Guillermo Rigondeaux has a new opponent for his next ring outing.
The former lineal junior featherweight champion will now face Puerto Rico’s Charlie Clemente-Andino as part of a Don King-promoted Pay-Per-View event this Friday from Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida. The scheduled ten-round bantamweight bout will serve in supporting capacity to the ten-round Adrien Broner-Bill Hutchinson welterweight main event.
Clemente replaces Argentina’s Julian Evaristo Aristule (35-17-1, 18KOs) on the show. An inquiry by BoxingScene.com seeking comment for the opponent switch was not immediately returned as this goes to publication.
The fight will mark a considerable step up in class for Clemente (12-0, 5KOs). It’s also a massive rust-shaker for the Carolina, P.R. native, who will end a seven-year ring absence by the time he enters the ring on Friday, having previously campaigned mainly between flyweight and junior bantamweight.
Rigondeaux (21-3, 14KOs)—a 42-year-old Cuban southpaw based out of Miami—returned to the ring and the win column with a 74-second blitzing of Jesus Martinez on February 24 in Hialeah, Florida. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak, including a stunning ten-round, unanimous decision defeat to Vincent Astrolabio last February 26 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The upcoming fight on Friday will mark the first time since 2019 where he will have enjoyed at least two fights in a calendar year. The fifteen-week span is the quickest turnaround for the two-time Olympic Gold medalist and former 122-pound king since 2012, which marked the last time he fought more than twice in one year.
Broner’s placement in the main event comes after more than a two-year absence. The former four-division titlist has not fought since February 2021 in a twelve-round win over Jovanie Santiago atop a Showtime telecast. He withdrew from a scheduled clash versus Omar Figueroa last August, citing mental health reasons. His attempt to return atop a BLK Prime PPV saw three separate opponents fall through before the event was canceled outright.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox