Martinez passes on Frampton and Rigondeaux. Eyes Quigg instead.

Kiko Martinez has poured cold water on a rumoured rematch with Carl Frampton claiming that Frampton is just another opponent with no title who fights at home. He also said he may be interested in Rigondeaux but not right now and that is a fight for the future. In his sights in Scott Quigg who he says he is keen to face. This is the second "world champion" in recent weeks to come out and target a bout with Britains Quigg while distancing themselves from Frampton. Has Eddie Hearn pulled Framptons pants down here and been able to freeze him out of the picture? Quigg now looks the front runner to secure the bigger fight. Frampton may have to wait.

Martinez didn't enjoy his time in Belfast apparently so maybe he doesn't want to go back, I don't know.

Why is frampton so keen on Kiko, the first fight was conclusive. He should only be looking at quigg, Santa Cruz, or rigo.

I'd prefer him to go straight at rigo. Who cares if he loses, too much weight in a zero, and too much weight in trinket belts.

Gary Hyde says he's willing to bring rigo to Belfast, but framptons not interested at this point in time.

jimdig wrote:Why is frampton so keen on Kiko, the first fight was conclusive. He should only be looking at quigg, Santa Cruz, or rigo.

I'd prefer him to go straight at rigo. Who cares if he loses, too much weight in a zero, and too much weight in trinket belts.

I think that's exactly why he's so keen on Kiko, mate! Going on the first fight, you'd have to feel pretty confident that Frampton could wrestle that title off Martinez. Frampton outboxed him going away early on and then more or less flattened him with one shot when he was forced to stand and fight.....When you can oubox and outfight someone, you shouldn't really be losing to them. Odd turn of events how it's Martinez who has picked up that world title in the time since, though.

I'd love any of these young'un champions (Frampton, Quigg, Santa Cruz) to just throw caution to the wind and have a go at Rigondeaux as well, but just doesn't look likely sadly. Nobody in or even around his weight classes want to take the risk. It's not so much the fact that they'd be expected to lose, I reckon - it's more how they could be made to look as they lose. Fighters like Rigondeaux can beat you but also make you look boring and amateurish at the same time.

We had Lee Selby on the podcast the other week and as he himself said, "I'm in a tough division at world level, and it'll get even tougher if Rigondeaux moves up - there's no beating him."

Rigo already seems like a small super bantam. The division is actually talent laden. If they want belts rigo got 2 (plus the ring). He's willing to travel. Also there is the chance if got clean he could be stopped, wouldn't it be great if rigo fought Leo, quigg, and frampton in succession.
Rigo would be favourite against each of them, but they wouldn't be 14/1 shots like maidana 2 weeks ago. They'd all be very live underdogs.

88Chris05 wrote:

I'd love any of these young'un champions (Frampton, Quigg, Santa Cruz) to just throw caution to the wind and have a go at Rigondeaux as well, but just doesn't look likely sadly. Nobody in or even around his weight classes want to take the risk. It's not so much the fact that they'd be expected to lose, I reckon - it's more how they could be made to look as they lose. Fighters like Rigondeaux can beat you but also make you look boring and amateurish at the same time.

Think you have hit the nail on the head there Chris, beating Rigo at the minute is the toughest of tough asks and in all reality is not likely to be happening any time soon. The problem with Rigo is not only will he beat you, but you will probably also look absolutely awful for your trouble. To make matters even worse he carries that little a PPV audience you can't even content yourself with the thought of the life changing money you are going to make, because in relation to the risk you have to think you're not going to make a lot.

Whilst I hold in absolute contempt the current trend for fans to talk like accountants before fans we have to be realistic and has has been said countless times boxing is a business. Frampton wants Martinez as this is a belt and a fight he would almost certainly win. Similarly Martinez wants Quigg as it is a belt that is a damned sight easier to get your hands on than the one round Rigo's waist. Quigg wants Martinez for the same reason and when he does inevitably fight Frampton going to the table with two belts to Carl's none puts you in one hell of a strong position.

In an ideal world let Quigg fight Martinez and Frampton fight Santa Cruz and if both come through (emphasis on if) let them meet each other next summer with three belts on the line. Won't happen though because that would make me happy and nothing that would make me happy ever happens in boxing any more.

jimdig wrote:Rigo already seems like a small super bantam. The division is actually talent laden. If they want belts rigo got 2 (plus the ring). He's willing to travel. Also there is the chance if got clean he could be stopped, wouldn't it be great if rigo fought Leo, quigg, and frampton in succession.
Rigo would be favourite against each of them, but they wouldn't be 14/1 shots like maidana 2 weeks ago. They'd all be very live underdogs.

Aye, there will always be a suspicion that if you can take advantage of one of those rare lapses in Rigondeaux's defence and shake him up, he might fold. Appreciate that this was a while ago, but the Cordoba fight was a good example of that. That fight highlighted that Rigondeaux would be going some to ever make himself a crowd pleaser and also showed that he hadn't properly shed that amateur style just yet - but only after he'd been tagged. Easy to forget for the first five rounds in that one, he looked fantastic and you couldn't want any more from him. On the front foot, fighting as an aggressive boxer-puncher and throwing his shots with a fair bit of intent.

Then he got decked from what looked like a moderate shot at best in the sixth and it seemed to totally crack his mind and concentration wide open. He spent every round after the sixth stinking the place out, boxing in reverse and throwing the absolute bare minimum of shots in every round, even when Ronnie Shields in his corner was screaming at him in the breaks that he was in danger of making it a close fight on the cards and that he needed to go back to the style he was using early on. But he just didn't seem willing to up the pace or go back to his more aggressive style, and a performance which was getting lauded early on was getting roundly booed by the crowd and picked apart by the commentators by the end of the twelfth.

The knockdown, though legitimate, was really only a flash one, but if the Cordoba fight highlighted concerns about his chin then more tellingly at the time it seemed to highlight concerns about his mindset once he'd been tagged, because on the evidence of that fight as soon as he'd been made aware that he could be caught and stunned, it seemed to completely sap his confidence to open up and seemed to make him seize up at the idea that it could happen again, ala Camacho after Rosario.

Like a lot of people, I thought that if someone could land that one big shot on him, or at least let him know that his defence can be penetrated, it would spell trouble for him. But then last year came the Donaire fight obviously, and I had to alter that opinion a little.

Donaire did actually crack Rigondeaux with a few decent shots in that one, more than any other Rigondeaux opponent so far - and almost every single time he did, Rigondeaux's immediate reaction was to throw two back of his own which were usually harder and more accurate than the ones Donaire landed in the first place. Pretty big transformation from the timid Rigondeaux of earlier fights once he'd been tagged. Even after getting knocked down in the tenth, he seemed to stay in that cocoon of concentration and focus and came back well enough to hurt Donaire in the twelfth. The fact that he stood up to Donaire's power wasn't a massive shock to me, but the way he responded did surprise me a little.

Rigondeaux is good but possibly people getting carried away with him. Sure hed start as favourite over anyone in the division but I dont think he would neccessarily cake walk it. Lets see him tested some more before closing the book on him. Rigondeaux v Frampton would be excellent.