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Philippines, 21 Feb 2026 |
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DONAIRE WANTS TO FACE INCREDIBLE FIGHTERS LIKE FRAMPTON By Maloney L. Samaco PhilBoxing.com Wed, 03 Jan 2018  Former world champions Carl Frampton and Nonito Donaire will face each other on April 7 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The bout will be fought at 126 pounds and Donaire is agitated to clash with a boxer of a high caliber as Frampton. The Filipino Flash has recently signed a deal with Richard Schaefer's Ringstar Sports. "He is an incredible fighter and I have always wanted to get in the ring with incredible guys. A lot of people are wanting to see this fight. I am ready," Donaire was quoted by BoxingScene. * * * Frampton also signed a new contract with Frank Warren leaving his former promoter Barry McGuigan, and the Irish boxer is now under new trainer Jamie Moore, after separating with coach Shane McGuigan. This will be Donaire's first clash with a top rated fighter since losing his title in a controversial decision in November 2016 to current WBO world super bantamweight champion Jessie Magdaleno. * * * Donaire returned to the featherweight division after that loss, and said that he is not afraid facing Frampton in his own home and that he is excited looking forward to that match. Donaire even said that he would not mind having his next two fights overseas. His last fight was a unanimous decision win over Ruben Garcia Hernandez of Mexico last September in Texas. * * * Donaire wants to challenge IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby, who is also promoted by Warren. Welshman Selby is scheduled to face mandatory challenger Josh Warrington. "I would love to go out there. There is a huge possibility of that. Those guys are amazing and champions. You know how I am with champions. I love to fight champions. Hopefully we can get this with Frampton and then we can go back out there and fight Selby," Donaire told BoxingScene. * * * Frampton held the unified WBA and IBF superbantamweight titles between 2014 and 2016, and the WBA featherweight title from 2016 to 2017. In 2016, he became the first boxer from Northern Ireland and only the second boxer from Ireland to have held world titles in two weight classes, the first one was Steve Collins. This made him the Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine, the Boxing Writers Association of America, and ESPN. * * * Donaire is a former four-weight world champion, having held the IBF flyweight title from 2007 to 2009, the unified WBC and WBO bantamweight titles in 2011, the IBF super bantamweight title in 2012, the WBO super bantamweight title twice between 2012 and 2016, and the WBA (Undisputed) featherweight title in 2014. He was awarded 2012 Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America, ESPN, and The Ring. * * * The World Boxing Association withdrew from Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-1, 11 KOs) the WBA "super" title at superbantamweight. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was ordered a rematch with Moises Flores, but his application for special permission to move up to two weight divisions to challenge WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (10-1, 8 KOs) last month was approved. * * * But there were conditions set by the governing body. The WBA warned Rigondeaux that he would be stripped of his world title in case of a defeat. In an instant of a win, Rigondeaux will be given five days to choose which world title he plans to retain. * * * But Rigondeaux lost to Lomachenko in a very dismal performance and did not continue the fight after six rounds of sluggish action blaming his hand injury as the cause which many refused to accept. The WBA has already released its latest ratings and Rigondeaux is no longer listed as a world champion. * * * Danny Roman, who previously recognized as the WBA "regular" champion at super bantamweight, is now the body's full titleholder. Roman will have a mandatory defense though against Flores, who is the interim champion and their match will be part of the World Boxing Association's endeavor to produce one WBA world champion in each weight division. "The special permission was requested, and Rigondeaux was given the opportunity because it is an important fight for boxing," stated WBA President Gilberto Mendoza Jr. before the fight. * * * ALA Gym head trainer Edito Villamor admitted Milan Melindo did very well in the earlier stages of the fight but Ryoichi Taguchi leveled up his strategy which Milan failed to counter in the championship rounds. ?Taguchi kept pressuring the fight, using his jab, body punch and uppercut with more combinations,? Villamor was quoted by Quinito Henson. * * * ?It wasn?t that Milan lost steam. They have furious exchanges in the last four rounds. Milan couldn't maintain what he had done in the ninth round. Milan should maintain his winning pace to win. Taguchi also changed strategy from the 10th round up to the last," added Villamor. * * * ?I told Milan after the eighth if you cannot win the last four rounds, we will lost,? he said. ?He only got the ninth and the 11th was close. Taguchi did not fight boxing. It was a bloody fight. Both fighters were cut from headbutts. Milan had the bigger cuts compared to his cuts in previous fights and they were new cuts on his face. He had three cuts and the biggest was near his right eye,? said Villamor. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.  |
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