It was] 28 rounds of the most scientifically brutal and awe-inspiring prizefighting at an elite level.” Avila would also call Israel Vazquez one of the sport’s greatest gentlemen, a class act, as evinced in his energetic handshake whenever meeting a new fan.

Vazquez used his ring earnings to open a boxing gym in the Greater Los Angeles City of South Gate.

Vazquez’s passing wasn’t unexpected. Mauricio Sulaiman announced last month that Vazquez had been diagnosed with Stage IV Sarcoma, a particularly virulent strain of cancer and along with Oscar Valdez and Top Rank, established a GoFundMe account to defray his medical expenses. Today, Sulaiman wrote, “Israel Vazquez is finally resting in peace. May God give strength and support to his wife Laura, their children, family and friends during these difficult times.”

We here at TSS share that sentiment and send our condolences.

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