Roberto Duran picks Rigondeaux..

Rigo is a top notch fighter but I really see him getting waxed by Loma. He's been dropped a few times by much lesser fighters, I see Loma taking it to him. He is jumping 2 weight classes and that usually doesn't work out well.

 

I think Duran respects the Cuban style of boxing, which is no surprise since fellow Panamanian boxers Hilario Zapata and Ismael Laguna also fought in a similar style.

 

Not to disparage you, friend, but I think it's very hard to defend a claim that Flores is a more substantial opponent than Marriaga. He might be bigger than Rigo, but he just doesn't offer much in terms of world level capability. Marriaga is a tough out for most guys - a hotly tipped titlist in Oscar Valdez went life and death with him, and he gave a very good fight to an earlier (therefore not a leftover) and more active version of Walters than the one we saw opposite Loma a year ago. If he shared a ring with Rigo, Marriaga wouldn't finish the 1st round pinned to the canvas, whether by legitimate knockout or craven simulation (even British domestic toiler Jazza D. managed better than that). The guy is a real competitor with steel balls and beard and a solid skillset.

I can't give rankings precedence over capability proven in the company of world level talent. And most current 'champions' are one of four in a division. A shot at a title doesn't mean what it used to mean and a mandatory status doesn't always mean a guy has earned it any more than the next. When promoters are looking for an opponent to keep some blue-chip or gilt-edged client like Loma active, they may look toward a guy who previously showed himself to be a capable challenger, somebody audiences might have already seen and gained a favorable impression of. Marriaga earned credit by dint of his performances in his shots. Flores took his shot and made a buffoon of himself with it. And that only evidences how arbitrary and unreliable rankings can be in terms of estimating one fighter against another.

That said, I did clarify that Marriaga's value to Lomachenko's body of work is tempered by circumstance. Yet and still, I'd rather have a slightly blown-up Marriaga on my ledger than an optimum Flores if I were a pro boxer.

I'm rooting for Rigo here, but the last three years of opposition have been rather wretched for him.

To restate, I was talking about their respective last three years of competition, ie. opponents that might be reasoned as recent. Only two of those mentioned fall into that timeframe, Amagasa and Flores, and they're both very pedestrian operators.

I clarified from the beginning that I don't think much of Loma's opposition in the last three years. But it's relative. Rigo's is even poorer. I'm not saying that to put him down, I'm just not into subjective truth.

Russell Jr. is Loma's best work. That guy's talent is clearly perceptible, he gave Loma a good fight (both men could be described as 'unproven' at the time, and their clash of obvious talents validated both to a degree), and he did a number on an experienced and dangerous boxer-puncher in Gonzalez shortly after losing to Loma. It doesn't help your position to downplay him when you're trying to pass Amagasa and Flores off as notable wins.

I wouldn't deny that Donaire is the single most creditable win between them. But it's certainly possible to overstate the value of Donaire's scalp. The boxing media had gotten a little carried away with Nonito (hindsight has brought him into perspective for many), and he presented Rigo with a favorable matchup besides. Donaire relies heavily on his speed, a stalker's role is not his forte or comfort zone - like Rigo, his forte is sitting back flirting with the edges of range and beating guys to the punch, but he was in the unfamiliar position of being at a one-punch speed disadvantage, soon finding himself forced to press the fight and being (predictably) picked off with relative impunity. As Donaire himself said, "If a guy is faster than me, he is going to give me a lot of trouble." Rigo gets due credit for beating a good version of Donaire cleanly and clearly, but we shouldn't get carried away by it.

Anyway, for all of that, Donaire falls well outside of the timeframe I specified.

I didn't cite Forrest-Mayorga as a mirror of the style matchup in Rigo-Loma per se, but rather to make the point that a generally wide margin of eye-hand precision advantage doesn't always win the day, let alone a fine margin.


It's worth bearing in mind that the point I'm making about their respective recent competition only adds credit to Rigo's achievement if he beats Lomachenko. Loma is more active, has been boxing way more rounds (59 to 26 in the last 3 years, with only 3 of those rounds for Rigo coming in the last 2 years), and against better men. He's the guy smack dab in his pomp right now. Rigo is the guy who isn't. That's extra credit for Rigo if he wins.

 

Do you remember Nonito? no too many experts picked Rigo upset happens in boxing.

 

Duran is biased as hell. He said Rigo cause he's Latin American too.

 

He also said he scored Canelo/Golovkin to Canelo. That should make some of you happy.

 

But this time Rigo is fighting a guy that completely dominated another Nonito conquerer. And that guy beat Donaire (probably lesser version but still) much more clearly as Rigo did.

 

Flawed logic. Interesting how people are acting like Walters or Marriaga even gave it an honest effort before quitting. They were both beaten before the fight started. A shame because had they did their homework, they'd know Lomachenko's defense is a tad overated. He gets hit flush when opponents aren't scared to fight back. Have to take the chance of giving one to take one. Was especially disappointed in Walters because it was clear that Loma couldn't hurt him with his best shots.

I'm curious to see how long it takes for Lomachenko's face to start falling apart. Rigs will fight back, and will tag him repeatedly. You saw what Loma's face looked like last fight after six rounds of hardly getting hit. Rigondeaux has sharp, face re-arranging power. Loma might not go down, but his face will take some serious damage.

 

You'd be foolish to bet that Rigs won't lump Loma's face up.

 

You said I wouldn't back my assertions up. Wasn't the rearranging of Loma's face one of my assertions?

 

Loma