Celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Oklahoma for a Filipino may seem a little off but the stars were aligned for a late replacement in the Sooner State.
Originally from in General Santos City, in the Philippines, and now fighting out of San Leandro, California, Glenn Donaire got the call after he injured his younger brother Nonito’s jaw in a sparring session.
With the 23-year-old Nonito on the sidelines, the 26-year-old “Filipino Bomber” Donaire made the most of the opportunity, by scoring an impressive 12-round unanimous decision over Cesar “El Gallito” Lopez, to win both the NABA flyweight belt and also the vacant WBO NABO flyweight title.
Along with all the lightly regarded hardware, Donaire repeatedly scored with sharp jabs, digging body shots and more than enough telling power punches to establish an early lead and win by a significant margin on all three judges’ scorecards. Lopez lost a point in the 12th and final round for a low blow but by that time it was academic.
Judge Gerald Ritter scored the contest 117-110, while David Sutherland had it 116-111 and Barbara Bonnick tallied 115-112, all for Donaire.
Trained by his father Nonito Donaire Sr. and with his brother in his corner, the Donaires are in long tradition of boxers from the Philippines that includes current star Manny Pacquiao and goes back to the Hall of Famer Flash Elorde.
“I felt Lopez losing his steam in the sixth round,” Donaire confided after the win. “My left hand started to hurt, but I kept at it. He was not as fast as I thought he would be. Sparring with my brother really helped me prepare for this fight. My brother is faster than him.”
–Late Call–
Lopez (18-3, 4 KO’s) scored early in the 1st with a solid counter right hand, however, with under a minute to go in the opening stanza, Donaire (16-2-1, 9 KO’s) caught his opponent along the ropes and drilled him with sharp right cross to the head. Seconds later, Donaire (111 ?) was on target again with whistling counter left hook the thudded off of Lopez’s jaw.
Lopez, El Paso, Texas, spent most of the night moving but Donaire was able to cut off the exits in the small 16 x 16-foot ring and land the harder shots. In the 2nd, that lack of topography played to Donaire’s advantage and he was able to clip Lopez (111) with a hard left hand when the boxers traded hooks in the center of the ring. Lopez, 23, was forced to retreat and it was a scenario that would repeat itself throughout the bout.
Donaire, 5’5″ continued to land everytime that Lopez attempted to jump in and trade leather and with 1:57 to go in the 3rd, the Filipino clipped his opponent with a ringing left hook off the side of his skull. Late in the 4th, both traded leather in close quarters but it was Donaire, who had more steam on his shots, as he repeatedly ripped into Lopez, 5’4″, with searing hooks and whistling right hands to the midsection. Both men scored in the late flurry but at the sound of the bell, it appeared as if Donaire had gotten the better of the exchanges, as Lopez slowly returned to his corner gulping in air.
Lopez looked weary by the fifth round and he continued to commit the dreaded mistake of standing directly in front of a banger. In the 5th, Donaire jolted Lopez with a chopping right hand to the jaw but the punches that did the most damage were savage body shots that continued to take their toll on his opponent and drain the Texan’s gas tank.
–Grinding ‘Em Down–
Lopez rallied briefly in the 7th, but he would only throw one or two punches instead of three or four blows and Donaire continued to connect with the heavier artillery. Later in the round, Donaire jolted Lopez with a scalding straight right cross that snapped the Texan’s head straight back and he began falling further and further behind on the scorecards.
Lopez was finally able to rally late in the 9th, in what proved to be his best round and with under 30-seconds to go; he scored with a volley of hammering body shots proceeded by a left hook to the chin in close quarters. Nevertheless, Lopez was unable to sustain the attack and the punching output needed to get back in the fight.
Donaire continued to whack to body in the 10th, and while Lopez did connect with one sharp right cross to the face, it was the Filipino who repeatedly connected with the heavier and most relentless leather. Donaire returned to doing just enough to win over the last two rounds after building a significant early lead. Forced to score at least a knockdown to get back in the fight, Lopez tried to apply pressure and had a point deducted in the 12th, for straying south of the border.
There was little doubt at the sound of the final bell that Donaire had iced the win, giving reason for his countrymen in the Philippines to hoist a beer for their warrior and salute a victorious Filipino on Cinco de Mayo in Oklahoma. It doesn’t get more international than that.
–Buendia KO’S Divison–
Body shots proved to be the difference in the co feature that had elements of a honky tonk barroom brawl. Undefeated Mexican junior middleweight Juan Manuel Buendia kept his perfect record intact with ripping and digging hooks to the belly and the ribs to score a fourth-round knockout over Alexis Divison.
Buendia (147 ?) started slow but within two rounds he was on target against the rangy Division (16-4, 12 KO’s). Fighting out of Miami, Florida, but originally from Santiago in the Dominican Republic, Division (150) attempted to trade with Buendia in the 3rd, and at the 2:36 mark the round he ate a whistling overhand right to the forehead that wobbled his legs.
Despite a significant height and reach advantage, Divison, 5’11”, elected to fight on the inside, which put him directly in front of Buendi’a wheelhouse. The shorter fighter was able to tee off with ripping body blasts and Buendia, 5’9″, began landing to the midsection. With 47-seconds remaining in the 3rd, Buendia, Lincoln Park, Michigan via Durango, DU, Mexico, drilled the taller Dominican with a searing left hook to the liver.
Division continued to lean in and Buendia capitalized on the strategic error by bouncing whistling punches off the Dominican’s profile, as both men stood toe-to-toe and traded leather. With the fans standing and screaming, Buendia unloaded a brutal volley of punches that Division was unable to block, slip, or elude.
–That’s All Folks–
Division seemed reluctant to get off of his stool to open the 4th, and referee Gerald Ritter momentarily had to call time before they were able to clear his stool and cornermen from the ring apron. Both men returned to unloading in the center of the ring and within seconds each fighter had connected with several hammering shots.
Just as Ritter was attempting to separate the boxers, Buendia landed a right hand to Division’s left hip and the Dominican dropped to his knees. However, Ritter immediately signaled,” no-knockdown,” but Division looked winded and ready to head for the exit. Division’s tank was empty and Buendia caught him along the ropes before unloading another flurry of scalding body shots. Just as Division started to drop to his knees, Buendia clocked him with another right hook to the head.
Divison dropped forward to his knees but he had his right glove anchored to the floor and he seemed reluctant to stand. Ritter had no choice but to count him out and the contest was over at 1:02 of the fourth round.
