Below is the full letter sent to the Cuban by the WBO on Wednesday.
Dear WBO Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux:
On April 13, 2013 you became WBO Junior Featherweight Champion of the World by defeating Nonito Donaire in New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Your first defense of the title, nearly eight months after first obtaining it, was a wide unanimous decision victory against Joseph Agbeko on December 7, 2013 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Later, on July 19, 2014 you defeated Sod Kokietgym via KO in the first round of a fight held at the Cotai Arena, in Macao, China. Finally, you earned another victory against Hisashi Amagasa on December 31, 2014 at the Bodymaker Colosseum in Osaka, Japan.
Since becoming the WBO Junior Featherweight Champion of the World thirty (30) months ago, you have only defended your title only three times, the last one around nine months and seven days ago.
The WBO World Championship Committee recognizes your great abilities in the ring and all of your accomplishments both at the amateur and professional levels. This has earned you ample consideration as one of history’s best. Nevertheless, it is our duty and obligation to ensure that our Rules are complied with. In your case, we have not even ordered a Mandatory Defense of your WBO Championship in order to allow you the opportunity to compete against any of the top 15 classified contenders within your division in the WBO World Championship Rankings. Despite our flexibility, you remain inactive.
Section 20 of the relevant parts of the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests establish that:
“20(a) A World Championship may be lost for breach of contract, for disability to fight or to make the required weight, inactivity, or for any other reason established in the Regulations that govern World Championships…”
Section 1(b)(7) and 1(b)(21), on the other hand, grant this WBO Executive Committee the power and discretion to recommend to the WBO Executive Committee that a title be declared vacant. They hold that:
“SECTION 1. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE
(b) The World Championship Committee shall have the following powers and discretion:
…(7) To recommend to the President and the Executive Committee that a Title should be vacated if a Champion fails to comply with the WBO World Championship Rules; and…
…(21) To vacate a championship title regardless of cause or fault if the Champion has not defended within a nine (9) month period.”
In light of all of the above, please be advised that you have a period of ten (10) days upon receipt of this communication to show cause as to why your WBO Junior Featherweight Championship of the World should not be declared vacant. Failure to comply with this requirement will immediately result in the WBO Junior Featherweight Title being declared vacant, without further hearing you.
Cordially,
