It’s always a great night in Las Vegas, especially so whenever a big fight card is going down at one of the many beautiful hotels/casinos. And fight fans are in store for a potentially classic night of boxing at The Mandalay Bay in Vegas on June 17.
Not only is the eagerly anticipated Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev light-heavyweight title fight rematch set for then, but a superb supporting feature between junior featherweights Guillermo Rigondeaux and Moses Flores will go ahead on the card. So, with pure boxers Ward and Rigondeaux in action, fans of The Sweet Science will have plenty to look forward to; both pound-for-pound stars possessing an abundance of skill and class.
Okay, the fighting styles of Ward and Rigondeaux are not for everyone, but no-one can refute their sheer talent. Can Ward repeat his controversial decision win over “Krusher” Kovalev, or can he better his November 2016 performance? Rigondeaux, 17-0(11) is now aged 36 and he has been both deserving of, and waiting for, a big and meaningful fight for some time. Mexico’s Flores, unbeaten at 25-0(17), is ready to give the avoided Cuban his first loss.
The fight, which initially looked headed for purse bids, was instead agreed late last week, and Flores’ promoter Tom Brown told RingTV.com how big an opportunity it is for his fighter.
“It’s a big opportunity and a very big fight,” Brown told Ring. “But it’s one that he wants and he feels he can win and he knows what a victory over Rigondeaux can do for him.”
An upset win over “Rigo” would arguably make Flores the best 122-pounder in the sport today, and this huge motivation will likely see the younger man push himself as hard as can be in June. Could we even see defensive master Rigondeaux involved in an exciting action fight? At age 36 (and inactive since last July), it’s reasonable to assume the southpaw Cuban slickster will begin to slow down pretty soon, and if this happens against 30 year-old Flores, and if he is easier to hit, we could indeed be in for a great fight.
In fact two potentially great fights await us on June 17. There will also be plenty of belts on the line that night: with Ward defending his three light-heavyweight titles and Rigondeaux defending his WBA title against interim champ Flores.