Guillermo Rigondeaux stops Julio Ceja in a grueling bout!
The Guillermo Rigomdeaux vs Julio Ceja WBC super bantamweight title eliminator is a fight that was highly unexpected. From round one on, the two men fought in the pocket which was unusual for the former super WBA super bantamweight champion from Cuba.
The Breakdown
Rigondeaux showed early he had the much his faster hands, however, he would be outworked due to fighting his opponent’s fight. He refused to let his hands go and was being hit with every left hook Ceja threw.
This was the tone throughout the first half of the bout. Many fans were shocked at what they were seeing as Rigondeaux is known for his elusive defense. Moving into the second half of the fight, the Cuban appeared to be losing!
In round 7, Ceja continued to apply pressure and seemed to hurt Rigondeaux with a short left hook. This new game-plan from the Cuban seemed to be back-firing and it was apparent he needed to do something soon.
Then the power came!
After watching the former WBC champion from Mexico continue to control the pace of the fight, a strong counter-right hook from Rigondeaux landed on the chin of Ceja from mid-range. The Mexican fell to the canvas but immediately rose to his feet.
The referee examined Ceja and found that he could no longer continue. The stoppage seemed a little premature, however, he was starting to unravel as the fight wore on.
Rigondeaux may be starting to show his age, as Ceja landed 222 punches to his 169.
After the fight, the former WBA champion stated he wanted to show the fans he could fight on the inside. Consequenly, he was being hit with punches that he wasn’t hit with earlier in his career.
Although, he got the eighth round knockout and is now in line for the WBC super bantamweight title, it will be interesting to see if he will continue this “in the pocket”, fan-friendly style going forward.
By: Jordan Whitehead
