Can Rigondeaux Beat Lomachenko?

Untold numbers of pages can be penned about Rigo and Loma

For me, this is the top fight in boxing right now. Hands down. Sure, it may not end up being an insanely violent blood bath, but hey, boxing is a sport. Not a fight. A sport. An exceedingly violent sport, to be sure (just ask Conor McGregor, who learned the hard way), but a sport nonetheless. And that's why this Vasyl Lomachenko-Guillermo Rigondeaux throwdown is as intriguing as it comes to me. I know it's for the purists, but this, in my opinion, will be the highest level sporting event since Houston beat Las Angeles for the series. Believe it. Now that Andre Ward has called it a career, the winner of this fight may well be the best boxer in the entire sport.

Does Rigondeaux have a chance, though? As brilliant as these two men are in the ring, the thinking from the smartest people in the room seems to be that Lomachenko is too big. I'm guessing people are thinking he'll be too overwhelming for the smaller Rigondeaux, as well. And while all that may be true, I'm here to tell you that this entire contest will come down to one simple thing - whether or not Loma can turn Rigo. If the Ukrainian work those amazing angles of his, it's going to be a long - or short - night for the former Cuban star indeed.

Should, however, Rigo keep Loma from spinning him, should the Miami native keep Loma from dominating...well, then it will be anyone's fight. At that point, though, I'll be favoring Rigo, for he will have already won the all important psychological chess match.  Can Rigo beat Loma? Yes. Will he? That remains to be seen. It all depends on whether or not Lomachenko can be thrown off his game.