Visa issues puts Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. James Dickens in jeopardy

Guillermo Rigondeaux is scheduled to take on James Dickens this Saturday in Liverpool, England, but it appears the fight is now in jeopardy as Rigondeaux has not yet been able to secure his travel visa according to promoter Frank Warren. Rigondeaux, a Cuban defector, traveled to Russia to train for the Dickens fight but is currently still stuck in Russia as he's been unable to get his travel documents in order.

Frank Warren released this email to Dino Duva of Roc Nation Sports outlining the issue:

"As a fellow promoter, I know and respect that this is frustrating for you , and I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing your March 12 event promotion," Duva wrote to Warren. "Rigondeaux went to Russia to train for the Dickens fight, and has been attempting to get his UK visa expedited there as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they have encountered obstacles the past week or so due to a Russian Holiday that prevented the process from getting done.

"Rigondeaux and his training team were at the embassy in Moscow again [Monday] trying to work on it, but unfortunately were unsuccessful. Please be assured that we will continue to work on this matter with all our efforts, and are hopeful that we can get this taken care of in time to get to Liverpool for the event. I will contact you on Tuesday to keep you updated on the status."

It seems like poor Rigo just isn't getting many breaks with regards to his boxing career, and this is just the latest incident of many. He was previously stripped of two world titles last year due to his inactivity (and inability to secure fights as most top names don't want to face him), and was also subsequently stripped of his RING Magazine title just last month. For now, we'll have to wait and see if he's even able to make it to England in time for this weekend's fight.