Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire was thisclose to being the lead dog on Top Rank’s Dec. 4 PPV TV card beinge beamed out of the Honda Center in Anaheim.
But, according to Bob Arum, the top-billed Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., in for what looks to be a showcase bout against durable but limited Pole Pawel Wolak, has made something of a recovery in his unplanned bout with the flu.
Wolak, a club fighter in the best sense of the term, is himself as substitute for Alfonso Gomez who scratched due to an injury. Alarms went off Monday when publicity maven Freddie Sternburg notified one and all that a media conference call involving Arum, Chavez and trainer Freddie Roach was scratched and put over to Tuersday.
And, writing on Philboxing.com, Pinyo fistic dean Ronnie Nathanelsz duly reported the worried words of conditioning guru Alex Ariza, who said Chavez would pull out of the main event because he could not take medications to alleviate his condition without violating California commission rules.
Arum, who I just spoke to as he stood a foot away from Chavez Jr. in a California gym, said the health situation was smoothing out.
“I’ve got the final word for you on this,” Arum said. “The fight is a go.
“I just watched Julio go through a full workout. He’s in the gym doing a TV interview as we speak.
“Alex can give Julio some totally legal diuretics which will address his fluid retention caused by the flu.”
I don’t how relieved Chavez is but certainly Arum is relieved that his star attraction is going to the starting post.
In a sidelight to the near Disneyland card, Roach handles the undefeated Chavez in the top bout while his recent Antonio Margarito adversary will be running Donaire’s corner.
Chavez is 41-0-1 with 30 KOs.
Donaire, ranked by some as the world’s fourth best pound for pound ring talent, takes 24-1, 16 KOs record into his fight against 22-2-2 but only seven knockouts Volodymyr Sidorenko from the Ukraine.
Donaire, at age 28, is six years younger than his opponent.
