Of the five unbeaten world superbantamweight champions recognized by different boxing organizations, England?s Scott Quigg appears to be closest to nailing a pay-per-view fight against Nonito Donaire Jr. Talks are now going on between Quigg?s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom and Donaire?s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank to stage the bout in Dubai in November or December. There is also the possibility of holding it in Manchester, if Hearn has his way.
Quigg, 26, is the reigning WBA ?regular? 122-pound champion. The anomalous WBA also recognizes Cuba?s Guillermo Rigondeaux as the ?unified? superbantamweight ruler and Mexico?s Moises Flores as the interim titleholder. Quigg, Rigondeaux and Flores are all unbeaten. Whenever they fight, the WBA charges a sanction fee ? which is why the governing body?s motto is presumably ?the more, the merrier.?
Arum is conjuring visions of a blockbuster fight card in Dubai late this year with at least three world title bouts. Under consideration are Quigg?s defense against Donaire, a featherweight showdown between WBA champion Nicholas Walters of Jamaica and WBO king Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine, WBO supermiddleweight titlist Arthur Abraham staking his throne against unbeaten Mexican Gilberto Ramirez and WBO interim welterweight ruler Timothy Bradley facing undefeated Sadam Ali of Brooklyn. WBO lightflyweight champion Donnie Nietes has also been mentioned as an option to see action in the undercard.
What seems ready to go down is the Quigg-Donaire duel. James Robson of the Manchester Evening News said Donaire is still ?a major draw? despite losing to Rigondeaux in 2013 and Walters last year and has ?the profile to help spread Quigg?s name to a global audience.? Robson is under the impression that Donaire will be a springboard for Quigg.
Scott Gilfoid of BoxingNews24 said Donaire will be ?pure trouble? for Quigg whom he described as ?easy to hit and not all that fast.? He added, ?Donaire is still a tremendous puncher and we saw how Quigg struggled badly the last time he fought a talented fighter in Yoandris Salinas ? Donaire is a lot better than Salinas and therefore, I suspect he?ll be a lot better than Quigg.? Salinas, a Cuban, held Quigg to a majority draw two years ago.
Donaire?s father and trainer Nonito Sr. said he doesn?t anticipate any problem dealing with Quigg and even suggested it will go only up to six rounds if the Englishman decides to engage. Nonito, Sr. said his son is quicker and stronger. If Quigg fights true to form, he?ll come forward and slug it out with Donaire. That would be his undoing, mused Donaire?s father. Dean’s Corner ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Donaire said he couldn?t care less whom to fight next. His focus is to win another world title. Right now, the only Filipino world champion is Nietes. Two others hold ?minor? titles ? IBO lightflyweight champion Rey Loreto and IBA superflyweight titleholder Bruno Escalante.
Quigg is definitely no pushover. On the night Donaire demolished France?s Anthony Settoul in Macau last Saturday, Quigg did the same to Spain?s Kiko Martinez in Manchester. They both scored second round knockouts in similar fashion. Quigg and Donaire were patient, methodical and merciless.
Quigg?s record is 31-0-2, with 23 KOs. The standoffs were with Salinas and Rendell Munroe on a third round technical draw. Four of his last five victories came inside the distance. Quigg has a lethal right uppercut and likes to attack the body. He floored the likes of Munroe, Stephane Jamoye and Nico Schroeder with body shots. In 2012, Quigg was decked in the fourth round but showed guts and resiliency in recovering to halt Jamie Arthur on cuts in the eighth stanza.
Quigg and Donaire have fought only one common opponent ? Brazil?s William Prado. Quigg disposed of Prado in three rounds in 2013 while Donaire stopped him in two last March.
In The Ring Magazine?s pound-for-pound ranking of the world?s top 100 fighters, Donaire was No. 36 and Quigg No. 56. Donaire was cited for his outstanding record of four wins in 2012, gaining the Boxing Writers Association of America?s Boxer of the Year honors, but the losses to Rigondeaux and Walters put his career in doubt for a while. The Filipino Flash, however, has rebounded to score back-to-back wins by knockout over Prado and Settoul. The Ring said Quigg has scored knockouts or technical knockouts in 16 of his last 19 outings (updated to 17 of his last 21). The four fights that didn?t end in a stoppage were two draws and two lopsided decisions.
Last November, Quigg took out Munroe in six rounds in Manchester. That was Quigg?s coming-out party. In their first meeting, they fought to a technical draw. Quigg broke down Munroe?s defense with a scorching body assault and never lost focus. ?Quigg was everything you would want a prospect to be,? wrote Tris Dixon in Boxing News. ?Ambitious but not over-exuberant, powerful but not one-dimensional, disciplined but not boring and he never took his eyes off his opponent or the overall goal.?
Quigg used a right to the body to deck Munroe twice until referee Terry O?Connor waved it off. ?I took my time,? said Quigg. ?I stuck to the plan, stayed calm and cool and systematically broke him down.? Quigg?s assessment of his performance mirrored Donaire?s own evaluation of how he trounced Settoul. Donaire said he followed the fightplan laid out by his father and patiently, created the openings to deck Settoul twice in the first round and once in the second.
Quigg left Elton High School when he was 14. He dedicated himself to sports, hoping it would lead to a better life. Quigg tried football, like his father once did, and eventually, found his calling in boxing. Quigg hooked up with trainer Joe Gallagher and is now a world champion.
Quigg said he?s inspired to excel by his mother. ?My mum?s grafted so hard to give us the best,? he told Danny Flexen of Boxing News. ?She funded my first two training trips to America and I wouldn?t be where I am today without it. I was up yesterday at five in the morning, me mum was timing me in the pool. Me giving everything I?ve got and seeing my mum there, nothing could drive me as much as that, because of what she did when we were growing up. I?d do anything for my mum. If my mum was to see me get beat, it would crucify her and crucify me and I don?t fear anybody. I fear losing and that?s why I train like I do.?
Quigg is so committed to his training regimen that he has put off getting married to his fianc?e of six years Bev. ?I know when I finish boxing I?ve got a lot of making up to do and I?m very lucky to have someone who?s supportive like that because nobody else would put up with me because I?m so diligent,? he said.
