Guillermo Rigondeaux vs Drian Francisco
At the Mandaly Bay Hotel, Las Vegas, Guillermo Rigondeaux successfully defended his RING Junior Featherweight title by doing as little as possible over 10 rounds of…well, action, I guess. Boos. Numbness in the brain. And occasional visits to the land of nod. Yes! – this was a Rigondeaux fight.
To call this a ‘glorified sparring match’ for Rigondeaux would actually be an overstatement. The undefeated Cuban was as defensive-minded as ever, refusing to take the fight to a ridiculously overmatched opponent. For what it’s worth, Boxing Base scored the snooze fest 100-90, and wouldn’t mind betting the low punch stats broke even that of the dismall Rigondeaux’s vs Joseph Agbeko.
Seriously, this was dull. Given Rigondeaux couldn’t have featured on a bigger stage than Cotto vs Canelo, this really was a horribly wasted opportunity.
Rigondeaux now climbs to 16 wins, no defeats, 10 knockouts, while Drian Francisco drops to 28 wins, 3 defeats, 1 draw, 22 knockouts.
Takashi Miura vs Francisco Vargas
Takashi Miura and Francisco Vargas produced a classic all-out war which saw Vargas pick himself up off the deck and fight his way back to score a 9th round stoppage. The action never let up in this back-and-forth tear-up, with Miura being immediately staggered in the opener, only to come back strong and determined, dropping Vargas off a textbook one-two in the 4th.
Vargas beat the count, and from that point on neither man stopped throwing bombs. With both being known for their power, it was only a matter of time before someone found themselves in peril once more. That man was to be Miura, eating a hard right followed by an uppercut at the start of the 9th. Miura went down hard, beat the count, but was seriously hurt, out on his feet and clinging to Vargas for dear life.
It was long before Vargas found his range and put together some crisp, hellish blows, forcing the referee to step in. Miura may have lost his WBC Junior Lightweight title, but he’ll have bagged himself a new band of followers in the US. As for Vargas, he could well find himself headlining in his next ring outing. Unbeaten, heavy-handed, and now in possession of a world title. The calls will start pouring in.
Francisco Vargas now builds to 23 wins, 1 draw, 17 knockouts, while Miura falls to 29 wins, 3 losses, 2 draws, 22 knockouts.
Jayson Velez vs Ronny Rios
This was certainly a tasty appetizer prior to Cotto vs Canelo. Jayson Velez was the favorite here, and for the first couple of rounds things seemed to be going the then-unbeaten fighter’s way. Velez showed good movement and variety at range, but Ronny Rios soon began to pile on the pressure, loading up with full-blooded single punches which began registering with Velez. Rios piled on calculated pressure till the final bell, keeping Velez on his heels, and landing the more eye-catching blows.
After 10 rounds of Featherweight action, official scorecards came in at 97-92, 95-94 and 96-93, all for Rios. And rightly so, I’d have to say. Boxing Base scored the contest 96-93. Ronny Rios now rises to 25 wins, 1 defeat, 10 knockouts, while Jayson Velez picks up his sole loss, falling to 23 wins, 1 defeat, 1 draw, 16 knockouts.
Give us your take on the Cotto vs Canelo Undercard in the comments, fight fans.
