Boxing results, takeaways: John Riel Casimero vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux falls flat; Vergil Ortiz holds his own

One title bout failed to live up to expectations while a rising star needed a rally to get his latest stoppage victory

An interesting -- to say the least -- night of fights is in the books. Three promotions put on fairly large events on Saturday night with Golden Boy Promotions, Premier Boxing Champions and Top Rank Boxing all in action. Vergil Ortiz got a chance to showcase his skills once again in a step-up opportunity against "Mean Machine" Egidijus Kavaliauskas while a pair of titles were on the line in the smaller weight classes. 

Let's take a look at the three biggest takeaways from this busy Saturday night.

Rigondeaux a victim of his own mastery

In a fight in which the two boxers combined to set a CompuBox record for the fewest total punches landed (91) in any 12-round fight, it's difficult to argue much about how the three ringside judges decided to score it. In Saturday's WBO bantamweight title bout, it wouldn't be incorrect to suggest defending champion John Riel Casimero was lucky to retain his belt against former unified 122-pound titleholder Guillermo Rigondeaux considering it was clear to all who the better boxer of the two was following their split decision. Thus, in a nutshell, is the frustrating career of the 40-year-old Rigondeaux summed up in one night.

A native of Cuba who captured two Olympic gold medals, Rigondeaux is widely considered among the greatest amateur boxers in the sport's history. His pro career, however, has been a frustrating cinema of missed opportunities despite a largely glossy record that fell to 20-2. Rigondeaux has long been his own worst enemy from the standpoint of not throwing enough punches, which has led to him being dropped -- and sometimes frozen out -- by promoters and networks alike. The fight against Casimero was no different from that standpoint as Rigondeaux allowed his Filipino opponent to outland him by a margin of 47-44. Yet, once again, that did nothing to tell the story of the 12-round fight, which featured the quicker and more skillful Rigondeaux routinely clowning Casimero by making him miss in such exaggerated fashion before sidestepping and exiting without accruing any damage. The way the fight was scored, however, and the lack of outrage of any kind on social media following such a dreadful bout to watch, made it feel as if the sport was collectively happy to just be done with "The Jackal," once and for all. It's just, that doesn't necessarily make it fair, in a sport where it rarely is.

While it's easy to say that Rigondeaux, as the challenger, didn't do enough offensively to "take" the title from the champion, that's more of a myth than anything and not how boxing matches are really scored. The five-point judging criteria does include defense and ring generalship, however, which Rigondeaux had in spades on Saturday as he regularly exposed the slugging Casimero's footwork as crude. Rigondeaux, although he landed less punches overall, was also the only fighter of the two who landed clean shots on a regular basis, which is also a criteria. So is effective aggression, which if we are being honest, neither fighter showed in any form. So how did Casimero get rewarded for coming forward when his aggression was anything but effective beyond the first round? From the standpoint of how a fight should be scored, regardless of the entertainment level it produces, Rigondeaux proved he's still one of the sport's elite within his weight class even if his style rightfully attracts derision. But good luck finding anyone to defend Rigondeaux, who has never done anything -- especially in his biggest fights -- to help himself commercially. Rigondeaux's master class of hit and not get hit will quickly be forgotten, just as will any chance of unification fights against Naoya Inoue or a rematch with Nonito Donaire. In the end, that's boxing. Casimero came away fortunate, the fans exited annoyed and Rigondeaux saw his artform again misunderstood, largely by his own doing. Nothing changes in the sport of boxing but the seasons.

The time is now for Vergil Ortiz to fight for a world title

Seeing a prospect truly tested is something that should be valued but too often is turned into a statement on the limitations of a future star. Vergil Ortiz Jr. was on the receiving end of one of those high-value tests on Saturday night when he faced former world title challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas. Kavaliauskas packs a serious punch and badly buzzed Ortiz in the second round of the fight, even nearly scoring a knockdown, though the referee refused to call it as such. Rather than fade or go into his shell, Ortiz responded by biting down on his mouthguard and waving Kavaliauskas forward in the third before scoring the first of five knockdowns en route to an eighth-round TKO.

The discussion heading into the fight revolved around Ortiz's talk that he was ready to fight for a world title -- possibly against a pound-for-pound elite and current WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Ortiz vs. Kavaliauskas gave something of a one-to-one comparison for fans, with Crawford having stopped Kavaliauskas in their December 2019 clash. Kavaliauskas also hurt Crawford in that fight, even suffering another situation where what appeared to be a knockdown was overruled. Crawford took until the ninth round to finish off Kavaliauskas. It took Ortiz one round less while showing that he possesses the kind of grit required to compete at the sport's highest levels.

Ortiz isn't backing down from the idea of chasing glory against the best the sport has to offer. If both sides are willing to make the fight happen, Ortiz vs. Crawford is the right direction for the sport. Nothing bad comes out of a young star getting his shot at the best. With a win, the sport has a new superstar. A loss just means a chance for the kid to learn and grow as a fighter.

An undefeated record isn't something to be protected, it's something to be tested. The time has come for Ortiz to take that test.

Joshua Franco can finally move past Andrew Moloney rivalry

In his seven most recent fights, Joshua Franco has only faced three different opponents, fighting Oscar Negrete and Andrew Moloney in trilogies only broken up by a win over Jose Alejandro Burgos. Now firmly cemented as the WBA's "regular" super flyweight champion, it's time for Franco to move on to the next stage of his career.

Franco won the belt from Moloney in one of the first boxing events early in the COVID-19 pandemic, scoring a knockdown in Round 11 that put him over the top and avoided a majority draw that would have kept the belt around Moloney's waist. The rematch was ugly for Franco, as he suffered a badly damaged eye that brought the fight to an end after two rounds, damage clearly caused by a punch though the referee insisted it was due to a headbutt despite reviewing the replay for 26 minutes, allowing Franco to retain the title via a no contest.

To close the Moloney chapter, Franco needed to make a statement and truly prove his dominance in the rivalry, which he did through a tightly executed gameplan that focused on a sharp jab and being the first man to get punches off, leaving Moloney chasing for 12 rounds. With the unanimous decision victory and Moloney in his rear-view mirror, Franco can move on to bigger things, which may include a future bout with the winner of the October unification bout between WBA and WBC world champion Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez. It's the kind of opportunity you like to see in boxing, with a guy who has had to battle over and over to prove his worth finally getting a crack at a unified world champion. As a bonus for boxing fans, it also would provide the opportunity to eliminate another of the WBA's many trinkets at the "regular" and "interim" levels. Truly a win for all involved.

CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday for all three events, so be sure to relive all the results and highlights below. 

Results, highlights

• John Riel Casimero (c) def. Guillermo Rigondeaux via split decision (115-113, 112-116, 117-111)
• Gary Antonio Russell vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez ends in no decision (clash of heads)
• Joshua Franco (c) def. Andrew Moloney via unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 116-112)
• Vergil Ortiz def. Egidijus Kavaliauskas via eighth-round TKO 

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:30 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: Official result -- Joshua Franco def. Andrew Moloney via unanimous decision (116-112 x3)

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:27 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: 12 rounds in the books and we head to the official scorecards. There's not much drama here unless the judges are -- well, the kind of judges that show up in boxing far too often. This should be academic for Franco. Let's see if they get it right.

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:22 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: Full credit to Moloney, he has not stopped battling even as Round 11 comes to a close. This just has been Franco's night, putting together a better attack and more effective gameplan that should have him safely ahead on the scorecards. Moloney is running into a heavy jab every time he tries to pressure forward and that is opening up overhand rights and left hooks for Franco as he has locked in his timing.

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:15 am ET · Brian Campbell]

PBC: In a fight in which neither did anything offensive, to completely disregard defense and ring generalship, which are part of the scoring criteria, are just ridiculous. Yes, Rigondeaux is his own worst enemy. But how do you award completely ineffective aggression? Casimero did absolutely nothing to keep his titles yet did, including one on a wide 9-3 scorecard.

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:14 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: The knockdown reversal may have been the end of things for Moloney. He is now getting regularly beat to the punch and Franco's lead is likely too big to overcome after nine rounds. 

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:09 am ET · Brian Campbell]

PBC: Jon Riel Casimero def. Guillermo Rigondeaux via split decision (115-113 Rigondeaux, 116-112 Casimero, 117-111 Casimero) to defend his WBO bantamweight title -- The judges rewarded Casimero in an awful fight which set CompuBox records for the least amount of total punches attempted. But Rigondeaux got robbed. I don't understand that scoring at all. 

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:07 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: The replay confirms that Moloney did not connect on his punch and the referee says that the knockdown does not count. That's the correct call, but it has to sting for Moloney to have a replay go against him for the second time in this rivalry.

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:05 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: Moloney scored a big knockdown on a right hand, a big momentum swing and very much needed for Moloney. The referee says they'll need to check the replay as Franco protests the knockdown. If it stands, that could be a gamechanger. We'll see what happens after Round 7 finishes.

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:05 am ET · Brian Campbell]

PBC: They got the distance. It wasn't fun but Rigo set the trap and Casimero never broke out of it. 118-110 for Rigondeaux on my scorecard. 

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:02 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: Things are starting to get dark for Moloney. Franco has taken the fight over and it doesn't appear Moloney has a different gear to hit tonight. Barring a major change, it feels like this is Franco's fight to take with a decision.

[Aug 15, 2021 at 12:00 am ET · Brian Campbell]

PBC: This will be interesting to see how the judges have it and how many rounds they rewarded Rigondeaux for defense even though he hasn't thrown a ton. With that said, Casimero has one more round to do something dramatic to try and save his title. I have it 108-102 for Rigo. 

[Aug 14, 2021 at 11:58 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: A crushing uppercut from Franco early in Round 5 but Moloney continued to fire back. The fifth was a very good round for Franco though as he landed the far better work throughout.

[Aug 14, 2021 at 11:55 pm ET · Brian Campbell]

PBC: I've got it 98-93 for Rigondeaux entering the championship rounds. 

[Aug 14, 2021 at 11:54 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: Franco's jab has turned into an effective weapon as the fight has gone on but Moloney is putting together good work to the body to set up some shots upstairs. This is a competitive, fun fight through four rounds. Crafty stuff from both guys working footwork, angles and even well-timed clinch work. 

[Aug 14, 2021 at 11:53 pm ET · Brian Campbell]

PBC: Casimero has three rounds to decide to risk getting knocked out to save his title. 

[Aug 14, 2021 at 11:50 pm ET · Brian Campbell]

PBC: Rigondeaux has Casimero completely confused and aimlessly following him. If Casimero was busier, you could make a case for him in these rounds since Rigo isn't throwing much at all. But Casimero keeps falling for the trap and ultimately needs to pay for it.

[Aug 14, 2021 at 11:47 pm ET · Brian Campbell]

PBC: Casimero is following Rigo around hopelessly in Round 8. He is going to lose his title if he doesn't go for broke. The skill gap and speed are just too wide.

[Aug 14, 2021 at 11:46 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Top Rank: A tale of two rounds in the second frame. Franco did good work in the early part of the round with pressure setting up offensive opportunities. Moloney stormed back in the second half, taking offer the pressure and forcing Franco into the ropes where he was fed a steady diet of Moloney uppercuts.

[Aug 14, 2021 at 11:44 pm ET · Brian Campbell]

PBC: Rigondeaux laughs and clowns Casimero at the close of Round 7. This is becoming masterful even though it lacks action. But Rigo's footwork and minimal clean counter shots appear to be more than enough.