Rigondeaux moving to featherweight to chase Frampton

Guillermo Rigondeaux has heavily hinted on social media that he will be moving up to the 126lb featherweight division in the near future.

The two-time Olympic gold medal-winning Cuban is the current WBA super bantamweight champion, but looks set to soon vacate the belt and move up four pounds.

The team behind ‘El Chacal’s’ Twitter account sent out the following message this morning:

I have obligations to fulfill now. But my team say I have to move up soon So bcareful what you wish 4. The Real JACKAL is coming. #Rigo126

— Guillermo Rigondeaux (@RigoElChacal305) August 2, 2016

The move to featherweight is presumably to chase, among others, new WBA featherweight champion Carl Frampton.

The Belfast man explained after his exciting win over Leo Santa Cruz on Saturday night in New York that he will not be fighting the Caribbean stylist due to Rigondeaux’s perceived unnattractive style and lack of financial incentive.

Rigondeaux, who turns 36 next month, may be trying to force Frampton into fighting him or risk losing his newly-won belt. The pound-for-pound rated Cuban mentioned “obligations to fulfill now,” which may be his mandatory challenger Moises Flores.

Perhaps Rigondeaux intends to defend his WBA super bantamweight title and keep the organisation sweet, so to say, helping his chances of them mandating, for a second time, a ‘Battle of the Jackals.’