Donaire battles French rival

NONITO Donaire, needing yet another convincing win to regain foothold in bigtime boxing, takes on French champion Anthony Settoul tonight in a 10-round super bantamweight bout at The Venetian Macao in Macau.

At 32, Donaire (34-3-0 with 22 knockouts) is looking for a world title fight later this year and he just might get it if he does well versus Settoul (20-3, 8 KOs).

Donaire is seeking a crack at the World Boxing Association  122-lb title of Scott Quigg, who has been calling the Filipino out.

Quigg is fighting Francisco Martinez on the same night in Manchester, England.

Donaire, perhaps the next best-known Filipino boxer after Manny Pacquiao, has had a fine career founded on his explosive style and ring craftsmanship. He has used these to beat legendary warriors Jorge Arce, Toshiaki Nishioka, Vic Darchinyan and Fernando Montiel.

He unanimously won the 2012 Fighter of the Year title during the peak of his popularity.

But he suffered career-shaking defeats at the hands of Jamaican Nicholas Walters, who rocked him with a sixth-round TKO in 2014 in California, and speedy Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux, who won a decision, in 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.