As expected, the Nevada State Athletic Commission voted unanimously to overrule a knockout win for Guillermo Rigondeaux.
Officially bringing the two time Olympic god medallist to 17-0 with 11 knockouts and one no contest.
As the co-feature, it was on the undercard to the Sergey Kovalev vs Andre Ward light heavyweight championship rematch June 17th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The bout was beginning to heat up with both fighters exchanging combinations at the end of the bell and beyond. Rigondeaux had landed a left which sent Flores to the canvas as the ref counted him out.
A lengthy review process, followed by an admission of miscommunication between officials led to the incorrect call as the shot clearly landed after the bell.
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The NSAC agreed with referee Vic Drakulich that while the punch was indisputably after the bell, there was no ill intention of trying to purposely trying to hit an opponent after the proper time, and contact was unavoidable.
Therefore, any hopes by the Flores camp for a disqualification victory were permanently vanquished. Both fighters’ titles will be untouched and Flores’ record will be 25-0, with 17 KOs, and 2 NC.
It is unclear if the World Boxing Association (WBA) will order a rematch between the two fighters as Rigondeaux, in social media and in other interviews, has made his intentions public that he desires a fight between him and fellow two time medallist and amateur boxing legend, Ukraine’s Vasyl Lomachenko, who is also the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) junior lightweight champion:
The two boxers’ amateur records combine together for over an astonishing 850 victories. The main issue between the camps has been apparently only what weight class the bout would take place at.
Rigondeaux, not fighting out of Miami, Florida after defecting from Cuba, has become warmer and warmer to challenging Lomachenko at the 130 pound junior lightweight level where he fights currently.
In the past he expressed his longing to face the Ukrainian phenomenon at 126 or another relatively close catchweight.
Lomachenko’s camp conversely has consistently stated that he will only move up in weight from this point forward and not boil down to face competition.
Rigondeaux, renowned in sweet science circles for being exceptionally difficult to hit and his counter punching-centered defense would be, by many fanatical boxing fans estimates, the best in-ring test for Lomachenko who is famous in his bouts for his dazzling lateral movement, creative punching angles and approaches combined with a relentless offense method.
Both fighters’ extremely dominant success stories yet completely opposite styles have had fans dreaming of a match-up between the two for well over a year.
With a potential Rigondeaux-Flores rematch order on the horizon and Lomachenko’s desire to avenge his only professional defeat, a controversial loss to Orlando Salido and possibly fighting as close as August , it is still unclear whether the fight will take place at all, let alone by the end of the year.
Yet the camps appear to be as close as ever to striking up some agreement.
