After beating Bedak, Donaire calls out Frampton, Rigo

MANILA, Philippines – World super bantamweight champion Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire does not want to slow down at all, following a quick victory over Hungary's Zsolt Bedak in Cebu City last Saturday night.

Fighting in the searing Cebu heat, Donaire unleashed his patented left hook on Bedak, bloodying his Hungarian foe en route to a third round stoppage – and his fourth win in a row since getting knocked out by Nicholas Walters in 2014.

After expressing his gratitude, in fluent Bisaya, to the huge crowd that cheered on his every punch, Donaire called out his potential opponents – Northern Ireland's Carl Frampton and unbeaten Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux.

"Kailangan ko pang mas maayos pa 'yung training ko at 'yung strategy ko, pero andoon sila Frampton and Rigondeaux," Donaire said. "Reding-ready na ako sa kanila."

"Bisaya ako, Pilipino ako – hindi ako matatakot kahit sino diyan," he declared.

The 29-year-old Frampton has an unbeaten record of 22-0, with 14 wins coming by knockout. Most recently, he defeated Scott Quig via split decision in February to retain his IBF belt and claim the vacant WBA super bantamweight title.

It remains to be seen if Donaire will get his wish to fight Frampton, as the Irishman is set to move up to featherweight where will challenge Leo Santa Cruz.

Donaire has long campaigned for a rematch against Rigondeaux, who defeated him in April 2013, ending his 29-bout winning streak.

Since beating Donaire, Rigondeaux has racked up four more victories and currently holds the WBC international super bantamweight title as well as the lineal super bantamweight belts.

Donaire is also hoping that he can get to fight his next bout in Cebu once more.

"Di ko akalain na ganitong karaming tao," he said. "Kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa kanila ng husto. Na-feel ko talaga ang pressure noong palabas ako – naka-smile ako pare ayoko makita ang lahat ng tao, kasi baka ma-pressure ako."

"Naka-look down lang ako, kasi gusto ko talagang manalo sa laban na ito," he added.

The fight in Cebu marks the second time in his last four matches that Donaire has fought at home; back in March 2015, he fought and stopped Brazil's William Prado in the second round of their fight at the Araneta Coliseum.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Rigondeaux stuns Donaire to unify title belts

Cuban boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux out-boxed and outworked Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire over 12 rounds to remain unbeaten in his professional career and unify the super bantamweight belts Saturday at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City (Sunday morning in Manila).

Rigondeaux, a celebrated amateur boxer who won two Olympic gold medals, showed off his remarkable speed, slick movement and counter-punching but had to survive a 10th round knockdown to win a unanimous decision.

The judges scored the bout 114-111, 115-112, and 116-111 in favor of the Cuban.

"Everybody talked about how (I) was gonna come here and how (I) was going to lose, how (I) wasn't the best," Rigondeaux said through an interpreter after the fight.

"Today, I proved it. I showed I am the best at 122 (pounds)," he said.

Rigondeaux extended his unbeaten record to 12 fights with eight knockouts, and unified the World Boxing Organization, World Boxing Association and The RING super bantamweight championship belts with the victory.


The loss ended a 12-year, 30-bout winning streak for Donaire, who entered the fight as a favorite after winning several Fighter of the Year awards following his sensational campaign in 2012.

But he was outfoxed by Rigondeaux right from the opening bell, as the Cuban quickly settled into a rhythm and controlled the pace of the match for majority of the rounds.

"He did well," a disappointed Donaire conceded after the bout. "It was my mistake for not changing up."

The match quickly turned into a chess match, with neither boxer willing to engage for long stretches. But Rigondeaux was able to pile up the points thanks to his constant activity with his jab, as well as his quick, powerful counters to Donaire’s sporadic attacks.

Egged on by his corner, Donaire would become more active in the second half, actively loading up his left hand even as both of his eyes were beginning to swell.

But Rigondeaux was able to elude him, and Donaire was unable to put together a good offensive attack until the 10th round.

After Rigondeaux slipped early in the 10th, Donaire found some success as he was able to get inside the Cuban's guard. A brief exchange ended when Donaire unleashed a monstrous left straight that sent Rigondeaux sprawling to the canvas for a mandatory count.

"I dropped him and I thought that was more than enough at least to get a draw," Donaire admitted afterwards.

The knockdown put the Cuban on the defensive, as he backed away from Donaire for the rest of round 10 as the Filipino’s search for a follow-up went nowhere.

Donaire's chances of stealing the fight evaporated in the 12th round, when Rigondeaux connected on a straight that hurt the Filipino's right eye. He would spend most of the final round covering up his right eye and fighting one-handed, while trying to back away from the Cuban until the final bell.

"I got careless, and I came in, and I knew he was gonna throw that. It was a mistake," Donaire said.

Donaire acknowledged that he made a mistake on his game plan, as he spent most of the fight looking for a one-punch knockout.

"He didn't have any power inside, and we should have pressured him. I was just going with one-punch, and that was a mistake that I made," he said.

"The Filipino Flash" said he is willing to fight Rigondeaux again, but is also considering a move up in weight.

It was Donaire’s first loss since March 10, 2001, when he lost his second professional fight to Rosendo Sanchez via unanimous decision.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Rigo' no walk in the park for Donaire, says analyst

MANILA – Filipino champion Nonito Donaire Jr. is in for a very tough fight against Cuban Olympian Guillermo Rigondeaux, according to a boxing analyst.

Rigondeaux may only have 11 professional bouts under his belt, but this doesn’t mean he’ll be easily crushed by the more polished Donaire, said veteran boxing commentator Ed Tolentino Guillermo

“It's not gonna be easy, it's not gonna be a walk in the park because Rigondeaux is a very, very good champion,” Tolentino said in an interview on ANC.

Rigondeaux has an astonishing record as an amateur, having won the World Amateur Boxing (WBA) twice and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

He also became a full fledged world champion in his ninth fight as a pro, by knocking out Rico Ramos in 2012 for the WBA super bantamweight crown.

“We're taking here about a guy that had 400 fights as an amateur,” said Tolentino. “We're talking here of a WBA champion who was once called by Freddie Roach as one of the best counter-punchers he has ever seen.”

Tolentino said that against Rigondeaux, Donaire will have to exert extra effort by making calculated risks.

Both Donaire and Ringodeaux are counter-punchers which is why Tolentino expects a tactical fight in the early rounds.

“Donaire will have to be extra aggressive. I see this match dragging in the early rounds because both men are essentially counterpunchers,” he said.

But the analyst believes the Filipino boxer will employ every tactic to open up the Cuban.

“If he's (Rigondeaux) gonna counterpunch all night long, he's glad to do it. So Donaire right now is the more flexible fighter, he can box, he can slug, and he's gonna put on some pressure on Rigondeaux,” said Tolentino.

Tolentino said once Donaire finds an opening, he said the Filipino Flash surely go for the knockout.

A well-placed left hook will do the trick, said the analyst.

“Donaire, I believe, is gonna go for the kill. He has a statement to make, he knows that everybody's watching his fight right now,” he said.

“In his last fight against Roberto Marroquin, he (Rigondeaux) was rocked by a solid left hook. We all know that is the best weapon of Nonito Donaire Jr., the left hook.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com