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Guillermo Rigondeaux to face Moises Flores on Cotto-Kirkland PPV

Fighters Network
26
Jan

The news that 122-pound titleholder Guillermo Rigondeaux will face his mandatory Moises “Chucky” Flores in the co-feature to Miguel Cotto-James Kirkland on Feb. 25 wasn’t necessarily a surprise. The fight had long been in the works and an announcement was imminent.

But since the update involved the polarizing Rigondeaux, who seems to elicit strong reaction from all corners of the industry, it was still notable. The two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist will make his second defense of his title since he was reinstated as the WBA champion on HBO PPV, and he will step into the ring for just the third time since 2014, Roc Nation announced on Wednesday.

The Cuban stylist has been slammed by boxing promoters and fans alike for a less than scintillating style. Still, the 36-year-old Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 knockouts) is regarded as a top-tier technician, and he is ranked No. 7 on RING’S list of pound-for-pound fighters. His bout with Mexico’s Flores (25-0, 17 KOs) is set to take place at the Cowboys practice facility at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

“I’m very excited,” Rigondeaux said in a prepared statement. “It’s my first fight back in the states in over a year. I want to show the world and my loyal fans that I am still one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. I’d like to thank Moises Flores for having the courage to face me in the ring. He is a tough fighter and will have all his fans in Texas cheering for him. It’s going to be a battle so fans, get ready to see me in action.”



Rigondeaux will return to the state of Texas for the first time since 2012 when he won a split decision against Ricardo Cordoba at the then-named Cowboys Stadium. He will face an uphill battle in terms of fan support because of Flores’ residence in Guadalajara, Mexico, and he’s expected to face his stiffest test in the ring in some time.

“I’m very excited to be facing Guillermo Rigondeaux,” the 30-year-old Flores said in a release. “I’m training hard and look forward to making the Mexican fans proud when I defeat the great Rigondeaux.” Roc Nation outsourced the third fight of the HBO PPV broadcast with Golden Boy’s Diego De La Hoya (16-0, 9, KOs), a first cousin of Oscar De La Hoya, facing former world challenger Yoandris Salinas (21-2-2, 14 KOs) in a junior featherweight bout. A fourth fight is expected to be added to the broadcast.

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