Another fallen champion: Donaire yields world boxing title to Rigondeaux
Guillermo Rigondeaux, left, lands a punch on Nonito Donaire during a junior featherweight title boxing match at Radio City Music Hall in New York Sunday, April 14, 2013. Rigondeaux won on a unanimous twelve round decision. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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.
The judges scored 114-113, 115-112, 116-111, all in favor of Rigondeaux, who is now the unified WBO/WBA super bantamweight champion with a professional record of 12-0, eight knockouts.
Donaire (31-2, 20KOs) scored the lone knockdown of the fight in the 10th round, but it wasn’t enough to extend his 12-year winning streak — which was stopped at 30 straight.
The 2012 Fighter of the Year Donaire became the fourth Filipino fighter to fall in just a span of four months after former pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, Brian Viloria and Malcolm Tunacao also reeled to shocking defeats.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist Rigondeaux tasted the canvass after getting hit by a short left in halting Donaire’s streak. Donaire went for the finish but the Rigondeaux was able to survive the round and quickly recover.
Rigondeaux drew boos from the overflow crowd as he let Donaire chase him around the ring in the latter rounds. He was surprisingly the quicker fighter, though, as he is able to land significant shots including a straight left that doomed Donaire, who had a cut in his right eye.
