Boxing's return to Radio City Music Hall after thirteen years opened with an entertaining four round scrap and closed with one of the most anticipated fights of the year, Nonito "Filipino Flash" Donaire 31-2(20) took on Cuban great Guillermo "El Chacal" Rigondeaux 12-0(8) in a twelve round Super Bantamweight unification bout. I must confess, I've never been so at odds with my counterparts over the final score of a fight. I am the only writer who confessed to having Donaire winning tonight. I am going to have to watch the fight on tape and see what I missed watching it in person.

Donaire earned 2012 fighter of the year honors by defending his title four times, he is also considered one of the top pound for pound fighters in the game today. Rigondeaux on the other hand is only fighting professionally for the twelfth time, this is very misleading though as Rigondeaux is considered one of the greatest amateur fighters of all time. Rigondeaux won two Olympic gold medals and was prevented by Cuban authorities from attempting to become only the third man in the history of the games to win a third as punishment for an attempted defection. It is reported that Rigondeaux fought over 400 times losing only twelve bouts.

I must confess, I've never been so at odds with my counterparts over the final score of a fight. I am the only writer who confessed to having Donaire winning tonight. I am going to have to watch the fight on tape and see what I missed watching it in person. >From my perspective, which was quite a distance from the ring Rigondeaux looked like a guy who had no interest in engaging from rounds four through eleven and then came out like a guy who knew he needed a knockout to win.

I gave Rigo two of the first three rounds and then had Donaire go on a run where he appeared to be stalking Rigo. Rigo on the other hand seemed to have no interest in mixing it up. I am a big fan of defensive tacticians, Pernell Whitaker was an all time favorite, but that is not what I saw tonight. The monitors they had set up were no help at all because they were showing reverse images all night so you saw an orthodox Rigo fight a southpaw Donaire all night if you watched the screens.

The compubox numbers back up a Rigondeaux win with Rigo landing 129 of 396 punches for a 33% connect rate while Donaire landed 82 of 352 for a 23% rate. I spoke to Max Kellerman after the fight , whose opinion I respect an awful lot, who said it was one of the easiest fights to score. That Rigondeaux was masterful in the ring. Welterweight champ Timothy Bradley had Rigo by two points while Super MIddleweight king Andre Ward wasn't as sure. Bernard Osuna had Rigondeaux winning as did Lem Satterfield of Ring Magazine.

This was the first loss in twelve years for Donaire who apologized to his fans for letting them down after the fight.


UNDERCARD

The opening bout of the evening was a four round lightweight contest that saw Erick SeLeon 3-0(2) batter Diamond Baier 2-5-1 for four rounds winning a unanimous decision with scores of 40-36,40-36 and 40-34.

Undefeated prospect Mikael Zewski 19-0(15) took on Daniel Sostre 11-9-1(4) in the evening's second contest, an eight round welterweight affair. Zewski put Sostre on the canvas with a right hand then followed up with a barrage of punches that finished Sostre off 49 seconds into round two.

Next up was a four round super welterweight contest between Dario Soccia 2-1 and Tyler Canning 2-1. Canning came away with a split decision win after a relatively lackluster four rounds. Two judges scored the fight 39-37 for Canning and one saw it 39-37 for Soccia.

Joseph de los Santos 13-12-3(6) of Bayuman,PR took on touted prospect Glen Tapia 18-0(10) of Passaic,NJ in an eight round Super Welterweight bout. Tapia cruised to an easy unanimous decision victory winning 80-72 on all three scorecards.

A six round Super Middleweight contest was next as Jessie Hart 7-0(5) took on Marlon Farr 2-3 . In a much needed action feet that brought the crowd back into the action after two less than thrilling bouts, Hart dropped Farr with an overhand right, Farr bounced up and seemed ready to go after referee Arthur Mercante Jr. reached 8. Hart wasred no time going after Farr and finished with two more rights knocking him out at 1:33 of the third round.

Next up was Puerto Rican Olympian Felix "El Diamante" Verdejo 5-0(4) taking on Steven Gutierrez 4-4-1(2) in a four round Super Featherweight contest. Top Rank has high hopes for the 19 year old Verdejo who dispatched Gutierrez at 1:51 of the first round. Verdejo knocked Gutierrez down with a right hand, when the action resumed after the 8 count Verdejo moved in landing a right uppercut, a left hook and a right cross in quick succession to put Gutierrez away.

Local favorite Sean Monaghan 18-0(11 of Long Beach,NY took on Rex Stanley 11-5-0-1(5) of Kansas City,Mo in an eight round Light Heavyweight bout. Monaghan, who always brings a crowd and draws some of the loudest cheers , did not disappoint dropping Stanley with a sneaky overhand right. Stanley's right knee buckled underneath him as he went down and was unable to continue causing referee Harvey Dock to stop the bout at 1:51 of round number 1

A four round Super Featherweight contest between Toka Khan Clary 5-0-0-1(4) and Gadiel Andaluz 4-5-1(2) rounded out the undercard. Clary made quick work of Andaluz, knocking him down three times before referee Harvey Dock stopped the fight at 1:32 of the first round.