Rigondeaux returns with a knockout and a championship dream
At 42 years old, and after an absence of almost a year due to a domestic accident, Cuban Guillermo "El Chacal" Rigondeaux returned to professional boxing this Friday, knocking out Colombian Jesús Martínez in the first round at the Hialeah Park Racing & Casino in Florida. The two-time Cuban Olympic champion needed just one minute and 14 seconds of the first round to finish the job in this bout held at the bantamweight limit (118 pounds), a performance that surprised those present given Rigondeaux's usual preference for defense over offense.
This time, Rigondeaux held nothing back against Martínez, a journeyman boxer who is also 42 years old. From the opening bell, he came out looking to devour his opponent and did so almost immediately.
"I want to tell you that the legend is back," Rigondeaux said in the center of the ring. "Now it's all in the hands of the promoters because I'm ready to fight for the world title." Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue was the undisputed bantamweight champion and recently vacated all four belts to pursue a career at 122 pounds, where he is in talks with Stephen Fulton for a title fight.
This scenario opens the possibility for the Cuban boxer to reclaim his world championship status after turning forty.
Rigondeaux, a former world champion at bantamweight and super bantamweight, suffered a domestic accident in which he lost approximately 80 percent of his vision. He was cooking black beans, Cuban-style, when something went wrong and the pressure cooker exploded. Boiling water splashed into his eyes, severely burning both corneas. He also suffered burns to his chest.
With the victory, Rigondeaux snaps a two-fight losing streak (against John Riel Casimero and Vincent Astrolabio) and improves his record to 21-3-0, with 14 knockouts. Meanwhile, Martinez's record stands at 33-18-1, with 16 KOs.