Donaire keen on KO vs Mathebula

NONITO Donaire Jr. was looking for a knockout win in his last two two fights, but  that one decisive punch never came.

Whether Donaire will again abandon his jabs in favor of the explosive stoppage will be known when the Filipino Flash battles South African Jeffrey Mathebula for the unified world super bantamweight title on July 7 (July 8 in Manila) at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

After sensational knockout victories over heralded foes like Vic Darchinyan in 2007 and Fernando Montiel last year, fans are surely looking for a spectacle from Donaire every single bout.

“I wanted to hit him as hard as I could every time,” said Donaire of Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., his last opponent whom he downed in 9th but failed to finish off for a split decision win, in a conference call. “The kid didn’t want to open up and I needed him to open up. So I put my face in front of him because all he wanted to do was throw a jab.”

Donaire (28-1-0 with 18 knockouts) said he wanted to score a knockout win and maybe finally convince giant TV networks that he deserves to be a pay-per-view attraction.