WBO and IBF super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, Jr. (29-1-0, 18 KOs) loves to finish fights. Prior to fighting Omar Narvaez back in December last year, all but one of his fights since his sensational knockout win over Vic Darchinyan five years ago, did not go the distance.
That’s why when he couldn’t finish Jeffrey Mathebula (26-4-2, 14 KOs) after dropping him at the end of the fourth round, Donaire hoped fans still found satisfaction in his dominating win.
After the fight, Donaire complained about enduring leg cramps during the fight, something he says was due warming up longer than he’s used to prior to the fight. Instead of being in an absolute celebratory mood, Donaire sounded like a man who wanted to go straight to the gym the next day and continue training. After thanking his whole team for all their help that contributed to his win, Donaire promised to work even harder and do better in his next fight.
Video: Nonito Donaire, Jr. post-fight interview
Below is a transcript of an interview I shot with Donaire after his win:
dSource – Give me your thoughts on your win.
“Back to the drawing board. I had fun with a big challenge like that. I expected it to be tougher; actually I thought I was going able to counter him easily, but he went out there and made it difficult for me. He was like an eel. He was very elusive.
dSource – Were you surprised he got up after you knocked him down at the end of the 4th round?
Nonito Donaire, Jr. – “No. I know I wasn?t set up for that punch. I just threw it, because I had the opportunity to see it, but you know? I did what I needed to do.”
“I hope people enjoyed it. I?m here to entertain. I?m not here to just win. I could?ve made it easy for myself and pick a different opponent, but wanted that belt and I?m going to get another belt.” CLICK HERE to watch and listen to this interview.
– dSG – ([email protected])
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