The trainer of Jamaican slugger Nicholas Walters is confident his hard-punching ward will knock out Filipino superstar Nonito Donaire Jr. when they clash for the WBA featherweight title on Oct. 18 at StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Celso Chavez of Panama told notifight.com and boxingscene.com that the unbeaten Walters, the WBA regular champ, is in the peak of his career and has what it takes to inflict a first-ever KO win over Donaire.
“Nicholas is in the prime of his career. Without abusing our confidence, I think the fight will not reach the limit,” Chavez was quoted as saying. He said Walters (24-0-0 with 20 knockouts) is already halfway through his training camp.
Meanwhile, Donaire (33-2-0 with 21 KOs) has also started his training in what is largely seen as the toughest fight of his career so far under the watchful eyes of his father Nonito Sr.
Donaire wrested the WBA super title from Simpiwe Vetyeka last May in Macau when he won a fifth-round unanimous technical decision over the South African.
He sustained a big cut over his eyelid in the first round but hung on to deck the taller Vetyeka in the fourth before deciding he could no longer continue after the fifth round.
The technical decision raised doubts on Donaire’s capability to fight in the 126-lb realm, which he hopes to completely dash by taking on the muscle-bound Walters.
The Jamaican scored an astonishing fifth-round KO win over Vic Darchinyan in the Donaire-Vetyeka undercard.