Lomachenko was too big and electric for Rigondeaux to do anything but try and wait for the opportune time to let loose with something that might give Lomachenko a little trepidation, but it wasn't to be. With Rigondeaux holding like he never had before, it was painfully obvious that Lomachenko was too strong and too elusive for him…
On the morning of the fight Lomachenko weighed 137 and Rigondeaux weighed 130, meaning Rigondeaux was fighting at or slightly above his natural walking around weight. For those who don't think that's a big deal, let’s see Terence Crawford, who fought Julius Indongo in his last junior welterweight defence, meet Lomachenko at the same weight Vasyl scaled for Rigondeaux. Call it a hunch but something tells me Crawford is the alley cat on that block.
In all honesty, Lomachenko-Rigondeaux was one of the easiest big fights in a long time to predict the winner. The over the top fandom for Vasyl Lomachenko in every move he makes is a little premature for me, but I can't dispute he's truly special... However, I can't elevate him for beating a significantly smaller man. If you want to tilt a fight in favour of one fighter over another... have the smaller fighter spot his opponent almost a decade in age when the older fighter is 40 or crowding it!
There was never a chance Rigondeaux was going to beat Lomachenko, and that had much to do with why the fight came to fruition.
For the past couple years prior to facing Lomachenko, Rigondeaux seemed to be seven days out from being a week-old ghost that nobody cared about. Guillermo needed a big fight and name opponent to make the type money most fighters of his skill-set make, but he really had no takers. Therefore he was willing to sell his "0" and meet Lomachenko above his optimum weight and the result, at least in this corner, was never in question.
In beating Rigondeaux as conclusively as he did, the reality is that Lomachenko, a 3-1 favourite on the morning of the fight, did what he was expected to do and, more significantly, what he should've done.
I believe that Terence Crawford - and maybe only Crawford - is a more formidable, sound and versatile fighter than Lomachenko, but I'll concede Lomachenko is better eye candy. Moreover, the pound for pound list is pure conjecture, that's why I state it as "boxing's best and most complete fighter." Ask yourself this: with Crawford being about the same dimensions bigger than Lomachenko as Lomachenko held over Rigondeaux... if Crawford beat up Lomachenko bringing the same weight pull to the ring on the night of the fight - would you then rank Crawford as the greatest active fighter in boxing? Of course you wouldn't, and that's exactly why I cannot elevate Lomachenko any higher than I saw him before the fight against Rigondeaux.
For those who believe size and physical strength had no bearing on the outcome, I find that interesting. I never once saw Rigondeaux hold or shudder when he got hit in any previous fight, like he did against Lomachenko who was the biggest opponent he ever met. Conversely, I never saw any other opponent of Lomachenko's react the same way Rigondeaux did after being touched by him, and he hit Jason Sosa in his last fight much harder. If you believe size and physicality had no role or only a minor one pertaining to the way Rigondeaux reacted and lost his nerve to try and fight back, you're wrong.
Granted, Lomachenko's skill and speed played a part in the end result. However, without the overload of physicality and strength on his part the fight wouldn't have unfolded the same way... strength and weight made everything else more effective than it was against any of Lomachenko’s previous opponents. And the only coincidence is this was the first time Lomachenko fought a fighter who was profoundly smaller than he.
If you view Lomachenko as the next Phenom, I get it, but using the Rigondeaux performance is not the one to use as his signature win. He beat an old guy two divisions below him.
Older fighters reach that point sometimes and it becomes more about it being a business than who is the greater fighter. Rigondeaux wasn't the first to arrive there and won't be the last.
Other than getting Lomachenko more deserved exposure I didn't take away much else in the aftermath of the fight. However, my needle pertaining to his greatness didn't move. How could it? I knew he was special before the fight and fighters smaller than him would be no match; he's that great.
Lomchenko is the first to concede in interviews that this wasn't a big win for him because he had size advantage..Time for Mikey Garcia vs Lomachenko .
It does help when you're 2 weight division and 8 years younger than your opponent.
It would have been very interesting to see Loma move up 2 divisions and take on Crawford when Crawford was a super lightweight.
Would he have done it? I know that Lomachenko's manager rejected such a fight earlier this year calling it "suicide."
But if the Ukrainian wants to achieve that god-like status that so many have prematurely bestowed on him (You know, the babble that Loma's "the best I've seen since Robinson"), he'll have to eventually take a risk against a big name.
Maybe the same kind of disastrous risk that tiny Rigo took last weekend.
Rigondeaux fought bigger oponents during career and he just outclasses them. Many world champions doesn´t want to fight him. He wanted fight with Lomachenko and he get it. He talked a lot of trash to Loma. Loma outclasses him and make him quit before thousands people in arena and millions watching around world. And if you cannot respect that, you definitely must him respect after post fight interview. Is weight and age a factor? Yes, but it is in every fight in boxing.
SenorPipino wrote: ↑13 Dec 2017, 16:49
It would have been very interesting to see Loma move up 2 divisions and take on Crawford.
Would he have done it? I know that Lomachenko's manager rejected such a fight earlier this year calling it "suicide."
But if the Ukrainian wants to achieve that god-like status that so many have prematurely bestowed on him (You know, the babble that Loma's "the best I've seen since Robinson")
Best since Robinson??? GTFO!!! Robinson was beaten by slow and punchless Joey Maxim -- and by Ralph Jones who was a cherry-pick coming off of 5 straight losses... Robinson wanted NOTHING to do with Maxim and Jones after those losses - who weren't the first easy opponents to beat Robinson...
Look at how many times Robinson was decked -- and by who: Jake LaMotta... Artied Levine... Rocky Graziano... Tommy Bell... Rocky Castillani and others... His chin was often hanging out there like a lantern in a storm.
And Lomachenko ALREADY MOVED UP 1 weight class because none of the top Featherweights would fight him... So it would be like Loma beating Mikey Garcia not Crawford -- a fight Loma wants, but probably isn't going to happen... 140 and 147 are a few years off for Lomachenko...3 or 4 years I would say... He'll be 30 in February so he can't wait forever.
If you feel in your mind/heart that Floyd's win over JMM was not 100% legit,
then you should feel something similar about Lomachenko/Rigo.
BUT ...
My argument to the majority of people here shitting of Floyd after the fight was (should have been),
who else at 147 could beat JMM like that?
So my argument to the "Lomachenko is too big" people is,
who else at 130 could beat Rigondeaux like that?
That being said, you have to acknowledge that Loma had a size/age/weight/timing advantage.
But even with those same advantages, who at 130 could beat Rigo like that?
asdfjkl wrote: ↑14 Dec 2017, 15:25
Would Loma have a chance against Mickey Garcia? Especially with a broken hand? I think the odds of Rigo winning are a lot higher
Rigondeaux had no chance to win versus Lomachenko - but the reason wasn't the weight or age it was skill..
Lomachenko is a master boxer and Rigo has been floored 3 times.... Mikey Garcia beats Rigo at any weight as well.
Garcia already moved to his 3rd weight class to fight the much bigger Adrien Broner.... Kicked his ass real good too.
However if Mikey fights Loma he'll lose.... Lomachenko is too good.
SenorPipino wrote: ↑14 Dec 2017, 16:50
It's maybe as meaningful as when a much bigger Monzon pretty much toyed with ATG Napoles back in 1974.
Mantequilla was also moving up 2 weight divisions and was a rapidly aging 33.
The fight wasn't close. And like Rigo, Napoles remained on his stool before the 7th round. There was no outcry that he was a quitter.
Following that bout, no one quickly anointed Monzon a god.
His height, reach, strength and weight advantage were assumed to be the reasons that he vanquished Napoles so easily.
Napoles blamed a thumb in the eye earlier in the bout.
It simply boiled down to one talented champion being too big for another talented champion. That's why there are weight divisions in boxing.
It's what happened last Saturday night.
To be fair, napoles gave it a lot more of a go. Rigo checked out mentally after 3 rounds. I dont think that even if they'd been the same division he would have been competitive. I think rigo is essentially a point scoring amateur machine with power wheres lomachenko is a fighter at heart.
asdfjkl wrote: ↑14 Dec 2017, 15:25
Would Loma have a chance against Mickey Garcia? Especially with a broken hand? I think the odds of Rigo winning are a lot higher.
Rigo didn't break his hand. We have already seen Loma winning with a broken hand. Of course, against Garcia, it isn't very realistic, but I strongly doubt that Loma would quit.
asdfjkl wrote: ↑14 Dec 2017, 15:25
Would Loma have a chance against Mickey Garcia? Especially with a broken hand? I think the odds of Rigo winning are a lot higher.
Rigo didn't break his hand. We have already seen Loma winning with a broken hand. Of course, against Garcia, it isn't very realistic, but I strongly doubt that Loma would quit.
Of course he didn't. There's been zero report of it since. Face saving. He was outclassed.
