Boxing News: Cuban Fighter Stands By Unique Style; Formula Lacks Something

KEY POINTS

Guillermo Rigondeaux claims his style is meant to win bouts
He believes throwing 44 punches are enough to beat John Riel Casimero
Rigondeaux plans to continue fighting

The John Riel Casimero vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux fight is considered one the most bizarre boxing matches fight fans have witnessed in a full 12-round bout without much action.

As far as the 40-year-old Cuban pug is concerned, it was his game plan all along.

Aware that Casimero would go at nothing to try and knock him out, Rigondeaux stood by his style of avoiding the WBO bantamweight champion to frustrate his attacks.

“Nobody wants to fight with me because that is my game plan, frustrate boxers,” Rigondeaux stated. “That’s why I’m unique. That’s my style and that’s the only one I know.”

While the method of moving profusely is something most may see from fighters like Floyd Mayweather and ex-amateur boxer Cam F. Awesome in the past.

However, the approach of Rigondeaux lacks some offense that could help complement his ducking skills.

The fight went into the record books for the fewest combined punches landed in a 12-round fight with 91, Boxing Live host Dan Canobbio pointed out.

The previous record was 100 combined landed punches during the Mario Barros vs. Devis Boschiero fight on July 9, 2016.

Fans in attendance during the fight were understandably upset. Most expected an action-packed encounter between Casimero and Rigondeaux but never got it.

Rigondeaux landed only 44 punches in the fight, which hardly raised any concern on his end.

The Cuban stressed that it was the only amount of punches he needed to win the fight.

Unfortunately, the judges did not see it that way.

Only one judge had it for him at 115-113, with the two others favoring the Filipino foe with the scores of 116-112 and 117-111 respectively.

“That’s the necessary amount of punches I needed to win this fight,” he stated.

Guillermo Rigondeaux (L) fights John Riel Casimero (R) during their WBO Bantamweight title 12 round bout at Dignity Health Sports Park on August 14, 2021 in Carson, California. Getty Images | Michael Owens

When Awesome appeared on the Sports For All PH podcast this past July, he shed light on the goal of technical boxers to win rounds instead of fishing for the knockout.

“My No. 1 priority is not to hit you. I don’t really care about hitting you. Hitting you is a byproduct of what I do. I’ll eventually hit you. There’s no rush. I have nine minutes to do it. I don’t want to get hit. So that was my only focus. Going into the ring, I am like how can I make sure that this guy does not hit you,” the 33-year-old amateur boxers explained.