by Keith Idec

NEW YORK — Guillermo Rigondeaux was more than ready for by far the biggest challenge of his pro boxing career Saturday night.

The unbeaten, Cuban-born southpaw out-boxed favored Nonito Donaire, survived a 10th-round knockdown and won their 122-pound championship unification fight by unanimous decision before a sellout crowd of 6,185 at Radio City Music Hall. All three judges — John Stewart (114-113), Tom Schreck (115-112) and Julie Lederman (116-111) — scored the fight for Rigondeaux (12-0, 8 KOs), who retained his WBA super bantamweight title and captured Donaire’s WBO super bantamweight crown.

“As I told you before the fight, I was going to do my job and I did it,” Rigondeaux said. “The people who know boxing saw quality. I made him look bad. … I was boxing, moving and he was frustrated.”

Donaire (31-2, 20 KOs), one of boxing’s most prolific knockout artists, came into their 122-pound championship unification fight as a consensus top-five pound-for-pound boxer and hadn’t lost a fight in 12 years.

“He’s an excellent fighter,” Rigondeaux said. “He’s got a great punch, but with one punch you just can’t win a fight.”