Guillermo Rigondeaux vs Julio Ceja Preview June 23rd
Guillermo Rigondeaux of returns to the ring when he meets Julio Ceja of Mexico this Sunday, June 23rd at Mandalay bay in Las Vegas. The 12-round featherweight bout will be broadcast in North America on Fox and Fox Deportes. Rigondeaux last fought in January when he stopped Giovanni Delgado in the first round. Ceja’s last outing came in May of 2018 when he was stopped after four rounds by Franklin Manzanilla. This fight is being billed as a junior featherweight eliminator.
Rigondeaux vs Ceja Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Julio Ceja +698
- Guillermo Rigondeaux -1023
My Pick
Rigondeaux’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist who is now at the advanced age of 38 with a record of 18-1 with 12 Kos. He moved up a couple of weight classes to challenge Vasyl Lomachenko in December, 2017 but it was too much for him to handle and was stopped after six rounds for his lone career loss as a pro. The southpaw is a former world champion and still considered to be an elite boxer with good power. It may seem his pro career has been wasted with just 19 contests but many opponents ducked him over the years and he’s also had promotional problems. He’s possesses excellent defensive skills which means he’s not the most exciting boxer around.
Rigondeaux was a longtime world super bantamweight champion who’s biggest pro wins have been over Nonito Donaire, Hishashi Amagasa, Joseph Agbeko, Rico Ramos and Sod Kokietgym. He stands 5-feet-5-inches tall with a reach of 68 inches. The Cuban’s fought 114 rounds since turning pro in 2009 and has a knockout ratio of 60 per cent. He has pretty good power but isn’t considered to be a knockout artist. Rigondeaux controls the ring in excellent fashion and is quite hard to hit. Fans aren’t usually too thrilled to watch him fight though since he’s been accused of being over cautious.
Still, he’s managed to stop 12 of his 19 opponents and six of the last 12. Rigondeaux was an excellent amateur who won Olympic gold in 2000 and 2004 as well as seven Cuban titles and a pair of amateur world championships. He’s in the twilight of his career now and has to beat Ceja if he hopes to land another title shot before hanging up his gloves. He also needs to decide what weight he wants to continue his career at since 130 lbs seems to be out of his depth and may decide on anywhere from 118 to 126 lbs. This fight is at 122lbs in the junior featherweight division.
Ceja is a 26-year-old slugger who carries around a record of 32-3 with 28 Kos. He’s obviously got some power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 80 per cent but he’s also been stopped in two of his three losses and is quite exciting to watch. Ceja lives and dies by the knockout and he’s been stopped in two of his last four fights. Manzanilla halted him after four rounds the last time out and Hugo Ruiz stopped him in the first round in February of 2016. It was a rematch as Ceja stopped Ruiz in the fifth round sixth months earlier for the interim WBC Super Bantamweight Title.
Ceja stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a reach of 63.5 inches which gives him an inch in height over Rigondeaux but he has a shorter reach by 4.5 inches. He turned pro back in 2009 and has 154 rounds under his belt. Ceja has also won several minor titles along the way such as the WBC Fecarbox Super Flyweight and Bantamweight Crowns as well as the IBF Latino Bantamweight and WBC Silver Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight Belts. He also took on Jamie McDonnell for the vacant IBF World Bantamweight title in 2013 and dropped a majority decision for his other career loss.
Ceja’s best wins have been over Ruiz, Ronald Barrera, Cruz Carbajal, Genaro Garcia, Henry Maldonado, Jesus Acosta and Anselmo Moreno. Ceja’s power has served him well so far but he’s suddenly struggled with the power of his opponents. He’s also got decent skills but it’s not likely that he’s going to outbox a master such as Rigondeaux. He has a puncher’s chance here and he may want to turn this fight into a brawl if he can.
Prediction…
Rigondeaux is past his prime at this stage and 12 years older than Ceja. He’s still a masterful boxer though with a solid chin and his best bet here is to use his reach advantage against Ceja. There’s no doubt Ceja’s got enough power to do some damage but his chin is his weak spot. If Rigondeaux sticks to boxing and stays away from brawling then he’s likely got enough left in the tank to beat Ceja.
He’s ageing, but Rigonedaux has enough skills left.
Play: Rigonedeaux -1023 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Guillermo Rigondeaux betting • Julio Ceja betting