Guillermo Rigondeaux's supposed broken hand is not really broken after all.
According to ESPN's Dan Rafael, Rigondeaux's hurt left hand, which Rigondeaux said was the reason he couldn't continue his fight against Vasyl Lomachenko past the sixth round, is not broken as originally feared. Rafael spoke to Rigondeaux's promoter Dino Duva and said the Cuban suffered a major contusion, but no broken bones in the hand.
Lomachenko defeated Rigondeaux on Decmeber 9 on ESPN at Madison Square Garden to retain his WBO super featherweight title. Rigondeaux, the WBA junior featherweight champion, had a lackluster performance, only landing 15 punches against Rigondeaux in the six rounds that was competed.
After the sixth round, Rigondeaux said he couldn't continue, suffering his first loss as a professional boxer. It also ended up being the fourth straight fight Lomachenko won after his opponent opted to retire from the fight instead of continuing.
But Rigondeaux's week is about to get worse with the likelihood of the WBA stripping Rigondeaux of his belt as a result of the loss. The WBA had previously ordered Rigondeaux to fight in a rematch against Moises Flores but Rigondeaux ignored the governing body's orders in favor of the fight with Lomachenko.
Lomachenko vs. Rigondeaux was the first time in boxing history that two two-time Olympic gold medalists had fought each other. The fight was a ratings success for ESPN, finishing with the second-highest viewership for a boxing fight on cable in 2017, behind Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn, which was also shown on ESPN.
