Veteran Cuban boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux is confident of his winning chances ahead of his fight against WBO bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California on Aug. 14.
The 40-year-old regular WBA champion took pride in his conditioning despite his age, saying that he has new tricks up his sleeves all for Casimero to experience.
"This is a big fight for me and my team because we have a chance to win that WBO title," said Rigondeaux as quoted by BoxingScene.com. "Fighting on Showtime once again is going to be fun and I’m grateful for the opportunity. Although I’ve been out of the ring for well over a year, I’m still in great shape and have plans to ruin Casimero’s dreams. I know he has a lot of power, but he’s fighting a man with excellent boxing skills and a high ring IQ.
"I’m going to box circles around Casimero and show him what ‘El Chacal’ is all about. My trainer Ronnie Shields, and I have been working on some new tricks, so don’t be surprised if I knock him out," added Rigondeaux, who holds a 20-1 record on top of 13 knockouts.
Rigondeaux returned on the saddle as Casimero's opponent following the withdrawal of Nonito Donaire, the WBC titleholder, early this month.
Rigondeaux was actually the initial foe presented to Casimero by the Premier Boxing Champions last April.
The two top bantamweights will lock horns with Casimero's WBO belt on the line.
It has been more than a year since Rigondeaux last saw action, scoring a split decision win over Venezuelan pug Liborio Solis.
But the seasoned Cuban boxer isn't worried about ring rust at all.
The 32-year-old Casimero, for his part, rides on a six-match win streak with the latest win coming from a technical knockout against Ghanaian slugger Duke Micah last September.
READ: Gibbons on Casimero-Rigondeaux: We're fighting the tougher fight