Guillermo Rigondeaux throws a right to the face of Drian Francisco. Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images

If Guillermo Rigondeaux was as aggressive in the ring as he was in interviews, the two-time Olympic gold medalist might be a pay-per-view star by now.

But Rigondeaux’s punch stats have not always reflected his strong rhetoric.

So the former RING junior featherweight champion’s claims on Monday that he’s traveling to Liverpool, England to first beat James “Jazza” Dickens on March 12 and then knock off both IBF titlist Carl Frampton and WBA beltholder Scott Quigg might have struck some as a bit excessive.

After all, Rigondeaux, 35, has fought just four times times since his career-defining win against Nonito Donaire in April of 2013 and has been stripped of titles three different times for inactivity.

But none of that seemed to have affected Rigondeaux’s confidence on Monday.

“I’m going over there to win this fight and then I’m going to beat both of them, Frampton and Quigg,” Rigondeaux said through a translator on a conference call. “And yes, I want to make a point that I’m here waiting for them. They know where to find me.”

Rigondeaux will face Dickens on March 12 at the Echo Arena at 122 pounds. By that time, the junior featherweight unification fight between Frampton and Quigg on Feb. 27 at Manchester Arena will have already taken place. Both Frampton and Quigg have stated they would prefer to face Rigondeaux, widely regarded as the top in the division, next.

That’s music to Rigondeaux’s ears.

“I plan on winning (on March 12) and to every 122-pounder out there in the world that have the guts to step into the ring, I’m going to beat them up,” Rigondeaux said.

So far, he has only come up short in the area of boxing politics.

Rigondeaux (16-0, 10 knockouts) was stripped of his WBO junior featherweight title for inactivity and he was reclassified as a “champion-in-recess” by the WBA because he just wasn’t active enough.

He was also recently demoted in THE RING’s 122-pound rankings, from champion to the No. 1 contender, for the same reasons.

“I have no control of the situation of them removing my titles,” he said on Monday. “I can’t control that. It’s mostly the boxing world – my inactivity in the boxing world is what (got my titles stripped). I have no control over that. It’s in my promoter’s hands and the opponents who don’t want to face me. I can’t control that but I don’t care about that anymore because all I can do is move forward.”

Organizers are still working on attracting a US network to pick up the fight with Dickens (21-1, 6 KOs).

The Cuban boxer has been criticized for his methodical, precise style in the ring. The boxer seemed to imply that HBO was to blame for the perception that he’s not fun to watch. It’s not clear what he meant exactly. HBO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The fans speak well about me,” Rigondeaux said. “The only ones who don’t speak very well about me sometimes that I’m not exciting is HBO.”

He ignores the pleas from fans and media for him to be more aggressive.

“If I did what people want, I would lose,” Rigondeaux said. “I win and I win convincingly and it doesn’t affect my style whatsoever. I’m going to do my thing.”

He has no misgivings on how his career has gone so far.

“I have no regrets,” he said. “It is what it is. It’s out of my hands. It’s negotiations and the way the boxing business works but I’m here and I’m ready to fight and I’m ready to move on. I don’t dwell on the past. I’m looking forward and I’m ready to move forward.”

Rigondeaux has returned to his former trainer Pedro Diaz but he was coy on whether he’s making any changes to his style.

“Pedro is a great trainer and has worked with me in the past,” he said. “And Pedro is the type of trainer who really knows how to work with me and make me focus and take me to the level that I need to be at.”

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to the print and digital editions of THE RING Magazine by clicking the banner or here. On the cover this month: Tyson Fury heads up the 87th Annual RING Awards as Fighter of the Year. You can also order the current issue, which is on newsstands, or back issues on our subscribe page.