Donaire ‘fitter as featherweight’
Nonito Donaire Jr.
NEW YORK—Without missing a beat, Top Rank big boss Bob Arum said Nonito Donaire Jr. should move up to a heavier division to avoid the trouble of making weight each time he fights.
The most successful boxing promoter of his generation noted that “trouble in making the weight” led to Donaire’s loss to Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux in their world super bantamweight title unification bout Saturday here.
Hardly affected by a 10th-round knockdown, Rigondeaux easily added Donaire’s WBO title to his WBA crown by unanimous decision.
Arum, speaking at ringside at the posh Radio City Music Hall, said Donaire was in sweat shirt still trying to shed pounds hours before the official weigh-in and during the fighters’ meeting Friday.
“He’s got to move up in weight,” Arum told reporters at press box after the fight. “I mean, he apparently blew off the fighters’ meeting with his sweat shirt on and he had to get out and make the weight.”
Donaire, fighting in his fourth weight class, tipped the scales at 121.6 pounds Friday and entered the ring Saturday at 129, his heaviest ever.
In separate interviews, Donaire trainer Robert Garcia and manager Cameron Dunkin said they are inclined to move to 126 for the next fight, probably in early October. The team wants Donaire to have a third fight by December.
“We don’t have any decision yet but it’s something we are looking at,” said Garcia of Donaire’s possible move as a full-pledged featherweight.
Meanwhile, Arum said he didn’t know Donaire has a shoulder injury which the fighter said would require surgery.
“This is the first time I heard about it,” he said.
Arum, also a Rigondeaux co-promoter, said the bout “was not a very engaging fight” since the Cuban kept on running away.
“Rigondeaux has a lot of power, and he has lots of movement and lots of skill,” said Arum. “But he keeps running away. That really will make it a not-watchable fight. It’s not a very pleasing style he has.”
He said he had Donaire ahead on points after that 10th round, when the Filipino Flash floored the Cuban dubbed as the “Jackal.’’
“And then I gave Rigo the 11th and 12, that was the fight. I had a one-point fight. He (Donaire) clearly lost the last two rounds,’’ he added.
