Philippines, 17 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Donaire Versus Estrada for WBC Dual Titles Possible?


PhilBoxing.com





Nonito Donaire is left without an opponent to fight for the WBC bantamweight crown left vacant by erstwhile undisputed world champion Naoya Inoue.

This after original foe Jason Moloney through his promoter Top Rank broke off talks with Probellum which is handling Donaire in the WBC ordered negotiation for the fight. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman himself confirmed that Moloney is no longer pursuing a fight against Donaire to fill up the WBC championship. The reason given is that Bob Arum does not have anything to do with Probellum which he said is owned by a suspected criminal.

The WBC hence is now reviewing other fighters in its ranking to pit against Donaire which is not easy to do as other top ranking bantamweights as Vincent Astrolabio and Reymart Gaballo who are both Filipinos like Donaire and Puerto Rican Emmanuel Rodriguez are more likely to vie for the other titles left vacant by Inoue in other world boxing bodies as IBF, WBO and WBA which is the route Moloney will now also take.

BoxingScene said that Mexican Alejandro Barrios is being considered as Donaire's opponent. Barrios gained prominence some years back when he held then Filipino long reigning IBF world super flyweight titlist Jerwin Ancajas to a fighting draw. He has since been undefeated in his succeeding fights the most recent was the stoppage of former world title challenger Antonio Nieves.

However, the WBC can once again make history by sanctioning a clash between Donaire and Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada's WBC super flyweight title and the vacant WBC bantamweight crown in a catchweight title fight at 116 lbs.

The WBC has done that before but in the higher weights when it sanctioned a fight between middleweight titlist Sugar Ray Leonard and light heavyweight champion Donnie Lalonde for the newly created WBC super middleweight crown at a catchweight of 168 lbs. which is the new division's maximum limit. Leonard won that fight via late round stoppage.

Some pundits are also advocating a fight between Donaire and Roman Chocolatito Gonzalez for the vacant WBC bantamweight belt but Gonzales is also no longer super flyweight titlist.

It is no secret that Donaire is bidding to make record by winning a fifth division world championship at super flyweight after emerging victorious at flyweight, bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight. He is the first fighter to win a second and third tenure as world bantamweight champion moving down in weight and the oldest at age 36 and 38 respectively.

The only question is if Estrada would be willing to fight above his current weight division as super flyweight where Estrada himself is on his second tenure as WBC super flyweight titlist since 2018. Estrada won the WBC super flyweight crown by outpointing compatriot Carlos Cuadras in 2016. But he lost the same to Thai Wisaksil Wangek better known as Srisaket Sor Rungvusai on points the following year. He regained the crown by narrowly outpointing Rungvusai in 2018. He has since successfully defended the title four times, twice against former conqueror Roman Chocolatito Gonzalez, thereby finishing their own "business".

A third division world title at bantamweight however would be a strong motivation enough for Estrada to get out of his comfort zone at 115 lbs. After being frustrated by Gonzalez in his first world title bid at light flyweight, Estrada went on to win the WBC flyweight title by decisioning FilAm defending champion Brian Viloria in 2012. After a couple of successful title defenses, Estrada moved up in weight and won the WBC super flyweight crown from Cuadras.

From boxing point and business sense, a dual title fight between Donaire and Estrada is the more natural at this juncture.

The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 15 SEPTEMBER 2025: Crawford Snatches Canelo's Undisputed Crown at 168 Lbs; Inoue Defeats Akhmadliev to Retain 4 Superbantam Belts; Crocker Outpoints Donovan
    By Eric Armit, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • TICKET NEWS: EUBANK JR-BENN II ON SALE FROM THIS WEDNESDAY
    , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • “Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
    , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Canelo-Crawford: The Consolidation of Boxing’s New Commercial Empire
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • A New Era for Boxing: Canelo vs. Crawford Shatters Global Viewership Records on Netflix
    By Dong Secuya, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Kurt Scoby and Josh Popper Headline Boxing Insider Card September 19 in Times Square
    , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Green and Gold 2025: Amateur Boxing’s International Gathering in Bolivia
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Smarts over power
    By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
    By Maloney L. Samaco, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
    By Dong Secuya, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • 21-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
    By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.