Nonito expected another picnic?
By Recah TrinidadHe had agreed to walk blindly into the championship ring by failing (refusing?) to watch a single taped bout of his Cuban opponent.
He had agreed to walk blindly into the championship ring by failing (refusing?) to watch a single taped bout of his Cuban opponent.
Many boxing writers and experts were on the same wavelength recently. They all believe that Nonito Donaire Jr. lost the fight last Sunday because he had underestimated Cuban boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux.
Firing stiff jabs and showing lightning-quick reflexes, Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux outclassed Nonito Donaire Jr. on Saturday night for a stunning unanimous decision victory to unify their world super bantamweight titles at the jampacked Radio City Music Hall here.
Like the other fallen boxing champions before him, Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. vowed Sunday a comeback.
Philippine boxing took another blow after Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire lost his WBO world super bantamweight belt to unbeaten Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux Sunday (Manila time) in their 12-round fight at the Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Nonito Donaire Jr. vowed to go “power for power, speed for speed” while Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux promised to do “more than I have done in the past.”
Good and bad, Nonito Donaire Jr., can’t deny of distractions going into his fight with Guillermo Rigondeaux. A few weeks before the fight, his long-time nutrition and condition coach Victor Conte left Team Donaire for reasons neither the reformed peddler of performance-enhancing drugs or the three-division champion bothered to explain.
Filipino bet Nonito Donaire Jr. and Guillermo Rigondeaux made weight Saturday morning (Manila time) for their WBO and WBA super bantamweight unification bout set on Sunday.
“We’ll take Guillermo Rigondeaux into deep water.” Trainer Robert Garcia spoke of this game plan for Nonito Donaire Jr. when the WBO super bantamweight champion tries to add the WBA crown of the undefeated Cuban on Saturday (Sunday morning in Manila) at Radio City Music Hall here.
Nonito Donaire Jr. is now well entrenched in the millionaire boys’ club with a paycheck worth “well above a million dollars” for his world super bantamweight title unification fight with Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba this weekend.
Even with things going his way inside and outside the ring, Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire assured that he’s focused as ever — especially for Sunday.
It will be a fight between counterpunchers when Nonito Donaire Jr. squares off with Guillermo Rigondeaux in their unification clash for the world super bantamweight title on April 13 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
The issue over doping test may be cooling off, but the trash-talking still rages on.
