Nonito Donaire acknowledged after the fact that he had problems figuring out challenger Reymart Gaballo on Saturday night in Carson, California. Of course, it was nothing one big punch couldn’t solve. Donaire, the 39-year-old WBC bantamweight …
Nonito Donaire acknowledged after the fact that he had problems figuring out challenger Reymart Gaballo on Saturday night in Carson, California.
Of course, it was nothing one big punch couldn’t solve.
Donaire, the 39-year-old WBC bantamweight titleholder, stopped a capable fighter 14 years his junior with a viciously perfect left hook to the body with one second remaining in the fourth round of his first title defense.
The victory brought him a step closer to realizing his late-career goal: To become undisputed 118-pound champion.
Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) did indeed have some trouble with Gaballo (24-1, 20 KOs) before the stoppage.
The champion’s fellow Filipino boxed carefully and well, which made it difficult for Donaire to land meaningful punches. And Gaballo, perhaps quicker than Donaire, landed enough of his own shots to make the fight competitive.
However, Donaire began to assert himself in Round 3, when he landed several hard right hands. And he picked up where he left off in the following round, in which he caught Gaballo with more rights.
Then, with about 15 seconds to go in Round 4, Gaballo threw a right and Donaire responded with a monster shot to his opponent’s right side and he dropped to one knee. Gaballo stood up at the count of eight but, still in pain, he grimaced, went back down and was counted out.
The official time was 2:59 of Round 4.
“My wife [and fitness trainer] and dad were saying, ‘Go to the body, go to the body,’” Donaire said. “I had to set it up by bouncing up and down and left to right until I opened up the body. Then I landed the left hook. …
“A lot of it was rights throughout the earlier rounds and then the left hook to the body [landed] because he didn’t expect that from me.”
Did Donaire think the fight was over at that moment?
“I thought he would get up because I know he has a big heart,” he said. “But that was a very tremendous punch that landed on him.”
Donaire now has his sights set on his bigger goal, to win all four major bantamweight belts.
His fellow titleholders are John Riel Casimero of the Philippines (WBO) and pound-for-pounder Naoya Inoue (IBF and WBC), who outpointed Donaire in a hard-fought, competitive defense that preceded Donaire’s knockout of Nordine Oubaali to win the title in May.
Donaire would love to get another shot at Inoue, assuming the Japanese star beats Aran Dipaen this coming Tuesday in Tokyo.
“That’s Richard Schaefer’s, my promoter’s, job to do,” he said. “Me and Inoue have been respectful to each other. … I believe Richard is going to make it happen, no doubt.”
***
On the undercard, junior welterweight contender Brandun Lee (24-0, 22 KOs) of La Quinta, California, stopped Juan Heraldez (16-2-1, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas in the seventh round of a scheduled 10-rounder.
And Cody Crowley (20-0, 9 KOs) of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada survived a knockdown to upset longtime welterweight contender Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (18-1, 10 KOs) of Uzbekistan by a unanimous decision in a 10-round fight.
Nonito Donaire acknowledged after the fact that he had problems figuring out challenger Reymart Gaballo on Saturday night in Carson, California. Of course, it was nothing one big punch couldn’t solve. Donaire, the 39-year-old WBC bantamweight …
Nonito Donaire acknowledged after the fact that he had problems figuring out challenger Reymart Gaballo on Saturday night in Carson, California.
Of course, it was nothing one big punch couldn’t solve.
Donaire, the 39-year-old WBC bantamweight titleholder, stopped a capable fighter 14 years his junior with a viciously perfect left hook to the body with one second remaining in the fourth round of his first title defense.
The victory brought him a step closer to realizing his late-career goal: To become undisputed 118-pound champion.
Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) did indeed have some trouble with Gaballo (24-1, 20 KOs) before the stoppage.
The champion’s fellow Filipino boxed carefully and well, which made it difficult for Donaire to land meaningful punches. And Gaballo, perhaps quicker than Donaire, landed enough of his own shots to make the fight competitive.
However, Donaire began to assert himself in Round 3, when he landed several hard right hands. And he picked up where he left off in the following round, in which he caught Gaballo with more rights.
Then, with about 15 seconds to go in Round 4, Gaballo threw a right and Donaire responded with a monster shot to his opponent’s right side and he dropped to one knee. Gaballo stood up at the count of eight but, still in pain, he grimaced, went back down and was counted out.
The official time was 2:59 of Round 4.
“My wife [and fitness trainer] and dad were saying, ‘Go to the body, go to the body,’” Donaire said. “I had to set it up by bouncing up and down and left to right until I opened up the body. Then I landed the left hook. …
“A lot of it was rights throughout the earlier rounds and then the left hook to the body [landed] because he didn’t expect that from me.”
Did Donaire think the fight was over at that moment?
“I thought he would get up because I know he has a big heart,” he said. “But that was a very tremendous punch that landed on him.”
Donaire now has his sights set on his bigger goal, to win all four major bantamweight belts.
His fellow titleholders are John Riel Casimero of the Philippines (WBO) and pound-for-pounder Naoya Inoue (IBF and WBC), who outpointed Donaire in a hard-fought, competitive defense that preceded Donaire’s knockout of Nordine Oubaali to win the title in May.
Donaire would love to get another shot at Inoue, assuming the Japanese star beats Aran Dipaen this coming Tuesday in Tokyo.
“That’s Richard Schaefer’s, my promoter’s, job to do,” he said. “Me and Inoue have been respectful to each other. … I believe Richard is going to make it happen, no doubt.”
***
On the undercard, junior welterweight contender Brandun Lee (24-0, 22 KOs) of La Quinta, California, stopped Juan Heraldez (16-2-1, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas in the seventh round of a scheduled 10-rounder.
And Cody Crowley (20-0, 9 KOs) of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada survived a knockdown to upset longtime welterweight contender Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (18-1, 10 KOs) of Uzbekistan by a unanimous decision in a 10-round fight.
Hot 140-pound prospect Brandun Lee stopped Sameul Teah with a big right hand in Round 3 Wednesday in Uncasville, Conn.
Better opponent, same result.
Brandun Lee stopped capable veteran Samuel Teah in the third round Wednesday night at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., the 140-pound prospect’s 13th consecutive knockout.
The fight was competitive for two-plus rounds, as Lee (22-0, 20 KOs) boxed patiently and both fighters landed their share of eye-catching punches.
Then things changed quickly. Lee punctuated a flurry with a right hand to the side of Teah’s head about 30 seconds into the third round, which put the Philadelphia-based Liberian down for the first time in his career.
Teah (17-4-1, 7 KOs) was able to continue, holding and moving in an attempt to survive. Then came a dramatic ending. Lee landed another right to the chin that knocked Teah flat on his back and out. Referee Johnny Callas didn’t even bother to count.
The official time was 1:43 of Round 3 of the scheduled 10-rounder.
Lee, a 21-year-old former amateur star, still hasn’t been past the fourth round as a professional.
Hot 140-pound prospect Brandun Lee stopped Sameul Teah with a big right hand in Round 3 Wednesday in Uncasville, Conn.
Better opponent, same result.
Brandun Lee stopped capable veteran Samuel Teah in the third round Wednesday night at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., the 140-pound prospect’s 13th consecutive knockout.
The fight was competitive for two-plus rounds, as Lee (22-0, 20 KOs) boxed patiently and both fighters landed their share of eye-catching punches.
Then things changed quickly. Lee punctuated a flurry with a right hand to the side of Teah’s head about 30 seconds into the third round, which put the Philadelphia-based Liberian down for the first time in his career.
Teah (17-4-1, 7 KOs) was able to continue, holding and moving in an attempt to survive. Then came a dramatic ending. Lee landed another right to the chin that knocked Teah flat on his back and out. Referee Johnny Callas didn’t even bother to count.
The official time was 1:43 of Round 3 of the scheduled 10-rounder.
Lee, a 21-year-old former amateur star, still hasn’t been past the fourth round as a professional.
Charles Conwell stopped Wendy Toussaint with an uppercut that evidently broke his nose in the ninth round of a scheduled 10-rounder.
Charles Conwell capped a solid performance with a dramatic finish Wednesday in Uncasville, Conn.
The 2016 Olympian did enough to win rounds against Wendy Toussaint before ending the scheduled 10-round junior middleweight fight with a right uppercut that evidently broke Toussaint’s nose in the ninth.
The official time was 2:42.
Conwell (13-0, 10 KOs) was coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Ramses Agaton in February, his first fight since he delivered the punches that ended the life of Patrick Day in October of last year.
The fight on Wednesday followed a pattern. Neither Conwell nor Toussaint (12-1, 5 KOs) was particularly active, as they threw an average of about 35 and 33 punches per round, respectively.
However, Conwell, strong and compact, was explosive at times. He clearly landed the bigger punches, which gave him a big lead on the cards going into the final round.
Conwell seemed to injure his right hand when he landed a punch late in Round 7. He threw few rights the following round. However, it was a big right that would end matters.
Conwell seemed to be on his way to a unanimous-decision victory when the uppercut landed directly on Toussaint’s nose. He winced and immediately took a knee, where he stayed until the referee reached a count of 10.
The ring doctor could be heard saying that he believed Toussaint suffered a broken nose. A cornerman kept a towel on the nose in an effort to stop the bleeding.
The main event followed three first-round knockouts.
Janelson Figueroa Bocachica (16-0, 11 KOs) put Nicklaus Flaz (9-2, 7 KOs) down three times and stopped him 2:43 into a scheduled eight-round welterweight bout.
Brandun Lee (20-0, 18 KOs) put Jimmy Williams (16-4-2, 5 KOs) on the canvas three times before another scheduled eight-round welterweight fight.
And David Navarro, making his pro debut in a scheduled four-round featherweight bout, put Nathan Benichou (2-2, 2 KOs) away in the opening round.
Charles Conwell stopped Wendy Toussaint with an uppercut that evidently broke his nose in the ninth round of a scheduled 10-rounder.
Charles Conwell capped a solid performance with a dramatic finish Wednesday in Uncasville, Conn.
The 2016 Olympian did enough to win rounds against Wendy Toussaint before ending the scheduled 10-round junior middleweight fight with a right uppercut that evidently broke Toussaint’s nose in the ninth.
The official time was 2:42.
Conwell (13-0, 10 KOs) was coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Ramses Agaton in February, his first fight since he delivered the punches that ended the life of Patrick Day in October of last year.
The fight on Wednesday followed a pattern. Neither Conwell nor Toussaint (12-1, 5 KOs) was particularly active, as they threw an average of about 35 and 33 punches per round, respectively.
However, Conwell, strong and compact, was explosive at times. He clearly landed the bigger punches, which gave him a big lead on the cards going into the final round.
Conwell seemed to injure his right hand when he landed a punch late in Round 7. He threw few rights the following round. However, it was a big right that would end matters.
Conwell seemed to be on his way to a unanimous-decision victory when the uppercut landed directly on Toussaint’s nose. He winced and immediately took a knee, where he stayed until the referee reached a count of 10.
The ring doctor could be heard saying that he believed Toussaint suffered a broken nose. A cornerman kept a towel on the nose in an effort to stop the bleeding.
The main event followed three first-round knockouts.
Janelson Figueroa Bocachica (16-0, 11 KOs) put Nicklaus Flaz (9-2, 7 KOs) down three times and stopped him 2:43 into a scheduled eight-round welterweight bout.
Brandun Lee (20-0, 18 KOs) put Jimmy Williams (16-4-2, 5 KOs) on the canvas three times before another scheduled eight-round welterweight fight.
And David Navarro, making his pro debut in a scheduled four-round featherweight bout, put Nathan Benichou (2-2, 2 KOs) away in the opening round.
Stephen Espinoza, the president of Showtime Sports, believes boxing matchmaking can benefit after the coronavirus subsides…
Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinzoa is in the same boat of uncertainty as everyone else in the boxing world because of the coronavirus pandemic. Showtime cards in March and April have been canceled. And no one will be surprised if the same thing happens in May.
Amid the chaos, however, Espinoza sounded a note of optimism about boxing’s eventual return in a recent conversation on the Showtime Boxing Podcast.
“I’m excited,” Espinoza said. “I think we’re going to see an action-packed, jam-packed schedule whenever we return.”
Espinoza believes that an unintended side effect of the coronavirus is that it could potentially boost the quality of boxing cards because of the truncated calendar.
“There’s a lot of fighters that need fights to happen, and I think we could be in for an interesting period of time where there’s a lot of activity in a relatively short window,” Espinoza said. “It’s tough for us competitively to be in that window, tough for anybody in that window to cut through that noise [from other sports].
“We may see [fighters] taking a slightly different tack for picking fights. I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll see some really great fights in that short amount of time.”
Showtime was one of the few networks that went ahead with its scheduled show – a Shobox card featuring rising prospect Brandun Lee – on March 13, two days after the sports world began shutting down events. Top Rank and Premier Boxing Champions also canceled their shows that weekend. Showtime decided to move forward with the event — closed off to the public — because its staff was already at the venue in Hinckley, Minnesota, thereby eliminating the need for last-minute air travel that could endanger staff.
Showtime has since joined the rest of the boxing world in the waiting game. With the coronavirus potentially shutting down cards for months, industry people are thinking creatively. One idea is more cards with no spectators. Espinoza believes that could be something we see on a more regular basis.
“I believe that [there] will be some period of time where we’re doing it in the absence of large crowds,” Espinoza said. “Maybe [not for] a few months or a year … but I do think we will find a solution to have crowdless events before we figure out the solution to have a full crowd.
“So when that is, who knows. But when that starts to happen, there [will be] a tidal wave of sporting events that remains to be rescheduled.”
That means the usual venues – from Barclays Center in Brooklyn to Staples Center in Los Angeles – might not be as available to boxing promoters.
“It’s going to be tough to get a venue if all these sports are going to play catch-up at one time,” Espinoza said. “It’s going to be a little strange. At the same time, having said that, it’s going to be a wild ride. There’s a lot to be made up.”
In the meantime, Espinoza plans to make use of Showtime’s vast library of classic fights and documentaries as ways to accommodate its boxing-deprvied subscribers.
“Our goal is fill that gap with a lot of stuff that we have,” Espinoza said. “We have a deep library of documentaries. We are definitely surfacing much more of the archive on demand, and we’ll look at it on linear more regularly. Whether that means a programming slot or an occasional one.”
One example is the possibility of showcasing the first three fights from the four-fight Israel Vasquez vs. Rafael series on March 28, one of the network’s cancelled dates.
“That is typically a three-hour window for us,” Espinoza said. “That’s what we allocate from a scheduling perspective. … That’s a nice opportunity for us. What’s about three hours? Well, we could do Marquez and Vasquez 1, 2, 3. That would fill the hole nicely.
“The boxing audience is definitely still very important to Showtime. We’re going to do everything we can to continue to serve them to the maximum extent that we can.”
