IT WAS a very memorable night for Nonito Donaire Jr.
Not only did he score an emphatic finish over Hungarian challenger Zsolt Bedak but he was also able to fight in front of a huge crowd of Cebuano fights fans in Cebu, which he considers home.
?Dako kayo ko ug pasalamat sa tanan Cebuano. Gibuhat nako ang tanan para ma proud mo. Thank you, thank you sa tanan (Thank you so much to all the Cebuanos. I did everything I can to make you guys proud),? an emotional Donaire Jr. said in front of a jam-packed of about 22,000 people. ?I humbly thank you with all gratitude.?
Donaire looked sharp, fast and threw punches with bad intentions. He dropped Bedak with a left uppercut to the head in the second round and followed it up with another knockdown coming from a counter left hook to the back of the ear to the delight of the roaring boxing fans.
The 33-year old five-division world champion continued to punish a bloodied Bedak in the third round and Russell Mora intervened and stopped the fight in the 2:44 mark.
Donaire Jr. had some issues with his father some years back. But now it is clear Nonito Donaire Sr. is one of the most important persons of his life and he wasn?t shy to let everybody know it.
?I dedicated this fight to my father,? he said.
Bedak is a legitimate title contender. He?s ranked fifth in the WBO and fought for the WBO super bantamweight crown six years ago but lost to Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. He?s a former Olympian that owns a win over Mexican star Abner Mares and has also fought but lost to Cuban superstar Guillermo Rigondeaux.
?Bedak is tough but my power proved way stronger and we were also patient which paid a little bit,? said Donaire Jr.
Donaire Jr. is looking to face the top guns of the super bantamweight division–International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Carl Frampton, former world champion Scott Quigg and WBO No. 1 contender Jessie Magdaleno.
