2012 Fighter of the Year and WBO junior featherweight champion Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire and undefeated WBA super bantamweight champion and former two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux are finally, officially, set to fight. Donaire vs. Rigondeaux will be held on April 13 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and will be broadcast on HBO World Championship Boxing. The Donaire vs. Rigondeaux fight will be announced with an opening press conference on Thursday, February 21.
Also in attendance at the press conference will be Kery Davis, senior vice president of programming, HBO Sports, and Todd DuBoef, president of Top Rank, will host a New York news conference luncheon to announce the Donaire vs. Rigondeaux world title unification bout.
The news conference will take place this Thursday February 21 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in Times Square (237 West 42nd St., New York, NY 10036.) with the news conference beginning by 12:30 p.m. ET.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Caribe Promotions, Tecate and Madison Square Garden, the two world champions will collide on New York’s biggest stage — Radio City Music Hall — Saturday, April 13 and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. This marks only the second time Radio City Music Hall has ever hosted professional boxing in its 82-year history. The first fight was the Roy Jones Jr. vs. David Telesco light heavyweight world championship on January 15, 2000.
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It’s nice to see an official announcement here. There had been concerns that Rigondeaux’s team was asking for too much money, and the rumors surrounding Nonito Donaire’s next fight were getting stale after such an extended waiting period. Donaire vs. Rigondeaux is a stylistically intriguing fight, and it pits two of the best fighters in the game against one another, so no complaints here. It’s a fight I’ve wanted to see personally for some time, and while it’s not quite as special as Donaire vs. Abner Mares would be, it’s still a great match-up.
Stay tuned later in the week for more details on the bout, Donaire vs. Rigondeaux tickets, and photos and quotes from the opening presser.
