Guillermo Rigondeaux vs Charlie Clemente-Andino Preview June 9th, 2023
Former World Bantamweight Champion Guilllermo Rigondeaux of Cuba returns to the ring this Friday, June 9th when he takes on Charlie Clemente-Andino of Puerto Rico. The 10-round bantamweight battle takes place in Miami, Florida on the undercard of the Adrien Broner vs Bill Hutchinson bout and can be seen live on FITE tv. Rigondeaux lost his WBA Belt in August, 2021 when he dropped a split decision to John Riel Casimero after winning the vacant title in February, 2020 when he edged Liborio Solis by a split decision. He then lost to Vincent Astrolabio by a 10-round unanimous decision for the vacant WBC International Bantamweight Belt but halted his two-fight losing skid stopping Jesus Martinez in 74 seconds in his last outing in February. Andino is stepping back in the ring for the first time since June 2016 when he stopped Christian Lopez after two rounds.
Rigondeaux vs Clemente-Andino Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Charlie Clemente-Andino +1200
- Guillermo Rigondeaux -3300
My Pick
Rigondeaux’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist who is now at the advanced age of 42 with a record of 21-3 with 14 Ko’s. He moved up a couple of weight classes to challenge Vasyl Lomachenko for the WBO Super Featherweight Title in December, 2017 but it was too much for him to handle and was stopped after six rounds for his first pro loss. He then preferred to run around the ring instead of engaging John Riel Casimero for his second defeat and lost two in a row with last year’s defeat to Vincent Astrolabio. Even so, the southpaw is still considered to be an elite boxer with good power as he rebounded with a quick stoppage win over Jesus Martinez a few months ago .
It may seem that Rigondeaux’s pro career has been wasted with just 24 fights on the books but many opponents ducked him over the years and he’s also had promotional problems. Then last year he suffered severe damage to his eyes when a pressure cooker exploded while he was making dinner. Rigondeaux possesses excellent defensive skills which means he’s not the most exciting boxer around and he’ll be fighting again in the 118 lb bantamweight division where he appears to be the most comfortable recently.
Rigondeaux stands 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 67.5-inch reach and has boxed 157 rounds since making his pro debut in 2009. He was a longtime Super Bantamweight Champion who’s biggest pro wins have been over Nonito Donaire, Hishashi Amagasa, Joseph Agbeko, Rico Ramos and Sod Kokietgym. He still has pretty good power with a current knockout ratio of 56 per cent but isn’t considered to be a KO artist His stoppage win over Martinez in February was his first since 2019 when he halted Julio Ceja in the eighth round.
The ex-champion controls the ring in excellent fashion and is quite hard to hit but is often too cautious. Rigondeaux was an excellent amateur who won Olympic gold in 2000 and 2004 as well as seven Cuban titles and a pair of amateur world championships. He’s in the twilight of his career now and this could be his last fight before hanging up the gloves. However a win will likely see him lace up the gloves at least once more.
As for Clemente-Andino, who’s reportedly 27 years old, he climbs through the ropes with a perfect mark of 12-0 with 5 Ko’s but hasn’t fought for seven years. He turned pro back in 2012 and has 50 rounds of experience under his belt since. Clemente-Andino has fought between the flyweight and junior bantamweight divisions as a pro. He measures 5-feet-5-inches tall with an unlisted reach, so gives up two inches in height to Rigondeaux.
As far as power is considered, he’s not known as a big hitter either as his current knockout ratio stands at just 38.5 per cent. Clemente-Andino is a late replacement for Argentina’s Julian Evaristo Aristule, who had to pull out of the fight as he couldn’t get a visa to enter America. Clemente-Andino is taking a huge step up in class this weekend as just four of his 12 opponents have entered the ring with a winning record and he’s never gone past six rounds. However, he does have wins over Omar Soto and Israel Vazquez.
Prediction…
Regardless of how boring he may be at times and his age, Rigondeaux is still a world class boxer with plenty of amateur and pro experience and that’s why this may be a mismatch. Clemente-Andino is moving up in weight and has been out of the ring for seven years. This fight isn’t going to do anything positive to Rigondeaux’s reputation no matter what the outcome is. All of the pressure is on Rigondeaux to win convincingly here and while it may not be the cake walk it many fans expect, he should have little problem in earning another victory.
Clemente-Andino hasn’t fought in seven years. Enough said.
Play Rigondeaux -3300 @ BetOnline.ag
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Charlie Clemente-Andino betting • Guillermo Rigondeaux betting