Rigondeaux scores third win since defecting, stopping Andrade in 3 rounds

Rigondeaux stops Andrade in 3 rounds

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux stopped Brazil’s Giovanni Andrade in three rounds Friday night.

Rigondeaux, who defected from Cuba earlier this year, was the superior fighter in the scheduled 10-round super bantamweight bout, frustrating Andrade with repeated rights and lefts to the head.

But a solid Rigondeaux left to the body ended the fight late in the third round. Andrade fell to the canvas and although he reached his feet before the 10-count, he told referee Sam Burgos he couldn’t continue fighting. Burgos stopped the fight at 2:53 of the round.

Rigondeaux (3-0, 3 KOs) floored Andrade in the second round with a right hook to the head. Andrade (52-12) initially stood up, but quickly felt the punch’s effects and took a knee for an automatic knockdown.

The 28-year-old Rigondeaux, who won gold medals in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, weighed 121 pounds. Andrade weighed 124.

In another bout, 2008 Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz scored a first-round technical knockout over Omar Brown.

Diaz, of the Dominican Republic, handled Brown in the scheduled four-round welterweight bout. He dropped Brown with a flurry of unanswered shots 30 seconds into the fight and finished him off with two additional knockdowns.

Referee Sam Burgos ended it at 1:28.

The 25-year-old Diaz won the gold medal in the light welterweight division, becoming the Dominican Republic’s first boxer to earn a medal in boxing. Since turning professional June 29, Diaz has stopped all three of his opponents in the first round.