Rigondeaux has been ready all along

By Igor Guryashkin

ESPN.com

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As Guillermo Rigondeaux's piston-like left hand was soaked up by Rico Ramos' gut last Friday night, an unquestionably bright star got even brighter. Rigondeaux, widely considered one of the greatest amateurs of all time, became a world champion in only his ninth professional fight.

The talk now among boxing's cognoscenti is whether Rigondeaux is ready for the challenge of Nonito Donaire, a fighter who resides in the upper echelons of most pound-for-pound rankings and whom Rigondeaux called out immediately after the Ramos KO. Making the fight should be a mere formality, as both blue-chip pugilists are signed to Top Rank. Donaire undoubtedly would be favored in such a matchup, but about the question of whether Rigondeaux is ready for the challenge? The answer is simple: He's been ready his whole life.

Rigondeaux's story is well-documented. A prized product of the Cuban amateur boxing program who won titles nationally and overseas with ease, Rigondeaux later defected -- only to be sent back, ostracized in his homeland and then defect again. In an amateur career spanning roughly 400 fights, he reputedly lost only 12. Few fighters have the skills to outbox Rigondeaux, while fewer still can show him something in the ring that others haven't. That includes Donaire.

A common problem in the amateur-to-professional transition is a fighter's ability, and recognition of the need, to not merely box but to fight. In the amateurs, a knockdown is worth as much as a clean jab. In the professional ranks, it can end a career. But Rigondeaux's early knockout rate is high. He possesses two powerful hands capable of delivering crippling pain, to which Ramos can testify. Neither is conditioning an issue. When Rigondeaux entered the ring against Ramos, he was a veritable Gordian Knot of tightly wound muscle -- a toy-sized Marvin Hagler. Worse for Donaire, Rigondeaux is a speed merchant in the ring, with arms fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. If Donaire soon finds himself staring at Rigondeaux from across the ring, he should be worried.

It would be foolhardy for anyone to assume Rigondeaux isn't ready for the challenge of Donaire. He was preparing for it when he won a fistful of Cuban national titles, when he won his second Olympic gold and when he was denied the chance to fight for a third Olympic medal. When he defected from Cuba for the second time, Rigondeaux gave up his life in Cuba to pursue the dream of professional glory. He was ready for Donaire before Rico Ramos was left writhing in pain, and he's ready now.