WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire, Jr. (28-1-0, 18 KOs) has a big fight coming up against IBF champion Jeffrey Mathabula (26-3-2, 14 KOs).
Donaire, the WBO super bantamweight champion, will try to unify the IBF belt at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on July 7, which will be televised on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. The showdown is the title unification Donaire has been wanting, and the first step in accomplishing his goal of becoming the first Filipino undisputed world champion.
Below is a snippet of my recent interview with Flash on how he ended up fighting Mathebula, after months being rumored to be fighting former world champion Christian Mijares:
Nonito Donaire, Jr. – “They gave me two names: Mijares and Mathabula. They wanted me to fight Mijares, but no disrespect to Mijares, I wanted to fight a champion in this division; somebody who will challenge me more than I have been challenged, and that is fighting a guy who is taller than me- way taller than me. He?s 5?10?.” Advertisement
“I?ve always been the taller guy in the fight. This guy can box, this guy can move, and is pretty good that?s why he?s the IBF champion.”
dSource ? “And he?s a former Olympian also.” Mathebula, who stands 5’10”, poses a new set of challenges for Donaire, who is used to facing opponents shorter than him. The former Olympian from South Africa can box, and knows how to use his reach to his advantage efficiently.
Nonito Donaire, Jr – “I didn?t know that. (laughing) That?s crazy. That just says about the credibility of this guy. He fought (Celestino) Caballero and they got a split decision, so this guy is one of the challenges I have to face, because if I am to face guys heavier than me, they?re going to be taller than me. I chose Mathabula, because you present them (Top Rank) with names, but with the bigger (named) guys, it gets harder with the negotiation process. Of course we want to fight the bigger guys, but it?s a negotiation. When they gave me these two names, I chose Mathabula because of the fact that he?s a champion and I?ve always wanted to unify and be undisputed.”
For more on this interview, and updates on Donaire’s left fist that was left bloody after his 12-round showdown with Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. in his last night, CLICK THIS LINK.
– dSG –
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