AS NONITO Donaire Jr. stands at the neutral corner, the referee checks on Frenchman Anthony Settoul who is trying to get back to his feet after falling for the third time in the second round of their 10-round nontitle fight at Cotai Arena of The Venetian Macao in Macau Saturday night. AFP
NONITO Donaire Jr. lined himself up for a possible title crack against WBA champion Scott Quigg of Britain after stopping Frenchman Anthony Settoul in the second round of their 10-round nontitle fight Saturday night at Cotai Arena of The Venetian Macao.
Donaire called out on Quigg after the Briton halted Kiko Martinez, also in the second round of their super bantamweight title showdown at Manchester Arena in England.
The “Filipino Flash,” who plumbed the depths of humiliation after losing his world titles to Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux and then getting knocked out by Jamaican Nicholas Walters last year, never gave Settoul a chance.
He decked the Frenchman, fighting out of Europe for the first time, twice in the first round and again at 2:41 of the next.
Quigg is said to have been angling for a showdown with Donaire and expected to start talks with the Filipino’s camp soon.
Asked about his next plan after the lopsided TKO win over Settoul, Donaire said he would seek a fresh crack at a super bantam title.
“Hopefully a title shot,” said Donaire, a four-division world champion. “You know me, I will fight the biggest guy, the fastest guy, the strongest guy (out there).”
Donaire improved to 35-3-0 with 23 knockouts while Settoul slid to 20-4-0.
“Thank you for all your support guys, for your love to your fellow Filipino,” said the 32-year-old Fighter of the Year in 2012 who is on the comeback trail after suffering a devastating sixth-round knockout at the hands of Walters at SubHub Center in Carson, California.
It was Donaire’s second stint at Cotai Arena where he scored his controversial technical decision win over South African Simpiwe Vetyeka for the WBA featherweight crown.
Months after that KO loss to Walters, Donaire took his first step back to the super bantamweight division with a second-round stoppage of Brazilian William Prado last March at the Araneta Coliseum. Marc Anthony Reyes