Anthony Joshua couldn’t have made it any clearer even in the aftermath of his first defeat.

“The vision remains the same,” noted the now former heavyweight champion, whose immediate goal is to reclaim what was once all his.

The 2012 Olympic Gold medalist from England wasted no time in seeking to avenge his lone career defeat, following a shocking 7th round knockout at the hands of Andy Ruiz. Just three days after the loss came the decision to run it back.

“After meetings with Anthony Joshua, (head trainer and former middleweight contender) Robert McCracken and the management team in NY, we have today triggered the contracted rematch clause with Andy Ruiz Jnr.,” Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s career-long promoter announced on Tuesday.

“The fight will take place in November/December at a venue to be confirmed shortly.”

Ruiz (33-1, 22KOs) spoiled Joshua’s first career fight in the United States in a big way, recovering from a 3rd round knockdown to send the Brit down twice in the very same frame before scoring two more in round seven en route to the stunning upset win.

The feat made Ruiz the first-ever boxer of Mexican descent to capture a portion of the heavyweight throne. Sweetening the achievement was his taking the fight on less than six weeks’ notice, stepping in for unbeaten Jarrell Miller who was removed after coming up dirty for an array of banned substances during three separate random drug tests in late March.

By Jake Donovan / BoxingScene.com

Atlantic City.-El campeón mundial cubano Guillermo Rigondeaux venció abrumadoramente por unanimidad al ghanés Joseph Agbeko, el 7 de diciembre en Atlantic City, Nueva Jersey.

“El Chacal” Rigondeaux recibió votación de 120-108 de los tres jueces, lo que significa que el trío de oficiales lo vio imponerse en cada uno de los 12 asaltos.

Para el invicto Rigondeaux (13-0-0, 8 KOs) fue la cuarta defensa exitosa del cinturón de la Asociación Mundial (AMB) y la primera de la Organización Mundial (OMB), que obtuvo el 13 de abril al imponerse por unanimidad al filipino Nonito Donaire en Nueva York.

Y tal como ocurrió ante Donaire, ahora el oriundo de la oriental provincia de Santiago de Cuba, ofreció una disertación de las mejores cualidades de un boxeador: sentido de la distancia, rapidez de manos y piernas, anticipación en el desembarco de los golpes y una guardia casi inexpugnable para Agbeko.

En los dos primeros asaltos, Rigondeaux pegó varios jabs y ganchos de zurda al africano, quien se lanzaba hacia delante con ambos guantes protegiéndose el rostro, pero incapaz de impactar con solidez en la anatomía del caribeño.

Durante los siguientes asaltos, “Rigo”, como le llaman sus allegados, se mantuvo pegando con exactitud y desplazándose hacia los laterales o hacia atrás para evitar las arremetidas de Agbeko, superado en toda la línea.

Al final de cada round, Pedro Luis Díaz, el entrenador del cubano, lo conminaba a mantener los puños en alto y combinar con las dos manos, una táctica que el monarca cumplió al pie de la letra.

Después de concluida la reyerta y sobre la posibilidad de conceder la revancha a Donaire, Rigondeaux respondió: “Cuando quiera le vuelvo a dar otra paliza, pero que deje de llorar”.

Igualmente aceptó vérselas con el recién ingresado a las filas profesionales, el ruso Vasyl Lomachenko, de 25 años y doble monarca olímpico y también con par de coronas mundiales en las filas amateurs.

Para los amantes del buen boxeo, Rigondeaux hizo lo que exige la disciplina: pegar y evitar ser impactado. Sus virtudes personales son similares a las de Floyd Mayweather Jr. y Andre Ward, dos de los mejores libra por libra del mundo.

Pero otros arguyen que “no ofrece espectáculo”, algo que podría aplicarse al binomio antes mencionado, artífices también de “picar como abeja y volar como mariposa”, una definición que el estadounidense Mohammed Alí, uno de los mejores púgiles de la historia, daba a su forma de pelear.

King Kong” Agbeko (29-4-0, 22 KOs), quien actualmente reside en el Bronx de Nueva York, había derrotado por unanimidad al zurdo colombiano Luis “Surtigás” Meléndez, el 22 de marzo en Accra, Ghana, en la discusión del título vacante gallo de la Organización Internacional (OIB).

Antes había sufrido par de reveses ante el mexicano Abner Mares, ambos en 2011, cuando perdió la faja de las 118 libras de la FIB, conseguida ante el el nicaragüense Luis Alberto “El Demoledor” Pérez, en 2007, en Sacramento, California.

Agbeko perdió momentáneamente el cinturón ante Yohhny Pérez, en 2009, pero después lo reconquistó en pelea revancha el 31 de octubre de 2010.

www.zonadeboxeo.com
PHOTO: Ed Mulholland/HBO

http://www.zonadeboxeo.com/noticias/noticias-destacadas/16446-guillermo-el-chacal-rigondeaux-diserto-ante-king-kong-agbeko

RESOLUTION OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE

WHEREAS WBO Champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez and Juan Carlos Burgos, the WBO #1 contender and mandatory challenger in the WBO Junior Lightweight Division contested that WBO championship in Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on January 19th, 2013; and

WHEREAS that bout was judged a split draw; and

WHEREAS Juan Carols Burgos petitioned the WBO World Championship Committee order a direct return fight per SECTION 18 of the WBO World Championships Rules provides, “RETURN FIGHTS:

The WBO shall not allow direct return fights, unless recommended by the World Championship Committee and authorized by the Executive Committee. A direct return fight is a fight between the new Champion and the former Champion from whom the new Champion won the title (or between a new Champion and the losing Contestant in a Vacant Title Fight), before the new Champion defends his title against any of the other fighters classified in his category. If the World Championship Committee determines either that the resolution of a Championship Contest was substantially irregular, or that there was a clear misapplication of the rules of boxing resulting in a manifest unfairness, such that in either case the World Championship Committee determines that the Championship was substantially unresolved, the World Championship Committee may, in its discretion, recommend a direct return fight, which may be authorized only by the majority vote of the Executive Committee. The World Championship Committee may recommend a direct return fight for any other circumstance; in that event a direct return fight shall only be authorized by the affirmative vote of not less than 75% of the Executive Committee.”

and;

WHEREAS all interested WBO Participants were given notice of this Petition and given the opportunity to submit any information, documents or argument that they believed would help the Committee resolve this Petition ; and

WHEREAS your Committee did an independent round by round analytical evaluation by combining the results of the three official judges with those from an independent group of five confidential officials, and the findings stated that Burgos won by 100%: rounds 2, 10 and 12; by 87.5%: rounds 6 and 11; by 75%: round 3; none were won by 62.5%; and, round 4 and 7 were even rounds at 50%-50% (4 judges for Burgos and 4 judges for Martinez). The findings stated that Martinez won by 100%: round 5; by 87.5%: round 9; by 75%: round 8; by 62.5%: round 1; and round 4 and 7 were even rounds at 50%-50%, as stated above, making the results unequivocal; and,

NOW THEREFORE IT IS RESOLVED by the WBO World Championship Committee that it believes that the decision in the WBO Junior Lightweight Division contested in Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on January 19th, 2013 was not substantially irregular or a clear misapplication of the rules of boxing resulting in a manifest unfairness; and

IT THEREFORE RESOLVES that this Committee does not recommend the WBO Executive Committee determine per SECTION 18 of the WBO World Championship Rules that there be a direct return fight.

February 8, 2013

WBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE

By
Luis Batista-Salas, Chairman

Screen Shot 2013-02-08 at 3.53.55 PM

Screen Shot 2013-02-08 at 3.54.09 PM