By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten WBA Super Bantamweight Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba will be defending his title against former British Champion James Dickens of England this Saturday at the Ice Arena in Cardiff, Wales. This bout was originally scheduled for March, but was postponed after the champion had difficulties in obtaining a visa. Dickens last fought in March and beat Reynaldo Cajina by sixth-round stoppage. Rigondeaux’s last bout was in November and he beat featherweight Drian Francisco via a 10-round unanimous decision. This 12-round contest can be seen live in the UK on BoxNation. Rigondeaux is a southpaw and former amateur champion with excellent defensive skills. However, that means he’s not the most exciting boxer around.
The 25-year-old Dickens of Liverpool is also a southpaw and enters the bout with a record of 22-1 along with 7 Kos. His only defeat came at the hands of Kid Galahad when he was stopped in the 10th round in 2013. Dickens has a quick, aggressive approach, but he’s ranked just 13th by the WBA. He’s not very well known outside of the UK with his biggest wins being against Martin Ward and Josh Wale. He turned pro back in 2011 and has fought 134 rounds since then. His current knockout ratio stands at just 30 per cent and his height and reach are unlisted.
The 35-year-old Rigondeaux has fought just 16 times as a pro and has a perfect mark of 16-0 with 10 Kos. Rigondeaux was handed the 122 lb. title after Britain’s Carl Frampton chose not to defend his title against him and was stripped of the belt. Frampton then moved up to the featherweight division and will take on WBA Super Featherweight Champion Leo Santa Cruz next week. In a way, it seems that Rigondeaux’s pro career has been wasted with just 16 contests at the age of 35. However, most opponents duck him and he’s also had promotional problems.
Dickens is taking a huge step up in class here and his six-fight winning streak could come to an abrupt end. Rigondeaux is in another class with wins over Nonito Donaire, Hishashi Amagasa, Joseph Agbeko, Rico Ramos and Sod Kokietgym. Rigondeaux stands 5-feet-4-inches tall with a reach of 68 inches. He’s fought 105 rounds since turning pro in 2009 and has a knockout ratio of 63 per cent. With his skills, the fight will probably last as long as the champion wants it to.
Rigondeaux controls the ring in excellent fashion and is quite hard to hit. But even if Dickens does manage to land one on the button it’s doubtful the light-hitting Liverpudlian is going to be able to do any damage. Fans aren’t usually too thrilled to watch the Cuban fight though since he’s been accused of being over cautious but he’s still knocked out 10 of his 16 opponents including four out of the last nine. Dickens throws a lot of punches and that’s his best bet against the champion. He also needs to go to the body and simply keep his fists moving while making sure he doesn’t get nailed with counterpunches.
Prediction…
This fight is seen by many as a mismatch and it probably is. Rigondeaux will likely get a few rounds in, but he has the capability of stepping it up ad stopping it when he chooses. Still, there’s a chance it goes the distance too. Either way, Rigondeaux keeps the title and remains undefeated.
