Pound for pound: Nonito Donaire has to be on Boxing Junkie’s list after another sensational knockout.
Nonito Donaire, 39, has demonstrated repeatedly that he won’t succumb to age.
“The Filipino Flash” gave 118-pound titleholder Naoya Inoue all kinds of trouble after some had written him off before stopping Nordine Oubaali in four rounds to win a major belt and then doing the exact same against Reymart Gaballo in his first defense last Saturday.
It should be noted that both Oubaali and Gaballo were unbeaten going into their fights with the future Hall of Famer.
Of course, Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) deserves any accolade that comes his way. That includes a place on pound-for-pound lists years after he fell off of them, including Boxing Junkie’s.
Donaire enters our list as an Honorable Mention, pushing Thai veteran Srisaket Sor Rungvisai out in the process.
Donaire has set his sights on become undisputed bantamweight champion, which means he could face Inoue again. A victory over the Japanese star, who is No. 3 here, or possibly fellow titleholder John Riel Casimero would catapult Donaire much higher on the list.
And Sor Rungvisai has been in talks to face Carlos Cuadras as part of a junior bantamweight tournament also involving Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonalez.
If Sor Rungvisai is the last man standing in that competition, he too would climb back onto the pound-for-pound ladder.
Here’s how the list looks:
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez– Announced that he plans to challenge WBC cruiserweight titleholder Ilunga Makabu (if Makabu beats Thabiso Mchunu on Jan. 29) but no date or site is set.
Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
Oleksandr Usyk – Expected to fight Anthony Joshua a second time in the spring but date or site is set.
Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
Tyson Fury– The WBC has ordered Fury to defend his title against Dillian Whyte but no deal is in place.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBA and WBA junior bantamweight titles in what would be a third fight against Roman Gonzalez but no date or site is set.
Gennadiy Golovkin – Scheduled to fight Ryota Murata in a middleweight title-unification fight on Dec. 29 in Japan.
Jermell Charlo – Expected to face Brian Castano a second time on Feb. 26 but the deal hasn’t been finalized.
Josh Taylor – Scheduled to defend his undisputed junior welterweight championship against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall on Feb. 26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his light heavyweight titles against Marcus Browne on Friday (Dec. 17) in Montreal.
Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
Jermall Charlo – No fight scheduled.
Kazuto Ioka– Scheduled to face Jerwin Ancajas in a junior bantamweight title-unification bout on Dec. 31 in Tokyo.
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (no fight scheduled); Nonito Donaire (no fight scheduled); George Kambosos (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled); and Yordenis Ugas (expected to defend his welterweight title against Eimantas Stanionis in the spring but no date or site is set).
Pound for pound: Nonito Donaire has to be on Boxing Junkie’s list after another sensational knockout.
Nonito Donaire, 39, has demonstrated repeatedly that he won’t succumb to age.
“The Filipino Flash” gave 118-pound titleholder Naoya Inoue all kinds of trouble after some had written him off before stopping Nordine Oubaali in four rounds to win a major belt and then doing the exact same against Reymart Gaballo in his first defense last Saturday.
It should be noted that both Oubaali and Gaballo were unbeaten going into their fights with the future Hall of Famer.
Of course, Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) deserves any accolade that comes his way. That includes a place on pound-for-pound lists years after he fell off of them, including Boxing Junkie’s.
Donaire enters our list as an Honorable Mention, pushing Thai veteran Srisaket Sor Rungvisai out in the process.
Donaire has set his sights on become undisputed bantamweight champion, which means he could face Inoue again. A victory over the Japanese star, who is No. 3 here, or possibly fellow titleholder John Riel Casimero would catapult Donaire much higher on the list.
And Sor Rungvisai has been in talks to face Carlos Cuadras as part of a junior bantamweight tournament also involving Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonalez.
If Sor Rungvisai is the last man standing in that competition, he too would climb back onto the pound-for-pound ladder.
Here’s how the list looks:
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez– Announced that he plans to challenge WBC cruiserweight titleholder Ilunga Makabu (if Makabu beats Thabiso Mchunu on Jan. 29) but no date or site is set.
Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
Oleksandr Usyk – Expected to fight Anthony Joshua a second time in the spring but date or site is set.
Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
Tyson Fury– The WBC has ordered Fury to defend his title against Dillian Whyte but no deal is in place.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBA and WBA junior bantamweight titles in what would be a third fight against Roman Gonzalez but no date or site is set.
Gennadiy Golovkin – Scheduled to fight Ryota Murata in a middleweight title-unification fight on Dec. 29 in Japan.
Jermell Charlo – Expected to face Brian Castano a second time on Feb. 26 but the deal hasn’t been finalized.
Josh Taylor – Scheduled to defend his undisputed junior welterweight championship against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall on Feb. 26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his light heavyweight titles against Marcus Browne on Friday (Dec. 17) in Montreal.
Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
Jermall Charlo – No fight scheduled.
Kazuto Ioka– Scheduled to face Jerwin Ancajas in a junior bantamweight title-unification bout on Dec. 31 in Tokyo.
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (no fight scheduled); Nonito Donaire (no fight scheduled); George Kambosos (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled); and Yordenis Ugas (expected to defend his welterweight title against Eimantas Stanionis in the spring but no date or site is set).
Good, bad, worse: Nonito Donaire and Vasiliy Lomachenko proved on separate cards Saturday that they still have it.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Nonito Donaire is near the top of his game at 39. Harry How / Getty Images
In a sport most suited for the young, two veterans – Nonito Donaire and Vasiliy Lomachenko – demonstrated on Saturday that 30-somethings can still dominate.
Donaire, defending his bantamweight titles, is almost 40-something (39) yet ended a competitive fight against Reymart Gaballo with a vintage left hook to the body that rendered his fellow Filipino unable to continue in Carson, California.
One of boxing’s true treasures has now stopped previously unbeaten opponents in the fourth round in back-to-back fights, including his stoppage of Nordine Oubaali to win his title.
Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) is following the lead of countryman Manny Pacquiao, who outpointed Keith Thurman to win a welterweight title at 40. However, that was Pacman’s last hurrah. He lost to Yordenis Ugas in his next fight and retired.
Donaire seems to be as good as ever, as impossible as that sounds. And he has set his sights high: He talks about becoming undisputed 118-pound champion.
Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) seemed to be an afterthought amid the rise of several talented young lightweights after his loss to Teofimo Lopez. Then Lopez lost to George Kambosos, Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney failed to dominate recent opponents and Ryan Garcia stepped away from the sport.
That gave the 33-year-old Ukrainian an opportunity to show he still belongs and he seized it, giving a clinic against overmatched Richard Commey in New York City. He looked a lot like the boxing wizard of the recent past, allowing Commey to land only 12% of his punches, according to CompuBox.
That might not bode well for the other top 135-pounders as he pursues his own dream of becoming “undisputed.”
Of course, we shouldn’t get carried away. Donaire stopped Gaballo, not Nayoa Inoue. Lomachenko defeated Commey, not one of the young stars. The bigger challenges might prove to much them. Then again, what we saw on Saturday makes us think that anything is possible.
BAD
Could Vasiliy Lomachenko get first crack at George Kambosos? Sarah Stier / Getty Images
Now we wait.
The best lightweights have talked about facing one another since before the COVID-19 pandemic set in two years ago but only one fight pitting one against another – Lomachenko vs. Lopez – has happened in part because of the usual culprit, competing loyalties.
To date Davis, Haney and Garcia have yet to face a top 135-pound rival, which is becoming ridiculous.
Lopez did agree to defend his undisputed championship against Kambosos but the Aussie was not in the fraternity of young stars going into that fight. He is bona fide member after his sensational upset of Lopez on Nov. 27.
So will 2022 be the year that the best fight the best in what has been labeled by some the deepest division in boxing? I’ll believe it when I see it.
Kambosos gives us hope. He has all the leverage because he holds all four major titles, assuming you consider him (not Haney) the WBC champ. The new king says Davis, Haney, Garcia and now Lomachenko are all in the mix to be his next opponent, possibly in a homecoming down under.
He also said he doesn’t want to face an easy mark, which gives us added hope that we might get a fight worth watching.
Of course, a shrewd business advisor will whisper in his ear that he should milk this championship thing for as long as possible, meaning an interim fight against a second-tier opponent might make sense from a financial standpoint.
For example, Kambosos vs. a mandatory challenger could earn him good money for minimal risk.
The bottom line is this, though: If Kambosos truly wants to move directly into a superfight – and it sounds as if he does – it will happen because everyone wants those belts, which in turn gives them the aforementioned leverage.
I can’t begin to speculate who might win the Kambosos lottery because a case can be made for all his 135-pound rivals, who are roughly equal threats. If it were up to me? I might go with Garcia or Davis because of their social media following. They would produce the biggest numbers.
I would be happy with any of them, though. And I know I’m not alone.
And what about those who aren’t the lucky one to face Kambosos? They’ll have to make a decision: Bide their time by taking on solid, but limited opponents in hopes of one day getting a shot at the undisputed championship or face genuine threats – meaning each other – in the meantime.
It’s time for them to choose the latter. Enough talk.
WORSE
Let’s hope we see another Pernell Whitaker (right) in 2028. USA TODAY NETWORK
An Olympics without boxing? It’s possible.
The International Olympic Committee this past week gave amateur boxing officials 18 months to demonstrate they’ve made adequate organizational and cultural changes before they can win approval to be a part of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Amateur boxing has been plagued by accusations of corruption, which has put in it in this precarious position.
The sport moved in the right direction when the IOC stripped the International Boxing Association of the right to oversee the boxing competition at the Tokyo Olympics. Instead, it was organized gymnastics officials.
That led to election of new AIBA president Umar Kremlev last December, which started the reform process in earnest.
Let’s hope Kremlev and his colleagues can convince IOC officials that a clean boxing competition would be a boon to the Games, not a detriment, because it’s hard to imagine the Olympics without the sweet science.
It would be sadly ironic for Americans if the sport’s Olympic run, which started in 1904, came to an end in Los Angeles. That’s where arguably the best U.S. team claimed its glory in 1984, although Cuba and Soviet Bloc countries didn’t compete in those games.
I want to see the next Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, Mark Breland and Evander Holyfield in 2028. And I know all boxing fans feel the same way.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Tyson Fury sang “Happy Birthday” to Bob Aurm. Sarah Stie r/ Getty Images
Conor Benn (20-0, 13 KOs) looked like a genuine welterweight contender in his knockout victory over veteran Chris Algieri (25-4, 9 KOs) on Saturday in Liverpool, England. He fought with the maturity of a more experienced fighter, patiently breaking down his opponent before stopping him with a brutal one-two in the fourth round. His handlers don’t want to rush him, though. That’s smart. He reportedly had only 20 amateur fights, which gives him 40 in total. He’s still developing. The last thing you want to do is throw him into the ring with an Errol Spence Jr. or Terence Crawford. His time on the biggest stage will come soon enough. … Light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) outclassed Umar Salamov (26-2, 19 KOs) on Saturday in Russia, which is par for the course for him. Next up could be a unification bout against either Artur Beterbiev (wouldn’t that be something?) or Joe Smith Jr. And I still hope that Canelo Alvarez decides to fight either Bivol or Beterbiev, not a cruiserweight, if he wants to fight bigger men. … Undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (20-0, 6 KOs) fought off a spirited challenge from Firuza Sharipova (14-2, 8 KOs) to win a unanimous decision and retain her titles on the Benn-Algieri card. Taylor’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, says Amanda Serrano is next if Serrano defeats Miriam Gutierrez next Saturday. Serrano, a featherweight who has had success moving up and down in weight, might be the biggest test of Taylor’s career. The native of Puerto Rico is a genuine threat to Taylor. …
The fact promoter Bob Arum’s 90th birthday celebration was televised on ESPN was unusual but somehow heartwarming, particularly when heavyweight champ Tyson Fury led a chorus of “Happy Birthday” at Madison Square Garden. And I loved the video tributes to Arum, including one from arch rival Don King. Arum has been promoting for more than a half century and is still going strong. God bless him. … Relative unknown Cody Crowley (20-0, 9 KOs) turned in one of the bigger upsets of the year on the Donaire-Gaballo card, overcoming a knockdown to outpoint longtime contender Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (18-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight bout. Crowley just kept coming and coming … and coming. I don’t see the Canadian as a threat to the top 147-pounders but they would have to work hard to beat him. … Junior welterweight contender Brandun Lee (24-0, 22 KOs) stopped Juan Heraldez (16-2-1, 10 KOs) in the seventh round on the Donaire-Gaballo card. It’s time for him to face the big boys. … Nico Ali Walsh (3-0, 2 KOs), the grandson of Muhammad Ali, was fortunate to have his hands raised against stubborn Reyes Sanchez (6-1, 2 KOs) on the Lomachenko-Commey card. I don’t have a problem with the majority decision, though. I do have a problem with the card of judge James Kinney of New Jersey, who gave Ali Walsh all four rounds. Sanchez clearly won the third round, which makes me wonder what Kinney was watching.
Good, bad, worse: Nonito Donaire and Vasiliy Lomachenko proved on separate cards Saturday that they still have it.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Nonito Donaire is near the top of his game at 39. Harry How / Getty Images
In a sport most suited for the young, two veterans – Nonito Donaire and Vasiliy Lomachenko – demonstrated on Saturday that 30-somethings can still dominate.
Donaire, defending his bantamweight titles, is almost 40-something (39) yet ended a competitive fight against Reymart Gaballo with a vintage left hook to the body that rendered his fellow Filipino unable to continue in Carson, California.
One of boxing’s true treasures has now stopped previously unbeaten opponents in the fourth round in back-to-back fights, including his stoppage of Nordine Oubaali to win his title.
Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) is following the lead of countryman Manny Pacquiao, who outpointed Keith Thurman to win a welterweight title at 40. However, that was Pacman’s last hurrah. He lost to Yordenis Ugas in his next fight and retired.
Donaire seems to be as good as ever, as impossible as that sounds. And he has set his sights high: He talks about becoming undisputed 118-pound champion.
Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) seemed to be an afterthought amid the rise of several talented young lightweights after his loss to Teofimo Lopez. Then Lopez lost to George Kambosos, Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney failed to dominate recent opponents and Ryan Garcia stepped away from the sport.
That gave the 33-year-old Ukrainian an opportunity to show he still belongs and he seized it, giving a clinic against overmatched Richard Commey in New York City. He looked a lot like the boxing wizard of the recent past, allowing Commey to land only 12% of his punches, according to CompuBox.
That might not bode well for the other top 135-pounders as he pursues his own dream of becoming “undisputed.”
Of course, we shouldn’t get carried away. Donaire stopped Gaballo, not Nayoa Inoue. Lomachenko defeated Commey, not one of the young stars. The bigger challenges might prove to much them. Then again, what we saw on Saturday makes us think that anything is possible.
BAD
Could Vasiliy Lomachenko get first crack at George Kambosos? Sarah Stier / Getty Images
Now we wait.
The best lightweights have talked about facing one another since before the COVID-19 pandemic set in two years ago but only one fight pitting one against another – Lomachenko vs. Lopez – has happened in part because of the usual culprit, competing loyalties.
To date Davis, Haney and Garcia have yet to face a top 135-pound rival, which is becoming ridiculous.
Lopez did agree to defend his undisputed championship against Kambosos but the Aussie was not in the fraternity of young stars going into that fight. He is bona fide member after his sensational upset of Lopez on Nov. 27.
So will 2022 be the year that the best fight the best in what has been labeled by some the deepest division in boxing? I’ll believe it when I see it.
Kambosos gives us hope. He has all the leverage because he holds all four major titles, assuming you consider him (not Haney) the WBC champ. The new king says Davis, Haney, Garcia and now Lomachenko are all in the mix to be his next opponent, possibly in a homecoming down under.
He also said he doesn’t want to face an easy mark, which gives us added hope that we might get a fight worth watching.
Of course, a shrewd business advisor will whisper in his ear that he should milk this championship thing for as long as possible, meaning an interim fight against a second-tier opponent might make sense from a financial standpoint.
For example, Kambosos vs. a mandatory challenger could earn him good money for minimal risk.
The bottom line is this, though: If Kambosos truly wants to move directly into a superfight – and it sounds as if he does – it will happen because everyone wants those belts, which in turn gives them the aforementioned leverage.
I can’t begin to speculate who might win the Kambosos lottery because a case can be made for all his 135-pound rivals, who are roughly equal threats. If it were up to me? I might go with Garcia or Davis because of their social media following. They would produce the biggest numbers.
I would be happy with any of them, though. And I know I’m not alone.
And what about those who aren’t the lucky one to face Kambosos? They’ll have to make a decision: Bide their time by taking on solid, but limited opponents in hopes of one day getting a shot at the undisputed championship or face genuine threats – meaning each other – in the meantime.
It’s time for them to choose the latter. Enough talk.
WORSE
Let’s hope we see another Pernell Whitaker (right) in 2028. USA TODAY NETWORK
An Olympics without boxing? It’s possible.
The International Olympic Committee this past week gave amateur boxing officials 18 months to demonstrate they’ve made adequate organizational and cultural changes before they can win approval to be a part of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Amateur boxing has been plagued by accusations of corruption, which has put in it in this precarious position.
The sport moved in the right direction when the IOC stripped the International Boxing Association of the right to oversee the boxing competition at the Tokyo Olympics. Instead, it was organized gymnastics officials.
That led to election of new AIBA president Umar Kremlev last December, which started the reform process in earnest.
Let’s hope Kremlev and his colleagues can convince IOC officials that a clean boxing competition would be a boon to the Games, not a detriment, because it’s hard to imagine the Olympics without the sweet science.
It would be sadly ironic for Americans if the sport’s Olympic run, which started in 1904, came to an end in Los Angeles. That’s where arguably the best U.S. team claimed its glory in 1984, although Cuba and Soviet Bloc countries didn’t compete in those games.
I want to see the next Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, Mark Breland and Evander Holyfield in 2028. And I know all boxing fans feel the same way.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Tyson Fury sang “Happy Birthday” to Bob Aurm. Sarah Stie r/ Getty Images
Conor Benn (20-0, 13 KOs) looked like a genuine welterweight contender in his knockout victory over veteran Chris Algieri (25-4, 9 KOs) on Saturday in Liverpool, England. He fought with the maturity of a more experienced fighter, patiently breaking down his opponent before stopping him with a brutal one-two in the fourth round. His handlers don’t want to rush him, though. That’s smart. He reportedly had only 20 amateur fights, which gives him 40 in total. He’s still developing. The last thing you want to do is throw him into the ring with an Errol Spence Jr. or Terence Crawford. His time on the biggest stage will come soon enough. … Light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) outclassed Umar Salamov (26-2, 19 KOs) on Saturday in Russia, which is par for the course for him. Next up could be a unification bout against either Artur Beterbiev (wouldn’t that be something?) or Joe Smith Jr. And I still hope that Canelo Alvarez decides to fight either Bivol or Beterbiev, not a cruiserweight, if he wants to fight bigger men. … Undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (20-0, 6 KOs) fought off a spirited challenge from Firuza Sharipova (14-2, 8 KOs) to win a unanimous decision and retain her titles on the Benn-Algieri card. Taylor’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, says Amanda Serrano is next if Serrano defeats Miriam Gutierrez next Saturday. Serrano, a featherweight who has had success moving up and down in weight, might be the biggest test of Taylor’s career. The native of Puerto Rico is a genuine threat to Taylor. …
The fact promoter Bob Arum’s 90th birthday celebration was televised on ESPN was unusual but somehow heartwarming, particularly when heavyweight champ Tyson Fury led a chorus of “Happy Birthday” at Madison Square Garden. And I loved the video tributes to Arum, including one from arch rival Don King. Arum has been promoting for more than a half century and is still going strong. God bless him. … Relative unknown Cody Crowley (20-0, 9 KOs) turned in one of the bigger upsets of the year on the Donaire-Gaballo card, overcoming a knockdown to outpoint longtime contender Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (18-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight bout. Crowley just kept coming and coming … and coming. I don’t see the Canadian as a threat to the top 147-pounders but they would have to work hard to beat him. … Junior welterweight contender Brandun Lee (24-0, 22 KOs) stopped Juan Heraldez (16-2-1, 10 KOs) in the seventh round on the Donaire-Gaballo card. It’s time for him to face the big boys. … Nico Ali Walsh (3-0, 2 KOs), the grandson of Muhammad Ali, was fortunate to have his hands raised against stubborn Reyes Sanchez (6-1, 2 KOs) on the Lomachenko-Commey card. I don’t have a problem with the majority decision, though. I do have a problem with the card of judge James Kinney of New Jersey, who gave Ali Walsh all four rounds. Sanchez clearly won the third round, which makes me wonder what Kinney was watching.
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.
Nonito Donaire: His remarkable renaissance rolls on at 39 years old.
Nonito Donaire is playing with house money.
The 39-year-old wonder has been an elite fighter for around 15 years, he has won titles in four divisions, he made one of the most inspiring comebacks in recent history and he’s a future Hall of Famer. Any glory he claims going forward is almost an embarrassment of riches.
That doesn’t mean much to the bantamweight titleholder, though. He’s still determined to get the most out of the ability he has left, which might not bode well for challenger Reymart Gaballo on Saturday in Carson, California.
“I’m here enjoying this moment and every moment I have left in my career,” Donaire said. “In the gym, I feel like I can do this for another 10 years. I just take it one fight at a time and I’m grateful for every moment of it.”
Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs) was at his best more than a decade ago, starting with his sensational one-punch, fifth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Vic Darchinyan to win a flyweight belt in 2007.
The athletic, big-punching Filipino-American demolished everyone placed his path the next several years and was named 2012 Fighter of the Year after beating Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka and Jorge Arce.
He seemed unbeatable … until his opponents suddenly began to prove otherwise.
He went only 7-4 in the 11 fights after the victory over Arce, with decisive losses to Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nicholas Walters, Jessie Magdaleno and Carl Frampton. It seemed after the Frampton fight that Donaire’s days as an elite fighter were over.
Then, in 2018, he made an important decision. The losses against Walters (TKO 6) and Frampton (UD) took place at 126 pounds, at which he seemed to give up his size and power advantages. So he moved down not one, but two divisions to 118, a weight at which he hadn’t fought since 2011.
Somehow he was able to make the weight. And that turned back the clock. He stopped Ryan Burnett and Stephon Young to set up a title shot against the feared Naoya Inoue in November 2019.
[lawrence-related id=26641,26639]
Donaire came up short on the cards in that fight – losing a unanimous decision – but the fact he pushed Inoue harder than anyone before him demonstrated that he was again at the top of his game at an age when most fighters are in retirement.
And if there was any doubt, he dispelled it by blowing out overmatched Nordine Oubaali in four rounds to win the WBC bantamweight title this past May at 38.
He doesn’t plan to stop there. A rematch with Inoue or a fight with countryman and titleholder John Riel Casimero could be in his near future.
“For me, after the Naoya Inoue fight, I saw that I still had a purpose in this sport,” he said. “I came in strong against Nordine Oubaali in my last fight because I have that purpose. That purpose is to become undisputed champion of the world.”
Is Gaballo (24-0, 20 KOs) a threat? Probably not.
The Filipino has some ability and punching power, as his knockout percentage indicates. However, many believe he received a gift decision over Emmanuel Rodriguez in his most-recent fight and he hasn’t faced anyone quite like Donaire.
And, of course, to Donaire, Gaballo is just another opponent.
“I’ve faced a lot of top guys with great power like Gaballo has,” he said. “My experience allows me to have no fear of the power. We’re just focused on our strategy and how I can take advantage of his style.
“We’re 100% ready. We build up our mental fortitude so we can always push forward and be ready. We’re only as strong as our mind can be. My mental strength is to the moon.”
Nonito Donaire: His remarkable renaissance rolls on at 39 years old.
Nonito Donaire is playing with house money.
The 39-year-old wonder has been an elite fighter for around 15 years, he has won titles in four divisions, he made one of the most inspiring comebacks in recent history and he’s a future Hall of Famer. Any glory he claims going forward is almost an embarrassment of riches.
That doesn’t mean much to the bantamweight titleholder, though. He’s still determined to get the most out of the ability he has left, which might not bode well for challenger Reymart Gaballo on Saturday in Carson, California.
“I’m here enjoying this moment and every moment I have left in my career,” Donaire said. “In the gym, I feel like I can do this for another 10 years. I just take it one fight at a time and I’m grateful for every moment of it.”
Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs) was at his best more than a decade ago, starting with his sensational one-punch, fifth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Vic Darchinyan to win a flyweight belt in 2007.
The athletic, big-punching Filipino-American demolished everyone placed his path the next several years and was named 2012 Fighter of the Year after beating Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka and Jorge Arce.
He seemed unbeatable … until his opponents suddenly began to prove otherwise.
He went only 7-4 in the 11 fights after the victory over Arce, with decisive losses to Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nicholas Walters, Jessie Magdaleno and Carl Frampton. It seemed after the Frampton fight that Donaire’s days as an elite fighter were over.
Then, in 2018, he made an important decision. The losses against Walters (TKO 6) and Frampton (UD) took place at 126 pounds, at which he seemed to give up his size and power advantages. So he moved down not one, but two divisions to 118, a weight at which he hadn’t fought since 2011.
Somehow he was able to make the weight. And that turned back the clock. He stopped Ryan Burnett and Stephon Young to set up a title shot against the feared Naoya Inoue in November 2019.
[lawrence-related id=26641,26639]
Donaire came up short on the cards in that fight – losing a unanimous decision – but the fact he pushed Inoue harder than anyone before him demonstrated that he was again at the top of his game at an age when most fighters are in retirement.
And if there was any doubt, he dispelled it by blowing out overmatched Nordine Oubaali in four rounds to win the WBC bantamweight title this past May at 38.
He doesn’t plan to stop there. A rematch with Inoue or a fight with countryman and titleholder John Riel Casimero could be in his near future.
“For me, after the Naoya Inoue fight, I saw that I still had a purpose in this sport,” he said. “I came in strong against Nordine Oubaali in my last fight because I have that purpose. That purpose is to become undisputed champion of the world.”
Is Gaballo (24-0, 20 KOs) a threat? Probably not.
The Filipino has some ability and punching power, as his knockout percentage indicates. However, many believe he received a gift decision over Emmanuel Rodriguez in his most-recent fight and he hasn’t faced anyone quite like Donaire.
And, of course, to Donaire, Gaballo is just another opponent.
“I’ve faced a lot of top guys with great power like Gaballo has,” he said. “My experience allows me to have no fear of the power. We’re just focused on our strategy and how I can take advantage of his style.
“We’re 100% ready. We build up our mental fortitude so we can always push forward and be ready. We’re only as strong as our mind can be. My mental strength is to the moon.”
