Bad Left Hook - Rigondeaux vs Agbeko: Fight time, live streams, round-by-round coverage and moreGlobal Boxing News and Commentaryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47131/backingthepack-fave.png2013-12-08T00:49:27-05:00http://www.badlefthook.com/rss/stream/49379712013-12-08T00:49:27-05:002013-12-08T00:49:27-05:00Rigondeaux, Kirkland and Macklin win
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<figcaption>Guillermo Rigondeaux | Chris Farina / Top Rank</figcaption>
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<p>Guillermo Rigondeaux, James Kirkland and Matthew Macklin emerged as winners tonight on HBO Boxing After Dark.</p> <p>In a contest almost totally devoid of action, Guillermo Rigondeaux cruised to a shutout victory over Joseph Agbeko. Now a perfect 13-0, Rigondeaux established his superiority early, and with Agbeko too weary of the Cuban's counterpunching ability, the fight deteriorated into a dreary affair in which neither man took any chances. All 3 judges scored it 120-108.</p>
<p>In a brutal junior-middleweight encounter, James Kirkland leveled a relentless beating on an exceedingly game Glen Tapia. The previously undefeated Tapia started out well, catching Kirkland clean with a number of hard right hands in the opening round. But the fight turned in the second session, with Kirkland forcing his way inside, constantly backing up Tapia and landing thudding shots upstairs and downstairs with both hands.</p>
<p>The fight could have been stopped after the fourth or fifth rounds, with the doctor and referee Steve Smoger taking a close look at Tapia, but after consulting, agreed to let it continue. Finally in the sixth round, Kirkland, who never stopped throwing from start to finish, worked Tapia into a corner with another heavy handed assault, forcing Steve Smoger to finally stop it. Unfortunately, Kirkland landed one final vicious left, a split second after Smoger had stepped in, causing Tapia to slump against the referee, in a worrisome scene. Thankfully, Tapia appeared alert on his stool, but he took a ton of punishment and we can only hope the damages incurred tonight won't hurt his future.</p>
<p>Matthew Macklin had little trouble with the previously unbeaten Lamar Russ, winning by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93. With a busy left jab, the lanky Russ had his moments in a couple of earlier rounds. He found the mark with left hands to the body on occasion, though had difficultly keeping Macklin at a comfortable range, and was often forced into retreat when the veteran attacked. By the middle rounds, the fight was becoming increasingly one-sided, with Macklin backing Russ up, cleverly picking his moments to jump in with scoring blows. Macklin landed a thudding right hand in the 9th round that appeared to shake Russ up, but the youngster showed his resolve in maintaining his composure and came back strong in the final session.</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2013/12/8/5187056/rigondeaux-vs-agbeko-results-rigondeaux-shuts-out-agbeko-in-snoozerA.F.2013-12-07T12:48:09-05:002013-12-07T12:48:09-05:00Rigondeaux-Agbeko: Live updates and discussion
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<figcaption>Ed Mulholland/HBO</figcaption>
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<p>Guillermo Rigondeaux returns to HBO to face Joseph Agbeko in a super bantamweight championship bout from Atlantic City on Boxing After Dark.</p> <p>Tonight at 9:45 pm EST on HBO and Sky Sports (UK), Guillermo Rigondeaux is back to defend his WBO and WBA super bantamweight titles against former bantamweight titleholder Joseph Agbeko in the main event of a triple-header edition of HBO Boxing After Dark. This is HBO's final live boxing broadcast of 2013.</p>
<p>Rigondeaux (12-0, 8 KO) is of course coming off of a defining win over Nonito Donaire earlier this year, which was followed by months of reports, speculation, and chatter that HBO wasn't going to bring the Cuban back because he wasn't exciting enough. It should be noted that Rigondeaux's co-promoter Bob Arum is basically the only guy who went on record saying this, which is weird, but hey, "it is what it is."</p>
<p>Agbeko (29-4, 22 KO) is a very capable fighter, but a big underdog tonight. The 33-year-old Ghanaian has fought just once since back-to-back losses to Abner Mares in 2011, and sat out all of 2012 while being (not) promoted by Don King.</p>
<p>Also on tonight's card, junior middleweight highlight reel James Kirkland (31-1, 27 KO) returns for the first time since March 2012, facing unbeaten prospect Glen Tapia (20-0, 12 KO) in a ten-round wild card fight, and Matthew Macklin (29-5, 20 KO) takes on Lamar Russ (14-0, 7 KO) in a ten-round middleweight bout.</p>
<p>Andrew Fruman will be handling tonight's live coverage, so join him for the fights!</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2013/12/7/5185730/rigondeaux-vs-agbeko-live-streaming-results-and-round-by-roundScott Christ2013-12-07T09:46:08-05:002013-12-07T09:46:08-05:00Rigondeaux-Agbeko: Fight time and how to watch
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<p>Guillermo Rigondeaux headlines an HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader tonight against Joseph Agbeko from Atlantic City.</p> <p>Tonight on an HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, super bantamweight champ Guillermo Rigondeaux takes on former bantamweight titlist Joseph Agbeko in a 12-round main event, with slugger James Kirkland back against Glen Tapia, and Matthew Macklin facing Lamar Russ in the TV opener.</p>
<p>Here's how you can join us for live coverage:</p>
<p><b>Fight Time</b></p>
<p>9:45 pm EST</p>
<p><b>Venue</b></p>
<p>Boardwalk Hall - Atlantic City, New Jersey</p>
<p><b>Televised Undercard</b></p>
<p>Catchweight (156 lbs), 10 rounds: James Kirkland vs Glen Tapia<br>Middleweights, 10 Rounds: Matthew Macklin vs Lamar Russ</p>
<p><b>TV Channels</b></p>
<p>United States: HBO<br>United Kingdom: Sky Sports<br>Hungary: Sport 1</p>
<p><b>Online Streams</b></p>
<p><a href="http://www.toprank.tv/index.jsp" target="_blank">Top Rank TV</a> will have an online stream for the untelevised undercard.</p>
<p><b>Live Stream Undercard Bouts</b></p>
<p>Super Middleweights, 8 Rounds: Matt Korobov vs Derek Edwards<br>Welterweights, 8 Rounds: Yordenis Ugas vs Emmanuel Robles<br>Super Middleweights, 6 Rounds: Jesse Hart vs Tyrell Hendrix<br>Lightweights, 6 Rounds: Toka Kahn Clary vs Ramsey Luna<br>Super Bantamweights, 6 Rounds: Tramaine Williams vs Jiovany Fuentes<br>Junior Welterweights, 4 Rounds: Julian Rodriguez vs Ryan Picou<br>Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds: Egor Mekhontsev vs PJ Cajagas</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/rigondeaux-vs-agbeko-live-stream-fight-time-december-7-hbo-boxing/2013/12/7/5185202/rigondeaux-vs-agbeko-fight-time-live-streams-and-how-to-watch-onlineScott Christ2013-12-06T22:06:11-05:002013-12-06T22:06:11-05:00Staff picks: Rigondeaux-Agbeko, Kirkland-Tapia
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<figcaption>Ed Mulholland/HBO</figcaption>
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<p><em>Guillermo Rigondeaux faces Joseph Agbeko in the main event of tomorrow night's HBO Boxing After Dark event, with James Kirkland back in the co-feature against Glen Tapia.</em></p> <h1>Guillermo Rigondeaux vs Joseph Agbeko</h1>
<h2>Ryan Bivins</h2>
<p>I fail to see any stylistic advantage that Agbeko has other than potentially work rate and awkwardness. But maybe Roger Mayweather, Agbeko's new trainer, will have a few tricks up his sleeves. All I know is Rigondeaux is the most talented fighter in boxing today aside from Mayweather. He's supposed to win. <b>Rigondeaux by decision</b>.</p>
<h2>Scott Christ</h2>
<p>Joseph Agbeko is a good fighter, but he's simply not in Rigondeaux's class, and frankly that goes for anyone at 118 or 122 right now. The Cuban may not get too many people excited, but he's as smooth, slick, and talented a pure boxer as they come, backed by an easy confidence that comes from simply knowing he's as good as he is. Rigondeaux almost looks bored or annoyed that he actually has to fight and that we can't all just understand that he's going to win, so what's the point? Just pay him. <b>Rigondeaux by wide decision</b>.</p>
<h2>Tom Craze</h2>
<p>Given how good Rigondeaux looked in that schooling of Nonito Donaire back in April, it feels highly unlikely that anyone will be picking Agbeko for the upset here, let alone with any conviction. The main question mark here is probably how Agbeko adapts to a new weight, and whether his power - although he's not renowned for being a puncher, per se - travels up to to 122 with him. Chances are it won't matter a great deal if Rigondeaux is on his game.</p>
<p>It'd be nice if the Cuban put on another masterclass here, if only so we don't have to endure the '...but he got rocked by Robert MARROQUIN!'-type conjecture. In reality, Agbeko is rarely an easy out for anyone, and it's even rarer somebody actually looks great when in against him. It feels unlikely that a fighter with Rigondeaux's style - or at least his style when not matched against guys who are in way over their head - will be the first man to stop Agbeko, but claiming nine or ten of the twelve rounds available should suffice. <b>Rigondeaux UD</b>.</p>
<h2>Dave Oakes</h2>
<p>I don't see this fight being competitive at all, Agbeko has proven how tough he is in the past but he's only fought once in two years, has had issues with weight gain between fights and is, without being unkind, nowhere near the level that Rigondeaux is.</p>
<p>Rigondeaux will out-box Agbeko for pretty much every minute of every round. Whilst Agbeko has been dropped a few times in his career, he's always shown the resolve and willpower to get up and make it to the final bell, and with that in mind, I can't see Rigondeaux getting a stoppage, not unless Agbeko has seriously declined in the past two years. <b>Rigondeaux UD 120-108 on all cards</b>.</p>
<h1>James Kirkland vs Glen Tapia</h1>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3685713/TapiaKirkland.jpg" style="background-color: #ffffff;"><img src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/3685713/TapiaKirkland_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Tapiakirkland_medium"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Ed Mulholland/HBO)</i></div>
<h2>Ryan Bivins</h2>
<p>I like Tapia but his style of fighting is too similar to Kirkland's to imagine him winning unless James is out of sync, which very well might be true due to his layoff. Either way this is an action packed war waiting to happen and I can't wait to watch it from ringside. <b>Kirkland by knockout</b>.</p>
<h2>Scott Christ</h2>
<p>It's impossible to know what to expect from Kirkland unless you're Kirkland or Ann Wolfe. Wolfe is what leans in Kirkland's favor here, because it's unlikely he came out of her camp without getting into the best possible shape. That said, Kirkland is a bit chinny to go along with his strengths, and Tapia has enough power to get him early, considering we've seen Nobuhiro Ishida do it. I'm picking Kirkland because I think he's the better fighter if he's in proper shape mentally and physically, but Tapia is very live in this one, and it's a big chance for him. <b>Kirkland TKO-7</b>.</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2013/12/6/5184242/rigondeaux-vs-agbeko-preview-and-predictions-for-hbo-boxing-after-darkBad Left Hook2013-12-06T16:01:27-05:002013-12-06T16:01:27-05:00Weights: HBO tripleheader set for tomorrow
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<p>Guillermo Rigondeaux, Joseph Agbeko, and tomorrow's undercard TV fighters were all on weight for tomorrow night's card in Atlantic City.</p> <p>Guillermo Rigondeaux and Joseph Agbeko are good to go for tomorrow night's HBO Boxing After Dark main event, weighing in at 121 and 121.6 pounds, respectively, for their super bantamweight title fight. Rigondeaux's WBA and WBO belts are on the line.</p>
<p>The televised undercard will feature a pair of wild card bouts that have some intrigue and could see upsets. In the TV opener, middleweight contender Matthew Macklin will take on unproven prospect Lamar Russ of North Carolina. Both fighters weighed in at 159 pounds for the fight, with Russ showing a major height advantage at 6'2" to Macklin's 5'10" or so. Russ is sort of an unknown, particularly at this level, so this is a "we'll see what we get" fight.</p>
<p>Another one will be in the sandwich bout, where James Kirkland is back to face Glen Tapia in a catchweight (156) bout. Kirkland weighed in at 155.1 and looked pretty good, particularly after such a long layoff, while Tapia was right at 156. If Kirkland is still the old James Kirkland, he should be considered the heavy favorite. If he's not, Tapia is the sort of fighter that could get to him early, and we've seen a rusty Kirkland stopped in one by the likes of Nobuhiro Ishida in the past. If he's vulnerable, Tapia could make a statement here.</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2013/12/6/5183164/rigondeaux-vs-agbeko-weights-hbo-triple-header-card-all-on-weight-forScott Christ2013-12-06T09:11:51-05:002013-12-06T09:11:51-05:00LIVE: Rigondeaux-Agbeko weigh-in
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<p>This afternoon from Atlantic City, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Joseph Agbeko hit the scales for tomorrow night's HBO headline bout.</p> <p>Today at 3:00 pm EST, BLH will have live streaming coverage of the weigh-in from Atlantic City for tomorrow night's HBO Boxing After Dark triple-header. In the main event, Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0, 8 KO) will return to defend his WBA and WBo super bantamweight titles against former bantamweight titleholder Joseph Agbeko (29-4, 22 KO).</p>
<p>Also in action will be returning junior middleweight brawler James Kirkland (31-1, 27 KO), who is now with 50 Cent's SMS Promotions. Kirkland, who hasn't fought since March 2012's controversial DQ win over Carlos Molina, will be facing unbeaten prospect Glen Tapia (20-0, 12 KO) in what could be a real wild card of a fight depending on what type of ring shape Kirkland is in.</p>
<p>Opening the HBO broadcast will be middleweight contender Matthew Macklin (29-5, 20 KO), who will take on another unbeaten prospect in Lamar Russ (14-0, 7 KO). Russ isn't a well-known or hyped prospect, but he's got some talent. He's never fought over eight rounds, but that doesn't mean he can't. This is another potential wild card bout.</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2013/12/6/5181514/rigondeaux-vs-agbeko-live-stream-for-todays-weigh-in-at-3-00-pm-estScott Christ2013-12-02T14:15:45-05:002013-12-02T14:15:45-05:00Rigo wants catchweight for rematch with Donaire
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<figcaption>Al Bello</figcaption>
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<p>Guillermo Rigondeaux wouldn't mind a rematch with Nonito Donaire but there's a catch(weight).</p> <p>One of boxing's most skilled practitioners will be taking the ring this Saturday night on HBO for the first time since an eye-opening win over Nonito Donaire in April. Guillermo Rigondeaux, after seemingly falling out of favor with HBO because he beat one of their prized possessions while using a style not appreciated by the men who decide who gets to be on premium cable and who does not, is making his somewhat long-awaited return against former bantamweight titleholder Joseph Agbeko. Agbeko was a very good boxer in his prime but has only fought once since 2011. He is probably most famous for getting repeatedly hit in the balls by Abner Mares.</p>
<p>With respect to Agbeko, Rigondeaux is the clear favorite and one of the top boxers in the world regardless of weight class. So, the natural question becomes, who is next for the talented Cuban? Keeping in mind that it's going to be limited to non-Golden Boy fighters the field becomes thin. Naturally, the most obvious proposal is a rematch with Donaire. They're both promoted by Top Rank and, if HBO wants it again, it should be pretty easy to make.</p>
<p>However, there may be one snag to getting the fight made. In an <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/12/02/3791238/donaire-rigondeaux-jockey-for.html">article from the Miami Herald</a>, Rigondeaux claims that he has no problem getting in the ring with Donaire again, but the fight would have to be contested at a catchweight while also having a re-hydration clause.</p>
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<p>"Donaire thought I was the easiest fighter out there," Rigondeaux said. "Now he's out there clamoring for a rematch. If he is willing to come down to 123 pounds and not weight more than 10 pounds the next day, I would be willing to give him another beating. I am waiting for him to win another belt so I could take that one from him as well."</p>
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<p>Personally, I wouldn't mind a rematch between Rigondeaux and Donaire but I also am not salivating for it. The first fight was awfully boring for long stretches, notably in the middle rounds after things settled down. The biggest highlights came late when Donaire floored Rigondeaux in the tenth and Rigondeaux hurt Donaire in the 12th.</p>
<p>Either way, if we never saw them in the ring with each other again it would not bother me much, and with this weight proposal by Rigondeaux, I doubt we do see it again. Wanting a catchweight is one thing, it's common in boxing whether we like it or not. But the re-hydration clause is silly and likely a non-started. Truthfully, Donaire did not exactly look scintillating up at featherweight <a href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2013/11/9/5086288/donaire-vs-darchinyan-ii-results-nonito-donaire-struggles-but">against Vic Darchinyan</a>. I think Rigondeaux presents the exact same problems for him regardless of if they fight at 123 or 153. Rigondeaux is just a guy who can match Donaire's talent and is a bad style matchup for him.</p>
<p>Do you have any interest in a rematch?</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/rigondeaux-vs-agbeko-live-stream-fight-time-december-7-hbo-boxing/2013/12/2/5166958/guillermo-rigondeaux-vs-joseph-agbeko-rigondeaux-rematch-nonito-donaire-hbo-boxing-newsKory Kitchen