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Forget Vasyl Lomachenko, Guillermo Rigondeaux has 475 amateur fights, two Olympic gold medals and wa

Guillermo Rigondeaux is one of this era's boxing pound-for-pound greats and he is still fighting at 42.

Vasyl Lomachenko is often praised as the greatest amateur boxer ever, with 397 amateur fights on his record and only one loss, but Rigondeaux had an equally impressive amateur career.

The Cuban graced the ring 475 times as an amateur only losing on 12 occasions and during this time he won two gold medals in the bantamweight division at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics.

Rigondeaux also added two World Championship gold medals to his collection in 2001 and 2005, as well as six Cuban national titles, before he defected from his home country in 2009.

This was because turning over to the professional ranks has been prohibited in Cuba since 1962, as the countries now deceased former leader, Fidel Castro, considered it corrupt.

In just his ninth fight as a professional, Rigondeaux secured a world title shot against Rico Ramos, which he won by sixth round knockout to become the WBA super bantamweight world champion.

Soon afterwards he unified this title with the WBO strap, as he recorded a career best win against 'The Filipino Flash' Nonito Donaire.

It was all going so well for Rigondeaux as he went unbeaten for the first 17 fights of his professional career and he was also described by Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, as "probably the greatest talent I've ever seen."

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But, when he decided to jump up two weight classes to take on the then WBA super featherweight champion and fellow amateur great, Lomachenko, that run came to an end.

Unfortunately for the Cuban, he was soundly beaten by Lomachenko, as he retired on his stool at the end of the sixth round.

Since then, Rigondeaux has not looked the same fighter we had become accustomed to and he has even lost his last two outings.

One of those defeats came in a fight that has been billed as 'the most boring fight ever' due to the fact that it broke the CompuBox record for the fewest combined punches landed in a twelve round fight with 91.

Despite a disappointing last few performances, Rigondeaux will return to the ring at 42-years-old tonight in Miami against Jesus Martinez.

"I can't tell you how happy I feel to return to do what I like so much, which is boxing," Rigondeaux told Boxing Scene.

“This is the second fight of my career in Miami, the first in Hialeah. I know I'm in the final stretch of my career, but I hope people respond and come see me.

"After all, I am part of the history of Cuban boxing."

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