Arum's selling tactics to be tested

Top Rank big boss Bob Arum admitted that he will have a hard time trying to sell Guillermo Rigondeaux's next fight, probably a mandatory title defense against any challenger who wants to test the Cuban champion's defensive style.

Rigondeaux outboxed and outsmarted Nonito Donaire Jr. where he made the Filipino Flash look bad by dancing, ducking and spinning his way around the ring to score a unanimous decision victory and unify the 122-pound belts during their 12-round bout Saturday night at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Rigondeaux (12-0 with eight knockouts) is an accomplished amateur fighter after winning eight gold medals spread out in two Olympic Games, two World Amateur Championships, two Boxing World Cups, Pan American Games, and the Central American and Caribbean Games.

He added Donaire's World Boxing Organization and The Ring super-bantamweight crowns to the World Boxing Association title he previously won over American Rico Ramos last year.

But Arum said Rigondeaux's defensive style won’t sell a lot of tickets.

"It was the exact opposite of the last two HBO fights that we had. It was not a very engaging fight, but that was the best way for him to fight Donaire," told the 81-year-old promoter to boxing writer Bill Emes on BoxingScene.com.

"[Rigondeaux] is one of the best defensive fighters that I've ever seen. But [will his fight] sell tickets? He has power, a lot of movement, and a lot of skill if he stands and fights, but running the way he does really makes it not a watchable fight," he added.

Arum said he has to look for somebody to buy Rigondeaux's future fights.

"He's a very good fighter but it's not a very pleasing style. He’s a very good fighter. Sometimes defense sells, but now the master salesman has to sell defense. It will take all of the abilities of this 81-year-old promoter," Arum said.

He added that with Donaire (31-2 with 20 knockouts) struggling to make the 122-pound weight limit, the Filipino Flash has nothing left to do but to move up to the featherweight division.

"I think a lot had to do with the fact he had trouble making weight. He has to go up. He blew off the fighters' meetings and had to sweat it out to come down and make the weight. He has to come up in weight."

Rigondeaux defeated Donaire by unanimous decision with all three judges seeing the fight to his favor—114-113, 115-112, 116-111—despite being knocked down twice in the 10th round. The Cuban also landed 129 of the 396 punches he threw, compared to the 82 of 352 by Donaire based on the fight stats provided by CompuBox.